human rights Archive

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  A bizarre human rights appointment - by frog

  
  
  
  Brian Neeson has spent most of his political life espousing bigotry and opposing human rights. So why appoint him to the Human Rights Review Tribunal? This is a truly bizarre appointment. read more
  December 21, 2009 3:17 pm - 27 Comments
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  TVNZ – step up to the Convention - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  TVNZ might be at risk of becoming blasé about complaints to the Human Rights Commission. After all, it is becoming a regular occurrence thanks to their ongoing support for Paul Henry’s barking and dog whistling. Henry is willing to incite prejudice and contempt for women who are not Barbie and people with intellectual impairments. read more
  December 3, 2009 6:41 pm - 59 Comments
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  Time for debate in NZ on discriminatory royal succession rules - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Britain’s current dilemma over the discriminatory nature of royal succession will hopefully stimulate a similar debate in New Zealand. The timing is good, now that my Head of State Referenda Bill – to see whether Kiwis want to stay with the monarchy – has been picked from the Private Member’s Bill Ballot. read more
  December 1, 2009 2:27 pm - 35 Comments
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  Access to Dental Care a Human Right - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I am horrified that the Ministry of Health’s mobile dental clinics won’t be wheelchair accessible.  If the vision is to take health out to the people then access is a fundamental issue.  The excuse that a ramp would cost $70,000 must be examined.  What has happened to the DIY approach to practical problems like building [...] read more
  November 6, 2009 3:56 pm - 107 Comments
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  October 15th 2007 – Lest we forget - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday was the second anniversary of the so called “terrorism” raids. Police carried out dawn raids on dozens of houses in Te Urewera and around Aotearoa which was definitely terrifying for the victims of this debacle who turn out not to be terrorists. I will not forget the conversations I had with people from Ruatoki [...] read more
  October 16, 2009 11:42 am - 23 Comments
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  NZ must take a stand on human rights abuse in Iran - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  All eyes were on Iran during its presidential elections on June 12. The re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen as fraudulent by many, and set off a spate of protests in following weeks. The crackdown by the Iranian government shocked the world. Many protestors and bystanders were killed or injured; over a thousand were detained. [...] read more
  September 7, 2009 5:47 pm - 51 Comments
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  Time is Now - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Minister of Justice has missed the point of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. National is prevaricating about recognising the Declaration because they are afraid it might actually mean something and affect the law of the land. They are failing to embrace the opportunity the Declaration offers us of a deeper engagement [...] read more
  July 24, 2009 1:40 pm - 176 Comments
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  Hard-hearted immigration policy does NZ reputation damage - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  I’m glad New Zealand Immigration has cancelled its edict that a Lithuanian visitor, Jurga Skiauteris, must hop on a plane, despite medical advice that she should stay put in new Zealand  because of complications with her pregnancy.   What a heartless policy New Zealand Immigration has towards pregnant women here on temporary visas.   It [...] read more
  June 10, 2009 1:18 pm - 27 Comments
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  Declaration of Indigenous Rights Down Under - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  On Tuesday I got to ask my first proper Question in the House. Unsurprisingly Hone Harawira asked more or less the same question. Will the Government follow the lead of Australia and change their position to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People? The Prime Minister did a good imitation of saying [...] read more
  April 2, 2009 7:00 am - 106 Comments
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  GEO Group record in private prisons – very very bad - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  One of the companies that is apparently in discussions with National to run a private prison is The GEO Group Inc. They ran the Auckland Central Remand Prison when it was privatised. John Key is reported as saying that they produced “very good results”. The GEO Group, Inc. is part of the The Wackenhut Corporation, [...] read more
  March 12, 2009 11:08 am - 27 Comments
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  The Price of Silence - by frog

  
  
  
  Further to my post yesterday about the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, there is this lovely music video from Amnesty International: It is a cogent reminder that when we remain silent in the face of arcane legislation like the current Immigration Bill or last year’s Terrorism Amendment Act, we allow [...] read more
  December 11, 2008 12:15 pm - 6 Comments
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  Make peace not war - by frog

  
  
  
  And here’s more policy announcements.  Keith Locke and Kennedy Graham launched a 22 page foreign affairs policy tonight at the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute for International Affairs that: Introduces into our trading framework with other countries values like human rights, labour and environmental standards, ecologically-sustainable practices, local values and cultures, the right [...] read more
  September 17, 2008 8:55 pm - 102 Comments
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  Human rights and climate change - by frog

  
  
  
  Celsias has the link to an important report on the link between human rights and climate change: According to a report published recently titled “Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide, 2008  ” (pdf), climate change is already undermining the realization of a broad range of internationally protected human rights: rights to health and [...] read more
  September 1, 2008 4:27 pm - 9 Comments
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  The youth of today - by frog

