Passed in 1982, the Official Information Act marked an important change in the accountability and transparency of New Zealand's government. No more would government information default to being kept secret, now the expectation was that it would be released to anyone in the country who asked for it (there are grounds for refusing - see the act for details).

We recently held our AGM and I'm proud to have been elected as the new Chairperson for the NZ Council for Civil Liberties.

Civil liberties matter to me. I believe that a freedom and rights-based democracy is the best way to build a society that gives everyone the chance to be the best they can be. Furthermore I believe that New Zealand can be that society.

By now you've probably heard of the National Government's plans to make protest at sea illegal through an amendment to the Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill. From NZ Stuff:

An amendment to the Crown Minerals Bill which will allow the Defence Force to arrest and detain anti-mining protesters outside of New Zealand's 12-mile territorial limit, was introduced by Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges.