Articles

Articles

Submission: Policing Amendment Bill

The Council strongly objects to the Policing Amendment Bill. This bill removes all limits on Police powers to record people’s activities. This bill enables police to break up any gathering, remove people from any location, and detain people on suspicion that they might return. The bill is yet another example of the government reacting to illegal Police behaviours by making them legal. Keep reading “Submission: Policing Amendment Bill”

5th May 2026 – Webinar: Rupturing the liberal grammar of ‘critical’ civil disobedience theories

Come and hear 2025 NZCCL VUW Law Essay Prize winner Jessica Ye present her essay Rupturing the liberal grammar of ‘critical’ civil disobedience theories: Decolonial refusal of state recognition and affirmation of alternative lifeworlds. Keep reading “5th May 2026 – Webinar: Rupturing the liberal grammar of ‘critical’ civil disobedience theories”

Media release: Papers please!

“The majority of New Zealanders should be reeling after the quick succession of announcements by the government this week,” said Thomas Beagle, chair of the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties (NZCCL), in reference to the Immigration (Enhanced Risk Management) Amendment Bill, the Policing Amendment Bill, and Friday’s announcement of the Govt.nz App. Keep reading “Media release: Papers please!”

Chairperson’s Report 2024

It seems that authoritarianism and fascism are on the rise, with war and the oppression of civilian populations quick to follow. This possibility is exactly one of the reasons why we push back against the excesses of the state. Not only is government power against the individual prone to being misused, but its use reinforces the attitude that force is the answer to everything. Civil liberties and the protections of the NZ Bill of Rights Act are vital to maintaining a proper balance of power between the state and the people. Keep reading “Chairperson’s Report 2024”