justice Archive

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  ‘Debating’ Foreign Policy: National and Green - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Yesterday, the NZ Institute of International Affairs held an important one-day seminar on ‘The Major Economic and Foreign Policy Issues facing New Zealand, 2012-17’. The programme is here. Some excellent presentations were made, especially by Rick Boven (NZ Institute) and Duncan Currie (oceans consultant). There were three political representatives. The Minister spoke at 8.45 am. [...] read more
  October 23, 2011 10:42 am - 3 Comments
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  Retrospective surveillance laws shouldn’t be rammed through Parliament - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  We should be very worried that the government intends to rush legislation through Parliament next week that could restrict New Zealanders’ ability, under the Bill of Rights, to protect themselves from unreasonable surveillance. To add insult to injury, the legislation will be retrospective, to make legal the behavior of the Police over recent times in [...] read more
  September 20, 2011 2:02 pm - 21 Comments
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  Corrections fail to correct, justice perpetuates crime - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Two reminders today that this (and  previous) governments’ punitive approach to crime and punishment is failing dismally, at enormous economic and social cost, and it needs to change. The Herald highlights the massive cost of building new prisons, with the proposed Wiri project having cost us over $20 million before construction even begins.  The prison [...] read more
  September 13, 2011 10:01 am - 12 Comments
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  British riots: addressing the “why” - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  David Cameron’s answer to the British riots seems to be better policing. No doubt there could be improvements, but they shouldn’t be measures that hurt ordinary citizens, like the PM’s suggestion that there could be state controls on social networking. If we really want to prevent such destructive rioting we have to address the “why” [...] read more
  August 12, 2011 4:31 pm - 30 Comments
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  Family Court review must keep kids in mind - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  I’m pretty concerned at the announcement of a major review of the Family Court. While I acknowledge that the court is not perfect, I’m sceptical that this review will be about identifying areas where it can be improved. It seems to be much more about identifying areas from which to cut. Any review of the [...] read more
  April 20, 2011 11:57 am - 8 Comments
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  Courts and Criminal Matters - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The aim of the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill is to enhance the courts’ powers and processes for the collection of fines and other monetary penalties, and civil debt. There is more and more evidence that we are an increasingly unequal society and that inequality negatively affects everyone. We support a fair and robust system [...] read more
  April 7, 2011 10:06 am - 2 Comments
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  New G-G welcome, but selection process questionable - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  From my experience Jerry Mateparae is a decent fair-minded chap. It is hard to judge how he will go as the new Governor-General because I have heard him speak only in his recent role as Chief of Defence Force. He’s tended to steer away from anything particularly controversial. I’m not sure his official speeches are [...] read more
  March 8, 2011 5:35 pm - 9 Comments
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  Judges pecuniary interests bill gets an early debut - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  My third member’s bill – the Register of Pecuniary Interest of Judges Bill – got an unexpected early debut yesterday. An Urgent Debate requested by Labour was granted on the resignation of Judge Bill Wilson which took effect last Friday.  Labour had always concentrated its fire on the alleged shortcomings of Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, and [...] read more
  November 10, 2010 12:46 pm - 5 Comments
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  Removing ‘claim of right’ dangerous - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  The government is a poor loser. It didn’t bother to appeal after it lost the ‘intentional damage’ case against the three men who pricked a dome at the Waihopai spybase. But it hasn’t let the matter rest. Last month it laid a $1 million damages claim against the men. To add insult to injury, Justice [...] read more
  November 4, 2010 2:36 pm - 19 Comments
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  Time for a pecuniary interest register for judiciary - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The announced resignation of Justice Wilson has highlighted the need for a register of the financial interests of the judiciary. Such a register would stop financial conflict of interests or perceived conflicts of interests from occurring in the future. While the case against Justice Wilson has been dropped, the perception of a conflict has led [...] read more
  October 22, 2010 3:47 pm - 3 Comments
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  Second strike for private prison corporation - by frog

