Meeting Dates in 2023
Our monthly committee meeting are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
A typical meeting includes:
- Updates on our major
Opposing the Human Rights (Incitement on Ground of Religious Belief) Amendment Bill
The first reading of the Bill to add religious belief to New Zealand’s hate speech laws in the Human Rights … Keep reading “Opposing the Human Rights (Incitement on Ground of Religious Belief) Amendment Bill”
Comments on Aotearoa’s 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan
The draft of Aotearoa's 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan is another disappointing piece of work stuffed with pre-planned work, aside from one commitment on equitable access to public services. Read the Council's submission. Keep reading “Comments on Aotearoa’s 4th Open Government Partnership National Action Plan”
Biometric technology
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner recently ran a consultation about the use of biometric technology in New Zealand. As … Keep reading “Biometric technology”
Media release: Open Government – Sham consultation on yet another weak plan
The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties today condemned the government for yet another in a series of weak National Action Plans produced as a member of the international Open Government Partnership (the OGP). Keep reading “Media release: Open Government – Sham consultation on yet another weak plan”
Chairperson’s Report 2022
It's been another year of the Exec Committee of the Council working well together. Keep reading “Chairperson’s Report 2022”
Submission: Independent Electoral Review
While great play is made of our Parliament being supreme in Aotearoa’s mostly un-entrenched constitutional arrangements, we believe it is weak, has too few members, is significantly under-resourced, does not function well, lacks independence, and is therefore dominated by the executive. We need to invest more in our Parliament to improve the quality and independence of its work, and thereby our democracy. Keep reading “Submission: Independent Electoral Review”
Submission: Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Amendment Bill
The concept of this process as a ‘civil action’ is no more than a convenient fiction to seize the assets of people who have not been convicted of any crime. Keep reading “Submission: Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Amendment Bill”
Submission – Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill
The Council fears that we could continue to surrender our liberties indefinitely and the Police will still claim to lack the tools to manage gangs. Keep reading “Submission – Criminal Activity Intervention Legislation Bill”
Submission – National Security Strategy
The goal of National Security must be to secure our human rights. That primary goal can not be met by sacrificing those rights for tactical advantage toward secondary goals. Keep reading “Submission – National Security Strategy”
Submission: Review of Standing Orders 2023
Submitters have a common objective with Members – that the outcome of the scrutiny process should be thehighest quality legislation possible, even if this may sometimes mean recommending that the bill be withdrawn for redrafting or consultation. Our submission makes recommendations to improve the quality of select committee and parliamentary processes so as to try and avoid that second situation. Keep reading “Submission: Review of Standing Orders 2023”
Wellington City Council shuts down protest march with fees
We are very disturbed to hear that the Wellington City Council has shutdown a planned political protest march by proposing … Keep reading “Wellington City Council shuts down protest march with fees”
Apology from DPMC for OIA mismanagement
On August 26, 2022, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) apologized for their mismanagement of our 10 September 2021 request under the Official Information Act (OIA) about contact tracing. Keep reading “Apology from DPMC for OIA mismanagement”
Submission: Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill
The Council supports people's right to consume drugs for the purpose of pleasure or self-medication, whenever that consumption doesn’t directly interfere with the rights of others. Keep reading “Submission: Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill ”
The IPCA has had enough of being ignored
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has taken the opportunity to say that it needs substantially more powers to do its job of overseeing Police conduct. Keep reading “The IPCA has had enough of being ignored”
Media release: Last chance to fix the Data and Statistics Bill
With the overreaching Data and Statistics Bill going to the Committee of the Whole House this week, the NZ Council for Civil Liberties has written to MPs asking them to pass amendments to fix the worst aspects. Keep reading “Media release: Last chance to fix the Data and Statistics Bill”
Briefing on the Data and Statistics Bill
The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties is opposed to the Data and Statistics Bill and wants it withdrawn. Once in a generation law reform, on a topic that needs all-party support to have credibility, should be developed collaboratively to ensure public confidence.
Read our briefing to MPs ahead of the final stages of the Bill's passage through Parliament. Keep reading “Briefing on the Data and Statistics Bill”
Update on developing the next Open Government Action Plan
We're at a key stage in developing NZ's next Open Government Action Plan, and this post explains where we've got to and how you can provide feedback and suggestions on the possible commitments in the next plan. Keep reading “Update on developing the next Open Government Action Plan”
Submission: Review of the Search and Surveillance Act
The government is in the early stages of reviewing the Search and Surveillance Act. Our submission suggest areas where it needs work, both to correct the mistakes of the past as well as to prepare for the future. A significant theme in our submission is the need for better oversight. Keep reading “Submission: Review of the Search and Surveillance Act”
The Ombudsman’s reply
Yesterday, the Council wrote to the Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, to complain about the decision made in his name to close our complaint against the former Minister for Covid-19 Response.
The Ombudsman has replied to the Council, apologising for the management of our complaint, re-opening the matter, and undertaking to conduct an investigation.
The text of the Ombudsman’s reply is below. Keep reading “The Ombudsman’s reply”