Justice & Democracy Archive

Join the Keep Our Assets Signathon this weekend - by frog

We need 16,525 valid signatures in order to force a citizens initiated referendum on asset sales, and we need them by the end of this month. On the weekend of 22-23 June, hundreds of people will collect signatures at collection points across New Zealand in the last drive to reach our target. Every signature counts, [...] read more
June 18, 2013 2:43 pm - 22 Comments
Gambling bill disappoints as SkyCity deal’s flaws scrutinised - by Denise Roche

Maybe it was a coincidence that saw the NZ Herald’s two opinion pieces on the SkyCity convention centre deal yesterday appear the same day that the commerce select committee report back to the house a drastically watered down Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment bill that deals with pokie machines in pubs and clubs. Or maybe [...] read more
June 18, 2013 2:13 pm - 8 Comments
The Privileges Committee Report and ‘parliamentary protections’ - by Kennedy Graham

Thinking through the deep stuff: The Privileges Committee Report and ‘parliamentary protections’ Every now and then we MPs are challenged to think. Yesterday was such a moment – actually, for the preceding 12 months, on and off. In 2005-06, an issue arose in the House in which a cabinet minister made comments about a Kiwi [...] read more
June 13, 2013 8:18 pm - 36 Comments
Consequences of Domestic Violence - by Jan Logie

Last week of Chase Douglas, who has admitted assaulting his girlfriend three times including choking her, sought a discharge without conviction for the assaults; because he claims a criminal record will impede his ability to perform overseas. Douglas’s lawyer said his client accepted his guilt and was remorseful for his actions and offered $500 in [...] read more
June 12, 2013 7:38 pm - 7 Comments
It’s time to submit against spying - by Steffan Browning

John Key may be comfortable with many things but we are not comfortable; we are not comfortable with, among many things, John Key’s pandering to the USA’s spymasters, and the wholesale spying on New Zealanders, either already happening or intended to, and assisted by the law changes in front of Parliament now; the GCSB and Telco Interception Bills. read more
June 10, 2013 10:18 am - 37 Comments
Response to Brian Edwards concerning Hekia Parata - by Metiria Turei

I dont believe that the question Rachel Smalley asked of Hekia Parata: “How Maori are you”? was in anyway appropriate. I have a huge amount of respect for Brian Edwards and have read his blog which justifies Rachel’s question on the basis that was relevant to “Parata’s childhood and upbringing in a Maori family and [...] read more
June 9, 2013 12:34 pm - 44 Comments
Muldoon and Key - by Russel Norman

In my speech to our party conference last week, I compared John Key to Robert Muldoon. This has provoked a furious response from the Right who accuse me of being a migrant who has no right to speak about Muldoon. So lets have a look at it a bit more rationally. Obviously Key isn’t exactly [...] read more
June 8, 2013 11:48 am - 65 Comments
Does our country really hate us? - by Metiria Turei

I am compelled to consider it after this week of Air NZ and the Ta Moko debacle, and yesterday’s racist cartoons and then reading this morning of Dunne’s new program to help reduce the rate of suicide among Maori and Pacifica peoples. Yes, they are connected. Our kids saw those cartoons and saw the Air [...] read more
May 31, 2013 8:16 am - No Comments
Devoy should investigate complaints not pretend they don’t exist - by Metiria Turei

This is my complaint to the Human Rights Commissioner. I emailed it to the HRC at 12.26pm and received an acknowledgement at 2.26pm. I’m not sure what information the HR Commissioner was using when she said her office had received no complaints by 1pm, especially as the Mana Party had also complained and received acknowledgement [...] read more
May 30, 2013 4:57 pm - 46 Comments
Individual responsibility vs structural responsibility - by Jan Logie

Last week I attended the launch of the Salvation Army report ‘More than Churches, Rugby and Festivals’. The author is clearly nervous not to feed into an impression that things are worse for Pasifika people or that their needs should have priority. The report attempts to avoid the deficit thinking that presents Pasifika people as [...] read more
May 27, 2013 11:32 am - 110 Comments
Green vision for education or charter schools? - by Catherine Delahunty

The Bill that will facilitate charter schools went through the second reading last night. It relies on the Māori Party for support as no one else apart from National and ACT will vote for it. The Bill is a privatisation device to assist education franchises and groups who do not want to be accountable under [...] read more
May 16, 2013 10:38 am - 24 Comments
Police murder citizens preparing to protest in West Papua - by Catherine Delahunty

Last week West Papuans suffered more abuse and injustice from Indonesian Police personnel. The 1st of May marked 50 years of West Papua suffering under Indonesian rule. Citizens throughout Papua prepared to commemorate this day, however, events that occurred just prior to this date, typify and highlight the injustices that Papuans have suffered over the [...] read more
May 9, 2013 12:16 pm - No Comments
Green activist reportedly killed in Pakistan - by Kennedy Graham

In some parts of the world, the task of standing up for Green values can be dangerous. It was with the deepest sadness that I was advised about the tragic killing of a Green party activist in Pakistan. According to news reports from the Global Greens, a member of the Pakistan Green Party, Mr Shahnawaz [...] read more
May 3, 2013 9:27 am - 4 Comments
Hawke’s Bay irrigation saga gets murkier - by Eugenie Sage

