top of page
AMPP - 2026 issues list
In order of priority: 1. Human Rights Act reform for sexual and gender minorities. 2. Infrastructure Bonds as a necessary addition. Ethical Wealth Standard. 3. First Language Guarantee. Hate speech reform. 4. Plant Hemp, Not Pines. Biofriendly building materials, drug reform. 5. NET. Environmental stewardship. 6. Arts and culture reform.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 7, 20251 min read
No performances
You can't win this war with me. I don't need an orchestra to realise my dreams. I've already done a couple of movements of the Preludes with the backing track. Joel could master the first movement, and make money off using the backing in a gig. As we've already established, my synth demos fooled a lot of people. You need me, in large part thanks to the success of my synths. All I need from you is your money and your word that you won't half-arse it. - My stipulations are
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 7, 20252 min read
Question Time 05 November 2025
Writing from home. Had a call with MSD; confirmed I'm mentally unable to work. Eating banana bread. About to open my second beer of the day. - I realise I probably won't be arrested, but it's not a certainty. Planning the next vigil for 11 November. - 1. Nancy Lu to Nicola NL 5, NW 5 Reports on the economy... unemployment at 5.3% 'shows the effects of an economic downturn [Labour's]' - Nicola. Unemployment rate 'broadly in line with forecasts' Chloe's saying something,
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 5, 20254 min read
To Bret
Hey man. I'm in Wellington; you're in Wellington. Wanna jam? Almost finished The Perfumed Garden. The album's like a collection of all the themes, but only a few tracks fully develop them for an opera (such as the saloon scene). There's no electric guitar in the demos, but I want it for the show. - Shipwrecked is going well. All the main songs are written, and about 3/4 of the script. Don seems semi-keen to play piano. My Dak documentaries were fun to make, but I'm keen
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 4, 20251 min read
To the spies
I'm not under investigation. I'm not facing charges. I haven't been convicted. Please stop telling me what to do. I'm angry cos I fucking woke up to a LOT of bullshit to be Tina. My response to that bullshit is to skip Question Time. You have no legal right to stalk me. You have no legal right to control me. You have no legal right to justify the porn torture. Stop covering your arses, and allow me some peace by admitting fault and ceasing. - You must let me win the basic w
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 4, 20252 min read
Jewel's Darl
Doesn't need updating. It's a brilliant slice of life. Like those About Face dramas: the cheapness is part of the effect. Steve Barr is just being a typical American studio hack, presuming that everything is better when it's done with state-of-the-art movie cameras (and gets him paid). As we all know, films are largely criticised for being escapist fantasies, while documentaries are ways of promoting understanding. Steve's version of my story was escapism for rich cunts, n
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 4, 20251 min read
More 'but Steve Barr said...'
I don't need his help, nor do I need an introduction to his method. Never met him. Never spoke to him. Never got an email. Never saw a contract. If he hasn't been able to produce the film over 2 years after he ripped me off, it suggests that the NZFC and NZ on Air lawyers require more than that. It's his mates calling me a creepy pervert that has prevented me from hiring a crew, not my inability to work with people. RNZ and Isentia thought I was a good worker. So did the Dak
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 3, 20252 min read
'how did you reach so many for so little?'