  
  
  
  There have now been two damning reports on G4s running of prisons and detention centres in the last couple of weeks.   G4S is a multinational private prison corporation that is in the bidding to run Mt Eden– Auckland Central remand prison.  This week – the British Chief Inspector of Prisons found that the G4S run Gatwick [...] read more
  July 16, 2010 10:43 am - 5 Comments
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  Victory for Parliamentary democracy–Greens can be proud - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  This week has seen parliamentary democracy in New Zealand at its best. Most of the time, the House reverberates with two forms of adversarial action: Question Time when the trick is (usually) to score a ministerial goal – and for the ministerial goalie to defend; Debates over legislation in which supporting parties rationalise a draft [...] read more
  July 3, 2010 3:12 pm - 4 Comments
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  Fuller v Bennett - by frog

  
  
  
  While both I and Green MPs have slammed Paula Bennett’s beneficiary bashing policies, I haven’t climbed into the information privacy dispute between Bennett and DPB beneficiary Natasha Fuller – until now! Bennett is going too far, and seems to want to escalate the dispute for her own political ends. read more
  May 27, 2010 6:47 pm - 23 Comments
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  Private Prisons are expensive and dangerous - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Yesterday’s announcement that tenders will be called for a private prison to be built in Wiri follows the bulldozing through Parliament of enabling legislation last December. The Greens have opposed this move to privatising prisons, both as a matter of principle and for purely practical reasons. According to Minister Collins, we ‘need’ 2270 more prison [...] read more
  April 15, 2010 10:58 am - 33 Comments
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  Police to Pass Sentence? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  The already murky plot around the NACT government’s ill-conceived Three Strikes sentencing bill continues to thicken. There was a very interesting but also disturbing exchange in question time on Thursday between Clayton Cosgrove and the Justice Minister Simon Power. The Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill (aka the 3 strikes bill) is before the Law and [...] read more
  February 20, 2010 10:00 am - 10 Comments
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  What will stopping prisoners voting achieve? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  On Wednesday, Paul Quinn’s Electoral (Disqualification of Convicted Prisoners) Amendment Bill was pulled from the member’s bill ballot. read more
  February 12, 2010 11:43 am - 18 Comments
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  Rob Hamill testifies in Cambodia - by frog

  
  
  
  [Frog: I received this post from the Green party's own mark Servian in Cambodia last evening, along with the transcript of Rob's testimony. All I can say is, this guy has got guts. Good on ya, Rob.] I watched Rob’s incredible performance via closed circuit TV from the media room in the courthouse of the Extraordinary [...] read more
  August 19, 2009 7:16 am - 103 Comments
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  “Happy anniversary baby… - by frog

  
  
  
  On this day 23 years ago the Parliament of New Zealand passed the landmark Homosexual Law Reform Bill. Such reform was a founding a policy of the Values Party in 1972 (the Values Party became the Green Party in 1990). NZHistory tells: The Homosexual Law Reform Bill took 14 months to move through the parliamentary [...] read more
  July 9, 2009 6:01 am - 19 Comments
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  Private prisons are not cheaper - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Last night the parliament debated the first reading of the Corrections (Contract Management of Prisons) Bil. I have blogged about this issue frequently, but not yet addressed the key argument of National – that private prisons are cheaper. So I used my speech last night to refer to both Australian and US research that showed [...] read more
  March 25, 2009 6:40 pm - 64 Comments
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  The Tale of Sheriff Garrett and his Judge Dreddful Law - by frog

  
  
  
  I reckon new ACT MP David Garrett has been inspired by the George Bush/Dick Cheney/Donald Rumsfeld school of lawmaking when he drafted his “three strikes and you’re out” law. When told that his bill may breach the Bill of Rights Mr Garrett apparently suggested the Bill of Rights should be amended not his law.This is [...] read more
  March 3, 2009 2:41 pm - 24 Comments