THE DOMINION POST: 26/09/2007

Wellington civil liberties lawyer Tony Ellis said he did not believe Ms Simpson had solid grounds to argue she was discriminated against.
Though rules that prohibited excessive displays of cleavage might adversely affect one section of one gender group, they were a result of prevailing moral standards.

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NZ HERALD 5:00AM Saturday Feb 16, 2008

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday announced a raft of proposals, including a ban on the sale of spray cans to those under 18 and introducing a new offence of tagging under the Summary Offences Act….

Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Bott rubbished the measures as ill-thought-out laws designed to "create the perception of fighting tagging at the ballot box". The anti-tagging proposals were "pandering to the rednecks" in an election year.

NZLawyer, issue 98, 3 October 2008

Bott said that a proposed power for police to detain people went beyond any power previously introduced either in New Zealand or in any major Commonwealth country. “I think it’s quite sweeping. What is happening in the name of the law and order campaign is human rights and civil liberties are being auctioned off without any appreciation of what we are giving away, why in essence we have these protections, and their historical origins. We’re having a jackbooted jump back to the past where the citizen has minimal protection against the might of the state.”

NZ HERALD 5:00AM Friday Jan 25, 2008

NZ HERALD 11:08AM Thursday May 21, 2009

The United Nations Committee Against Torture says it is "deeply concerned" about New Zealand police adopting the Taser stun gun, as it releases a growing list of worries about this country's justice system...

Human rights lawyer Tony Ellis said the UN committee's 2004 report contained eight recommendations, but the latest contained 18.
There were clear defects and given the large number of recommendations the Government needed to give serious consideration to address those, he said.

NZ HERALD 4:00AM Saturday Jul 04, 2009

A new bill that would force people to reveal relevant evidence will leave citizens without protection and give the state total power, say civil libertarians.

The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has labelled the Search and Surveillance Bill - recommended by the Law Commission and tabled in Parliament on Thursday - a "chilling piece of legislation" that takes away a person's right to silence unless convicted of an offence.
Main changes recommended in the bill include:

In 2008, the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties and its former President, Tony Ellis lodged a complaint with the United Nations Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers against Elias CJ, Tipping J and Blanchard J and the New Zealand Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

This article outlines instances of systemic discrimination against the Falun Dafa Association by the Wellington City Council over the last two years. This discrimination, involving refusal for the organisation to participate in various parades and other public events, appears to be motivated by the desire to maintain good relations with China, but is in effect condoning and supporting China’s repression of the organisation within China.