The common wisdom in PR and communications is that videos are the best format, as evinced by Jacinda's fireside chats, but my strategy is lots of variety. There's films, concerts, songs, music videos, album demos, readings, motion comics, satirical cartoons. Both in the pirate stream and in the actual ads. We screened our first non-AMPP feature film this year when we screened Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, and it reached around 1000 people. It could be a growth part of the
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 2, 20251 min read
Amanda vs. Wellington
Tell me where in the social contract it says that I had to be subject to torture over my sexuality without any charges or convictions? Tell me where in the social contract it says that a writer must give their IP up for free because the town wants warm fuzzies? Tell me where in the social contract it says that closets get to dictate to out queers? Tell me where in the social contract it says that the mayor is able to spy on citizens? Tell me where in the social contract i
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 2, 20256 min read
Amanda vs. the pollies
Simple and plain: Act and the Greens owe me an apology and a settlement cheque. At least $50,000 each. I realise that I'm asking for a lot of money overall, but it's built from specific infringements. I don't need it; I don't particularly want it, but it's the only way to win. - Being threatened by minor parties in Parliament should result in charges. David got formally warned, but Marama hasn't been (yet). I don't blame Marama or Chloe, though; I blame their machine of S
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 1, 20251 min read
Settlement terms
Total sum = $70,000-100,000. Split between all infringers and bullies. No NDA's. I'm only willing to settle for that amount if they publicly apologise. Weeded Out dies, and I'm not forced to sell my book to those bullies. The NZ media will consider their complicity, and whether their coverage - or lack of - made my life unnecessarily difficult and caused significant emotional harm. My right to choose not to perform is still respected. It's not a right to hear me live: it's a
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Nov 1, 20251 min read
AI and music
It's been able to compose and arrange for decades, but even simple transcription is hard. There's no way for it to quantify gestures except via pattern matching. Manny's experimenting with Sona, which is producing some very credible demos, but it does alter the contours and the rhythms to fit the predictive scheme. Fourier transforms might reveal something of the underlying harmonic series of a waiata, but I doubt that they'd be much use for transcribing waiata. It happens
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 31, 20251 min read
Terrorist skit
RNZ used the terrorist's name today, so I'd say that's a green light to do it for real. That'll need a reporter or two + me and the camera team. Thought I almost had enough AI, but some clips haven't survived. Still planning to use the blackcurrant head.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 31, 20251 min read
Why 1994?
We were all around 5 when the millenium happened. That was a very significant event. My brother and I were in Cromwell. I remember it quite vividly. Something to put in the movie... To me, all that stuff reminds me of Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 31, 20251 min read
Me vs. the spies
The worst part is that they're so good at injecting text/content into feeds. Felt like my dick was hooked up to a monitor while I masturbated. They use divide and conquer tactics. Make you think that your friends hate you. In my case, it was mostly bullies from real life, but I'm alleging that they were given access to my laptop or my porn feed. The spies probably did the injecting, but they got people to feed info to them. - All that bullshit about my mental breakdown wa
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 30, 20251 min read
Flags...
Has anyone ever pointed out that the enby flag is literally the intersex flag + those extra strips of black and white? Can't help but feel they're co-opting the colours to suggest that they're the only legitimate third gender or third sex group. Their philosophy isn't really compatible with trans or intersex people, who often have a spiritual or religious view of gender. We embody genders we feel spiritually connected to; they 'queer' genders. ChatGPT said this: “The non-
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 29, 20251 min read
Saturday...
I cancelled the AGM. Didn't feel like it. Feeling highly scrutinised and wondering if I'll have my holidays ruined like they were in '24 thanks to AMPP's unlikely success. - The stigma of being called a creepy stalker continues to haunt me. Nobody's judging me for it, but they did point those accusing fingers at me before asking myself or Puhihuia about the full story. Wasn't charged at any point. Couldn't prove I'd intended to distress her. Essentially, that whole saga wa
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 28, 20251 min read
What am I trying to say?
It's corny, but I had a bit of a revelation while watching Samsara. I'm trying to colour the sands of time, vibrating through life. I can't be persuaded to make Steve's film. Performance art has made me tired of big movies. The shorts are cool, though. I'm not saying that I'll direct all of them, though I'm keen to make The Plaything and A Night to Remember.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 27, 20251 min read
To Andrew Little
Weeded Out can't exist, Andrew. Steve Barr didn't have the right to sell it. Wrote that script entirely on my own. NZ Writer's Guild and the WGA both agreed it was entirely my work. His script is what we call an unauthorised derivative. It does happen, but it's usually something that happens in American studios when a group of producers are mad. Like, they'll try to write a sneaky version to pitch to an executive. Which is what he allegedly did... - I've followed all the
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 25, 20252 min read
Stop rewriting my life
That's for the so-called fans that are really just IP trolls. I rewrote it, and it's fine. Your ideas might be more profitable, but they're not legally permissible. I think that it speaks of transphobic bias that a cis guy got paid money to rip me off. You're welcome to create a piece that doesn't infringe on my IP. One of the reasons I become suicidal is the idea that people love Tina more than me. Mr. Barr and his allies put that vibe across, and that's why they're in tro
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Oct 25, 20252 min read
bottom of page