The inherent problems with one arm of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) promoting the mega Ruataniwha dam and irrigation scheme while another arm attempts to act like a regional council, came to the fore in a tangled council meeting last week. I attended a presentation by newly established Transparent Hawke’s Bay at the start [...] read more
April 28, 2013 11:53 am - 1 Comment
Pacific Parliamentary Forum - by Jan Logie

Parliament has been blessed with the presence of political leaders from all around the Pacific for the last few days. We had some great debates and discussions. I just want to gloat about one – the motion to liberalise trade was voted down in favour of an amended motion in support of sustainable development. The [...] read more
April 22, 2013 12:23 pm - 2 Comments
Blinkering the watchdogs - by Jan Logie

The Government’s decision to freeze funding for the Human Rights Commission (HRC) until 2020 has resulted in a proposal to cut 15% of staff at the Commission. New Zealand has very few checks on the power of Government and minimal tools to fight discrimination. By the response to the marriage equality bill and widespread public [...] read more
April 22, 2013 10:50 am - 6 Comments
Marriage Equality: Difference of world views - by Kevin Hague

The debate over Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill has been raging for almost a year now, and I have received thousands of emails and letters, as well as having read many thousands of submissions during the Select Committee process I thought the contrast between those in favour and those opposed was striking, and have blogged [...] read more
April 12, 2013 12:32 pm - 30 Comments
Southern Sojourns of a ‘mostly rational’ MP - by David Clendon

I have spent much of this recess week in (sometimes) sunny Otago and Southland, and despite being about as far from my own rohe as it is possible to be without leaving the country, I found plenty to admire and enjoy. I made my first visit to a South Island prison, the Otago Correctional Facility, [...] read more
April 5, 2013 3:53 pm - No Comments
NZ (sort of) leaves Afghanistan - by Kennedy Graham

New Zealand’s provincial reconstruction team are finally on their way back home nearly ten years after being deployed to Afghanistan. Welcome back. Your work and efforts are widely acknowledged. Historically, Afghanistan has proved to be an easy place to deploy for foreign armies and a difficult one to get out of, so the news that [...] read more
April 5, 2013 10:48 am - 2 Comments
Maori TV exposes shameful treatment of Guarani Kaiowa people - by Catherine Delahunty

Last night on “Native Affairs” there was a compelling story about the Guarani Kaiowa people of Brazil who have been violently displaced by the ethanol and soy bean farmers growing crops for biofuels on indigenous land. Maori Television sent their own film crew to Brazil to tell the story of these abused people some of [...] read more
March 26, 2013 9:49 am - 7 Comments
Handling of OIAs under investigation - by Holly Walker

The NZ Herald reported yesterday that the Office of the Ombudsman is planning an investigation into the way that the public service is responding to requests under the Official Information Act (OIA). This came after the Ombudsman’s investigation into the Ministry of Education’s handling of OIA requests on the school closures in Canterbury, which highlighted [...] read more
March 22, 2013 4:24 pm - 4 Comments
“Not a very complicated job” – the new Race Relations Commissioner - by Catherine Delahunty

OK so it is day one for Susan Devoy but what about the Government? Why did they appoint a person to the role with no background in Te Tiriti issues or diversity politics? Why did they choose someone who is on the public record doubting the relevance and value of Waitangi to New Zealanders? What [...] read more
March 21, 2013 10:23 am - 71 Comments
Māori Electoral Option starts next week - by Holly Walker

The Māori Electoral Option is the opportunity for those of Māori descent to choose which type of electoral roll to be on for voting in the next two General Elections – the Māori roll or the General roll. This chance doesn’t come around very often – the Option is only held after a Census, so [...] read more
March 20, 2013 9:54 am - No Comments
Trade and human rights - by Jan Logie

I was relieved today that my colleague Kennedy Graham put out a media release challenging our Government to raise human rights concerns with the President of the country formerly known as Burma. I went to that country last year. I was impressed by how many people spoke to me about their hope for peace and [...] read more
March 15, 2013 5:03 pm - 8 Comments
DeafView3, WFD and Deaf rights - by Mojo Mathers

Over the weekend I attended the DeafView3 conference in Wellington. This proved to be both interesting and challenging with a wide range of topics covered, ranging from the changing nature of Deaf culture though to Māori deaf and indigenous Deaf issues. There were a number of speakers from overseas, including an excellent keynote speech by [...] read more
March 13, 2013 7:12 pm - No Comments
Trading New Zealand’s credibility in Colombia - by Jan Logie

Last week John Key announced his plan to sell Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV’s) to Colombia. In an effort to build trade and sell off redundant military equipment, John Key seems to have chosen to make New Zealand complicit in the further arming of a potentially illegal military force who has been responsible for very significant human [...] read more
March 12, 2013 8:28 am - 6 Comments
The Marriage Equality Bill and religion - by Kevin Hague

