About Rex_
Since 1976 Rex Widerstrom has been creating communications, beginning in radio and then print. He's edited national and local newspapers, and hosted news/talk breakfast radio in one of the world's most competitive markets*, Auckland New Zealand.
In 1993 he was asked to become an advisor to one of the country's most controversial political figures, and devised a strategy which propelled a fledgling political party from three to almost thirty percent in the polls in under six months.
By 1996 he had established Polemic Corporation, a specialised media, public and government relations firm providing strategic advice to major corporations, NGOs, political parties and candidates.
Throughout the course of his career Rex has devised strategies for the NZ National Party, the NZ Labour Party, New Zealand First and the ACT Party - four of the six parties in the current New Zealand Parliament. Polemic also advised campaigns in Europe and the United States.
As Director of the NZ Electronic Electoral Trial [pdf], a joint venture betwen Polemic, Victoria University (Wellington) and the Campaign for Digital Democracy (Calif., USA) Rex became a leading local proponent of electronic democracy, an interest he still maintains.
His knowledge of political strategy meant he made frequent appearances as a political commentator on radio and television, and wrote regular columns in many of the country’s leading newspapers.
He moved to Perth, Western Australia in 2002, where he has built a successful practice advising commercial and political clients on government, media and public relations and providing media training. He is also State Director of Civil Liberties Australia and a freelance journalist, broadcaster, TV producer and MC.
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* At the time, Auckland had more radio stations per capita than any other market.