  
  
  
  I visited Parliament a couple of times on school trips as a child, but nothing as cool as this Hanmer Primary School story ever happened to me: Hanmer School teacher Katie Wenborn said the Year 7 and 8 students were eating lunch on [Parliament] lawn when a woman began talking about the [human rights in [...] read more
  August 7, 2008 2:07 pm - 36 Comments
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  Getting ready for the Olympics - by frog

  
  
  
  Keith Locke will be resuming his familiar position tomorrow lunch time, outside of Parliament, to draw attention to human rights abuses in China in the lead up to the Olympics. Tomorrow was also supposed to be the first day of the Chinese Government’s trial of Ni Yulan, the prominent human rights activist and defender of the rights [...] read more
  August 4, 2008 4:04 pm - 10 Comments
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  Globalisation - by frog

  
  
  
  The Northern Employers and Manufacturers Association’s Alasdair Thompson thinks the government might be playing political games by opposing the sale of Auckland Airport: And it’s a dishonest ploy at that, because we know the Government supports globalisation, foreign direct investment (FDI) both into and out of New Zealand, free trade and free capital flows too. [...] read more
  April 15, 2008 10:41 am - No Comments
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  Greens no longer alone opposing preferential trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  It was nice to see the Maori Party come out yesterday in opposition to government’s plan to give China preferential trading rights in our country. “Although we’re told there may be benefits for Maori, the downsides in terms of compromises to our sovereignty, threats to the status of the Treaty, the impact on work standards [...] read more
  April 2, 2008 8:31 pm - 3 Comments
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  Press freedom in China - by frog

  
  
  
  Here is the first question to be asked in Parliament this afternoon. Keith Locke to the Prime Minister: ‘Will she ensure journalists travelling with her, as part of the delegation she is leading to China next week, will enjoy normal press freedoms as outlined in international human rights treaties; if not why not?’ read more
  April 1, 2008 12:42 pm - 5 Comments
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  20 days to have your say on preferential trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  You would probably expect me to be jumping up and down about these poll figures: Asked if they supported New Zealand signing a free trade agreement with China, 44.7 per cent of those questioned in the DigiPoll survey said they did. Just about a third – 32.4 per cent – said no, while 22.9 per [...] read more
  March 31, 2008 9:54 am - 32 Comments
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  Labour joins Winston in the gutter - by frog

  
  
  
  With the Minister of Foreign Affairs not in the house today to answers Keith’s question about the links between human rights and trade it was extraordinary to see the Deputy Prime Minister step not only into his shoes, but also his persona, by launching two ad hominem abusive attacks on Keith. Keith’s record on human [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 4:52 pm - 34 Comments
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  Keith vs Winston. Round 2 - by frog

  
  
  
  For those of you who enjoyed the debate in Parliament last week between Keith and Winston Peters, I’m pleased to announce that today it continues, with Keith intending to ask the following question in the house: Keith Locke to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What human rights abuses, if any, would lead him to advise [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 10:59 am - 1 Comment
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  Unanswered questions about trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  There are three issues about a free trade agreement with China which I think the government and its support party, National, have failed to address: Is it moral to give preferential trading opportunities to a country with the type of human rights, environmental and labour right record that China is alleged to have by independent [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 8:32 am - 29 Comments
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  Trade with Ireland, Switzerland and Scandinavia - by frog

  
  
  
  The Prime Minister said this morning that: If New Zealand traded and entered into trade agreements only with countries with which it had identical interests and views, “then apart from Ireland and Switzerland and Scandinavia, it would be pretty thin pickings”. This seems to miss the point. We don’t have trade agreements with those countries [...] read more
  March 18, 2008 8:30 pm - 8 Comments
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  The Minister of Fonterra Affairs - by frog

  
  
  
  There has been a suspicion for some time that the Minister of Foreign Affairs holds differing personal views on the issue of trade with China to those held collectively by Cabinet. So when Keith stood up today to ask the Minister about human rights abuse in China, there were a few waiting to see whether [...] read more
  March 13, 2008 7:57 pm - 8 Comments
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  Mugabe calls opponent a frog - by frog

  
  
  
  Zimbabwean President turn dictator, Robert Mugabe, has compared his presidential rival to a frog. Apparently he meant this in a slanderous way rather than as an endorsement. The frog-like Simba Makoni, who was the former finance minister from Mugabe’s own Zanu PF party, is seeking to contest the presidency with Mugabe. Mugabe will also face [...] read more
  February 29, 2008 10:55 am - 2 Comments