One of the themes winding its way through the debate over marriage equality is the relationship between the church and the state. New Zealand has no official religion and great effort has been expended to keep the church out of law-making and the State out of religious matters. So marriage presents an interesting set of [...] read more
March 11, 2013 1:09 pm - 8 Comments
International Women’s Day - by Jan Logie

Today while I was sad to see fewer women in well-paid jobs I was very lucky to be able to celebrate, in brilliant sunshine, International Women’s Day with a wonderful and diverse group of women on the walk for peace. “This Peace Walk for Women was organised to raise awareness of our interconnectedness and interdependence in [...] read more
March 8, 2013 4:51 pm - 17 Comments
Mourning local democracy in Canterbury - by Eugenie Sage

National’s distaste for democracy and intolerance of dissenting views is increasing. Pre ‘quakes Cathedral Square was the heart of Christchurch. Two years later the public are still fenced out and kept behind the cordon. The Government’s Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) decides who can get access beyond the Army guards and security fence. CERA allows [...] read more
March 8, 2013 3:26 pm - 7 Comments
Family First, own goals and desperate measures - by Kevin Hague

I guess Family First is in a hard position. They really don’t want Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill to succeed but they’re faced with a situation where most New Zealanders support it, where it passed its First Reading with an emphatic majority, and where the Select Committee that heard submissions has given the Bill a [...] read more
March 5, 2013 5:15 pm - 12 Comments
John Key needs to raise killings of unionists during Colombia visit - by Denise Roche

While John Key is pushing the cause of free trade in Colombia, he needs to raise concerns around the appalling number of trade unionists that die protecting workers’ rights there. In 2011, according to the International Trade Union Confederation 29 trade unionists were murdered in Colombia. Colombia is a violent society where helping to organise [...] read more
March 5, 2013 2:17 pm - 4 Comments
From 100% to 5% - by Russel Norman

The Government has suggested that up to 90% of shares will be owned by New Zealanders, and Treasury’s figures show that around 5% of all New Zealanders will be able to afford to buy shares. Without even thinking of the Australian share float, which will dilute Kiwi ownership, the asset sales program is about a [...] read more
March 5, 2013 11:13 am - 385 Comments
More damn statistics and Women in Canterbury - by Jan Logie

I know I just wrote a post yesterday critiquing the Government’s choice of statistics, and no-one wants to read continual disputes over statistics but the following statements from Paula Bennett’s media release today are just too provoking: “I also recall dire predictions that Cantabrians would go onto benefits in huge numbers post-quake, but in fact [...] read more
February 28, 2013 6:03 pm - 8 Comments
Christchurch schools – proposals or promises? - by Catherine Delahunty

At the schools rally in Christchurch on Tuesday, Board Members and parents were talking about the promise broken by the Minister of Education. A number of schools such as Central New Brighton and Branston Intermediate had been clearly told they would have until the end of 2014 to prepare for merger or closure. The announcement [...] read more
February 21, 2013 12:12 pm - 16 Comments
First blind Scottish MP visits NZ - by Mojo Mathers

I had the privilege of meeting with Dennis Robertson, a Member of the Scottish Parliament who made waves by being the first blind person elected to that office. In common with myself and other elected representatives around the world with a significant sensory impairment, he needs appropriate support to be able to carry out his [...] read more
February 20, 2013 4:18 pm - 1 Comment
The heart has been ripped out of Christchurch school communities - by Metiria Turei

Schools can be the heart of their communities. In the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes, schools played a stabilising role not just for students, but for parents and staff as well. Now though, the Government has ripped the hearts out of some of the hardest hit communities. read more
February 19, 2013 3:18 pm - 58 Comments
National’s approach to local government is all over the place - by Eugenie Sage

As successive Ministers of Local Government, Nick Smith and David Carter loudly criticised councils for their debt level and said councils needed to focus on “core services “ without defining what these were. Last year National made major changes to the Local Government Act so that the purpose of local government was no longer the [...] read more
February 15, 2013 11:18 am - 5 Comments
‘Do as I say, not as I do’ – Justice for all? - by David Clendon

The Corrections Amendment Bill has been back in the House this week – on Tuesday for its second reading, yesterday for the committee stages, and depending on progress in the House it may come back later today (Thursday) for its third and final reading. The Bill is a shabby piece of lawmaking, which among other [...] read more
February 14, 2013 12:55 pm - 13 Comments
John Key and NZ’s refugee obligation - by Jan Logie

Over the last few days, we’ve heard a number of statements from the Prime Minister relating to the decision to take 150 refugees per year from Australian offshore detention centres and the proposal for New Zealand to process asylum seekers arriving here at those same centres. John Key: “One, We don’t take more people, two [...] read more
February 13, 2013 5:20 pm - 8 Comments
Benny Wenda’s Freedom Tour a great success - by Catherine Delahunty

This week Benny Wenda from ‘Free West Papua’ and Jennifer Robinson of International lawyers for West Papua brought the “Freedom Tour” to Auckland and Wellington. The Auckland day was hosted by the hard working “Indonesian Human Rights Committee.” Wellington also went very well despite the lack of co-operation from the new Speaker David Carter and [...] read more
February 13, 2013 4:04 pm - 4 Comments