New Zealand bill of Rights Act
The Council strongly opposes the system of mass surveillance which the government intends to create as a side effect of implementing the bill.
Keep reading “Submission: Land Transport (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill”
The Council wrote to the Otago Daily Times about its recent editorial on our right to protest, and the recent report by IPCA.
Keep reading “Otago Daily Times editorial on protest rights – NZCCL responds”
The Council has written to the Independent Police Conduct Authority, about its recent report, Review of the policing of public protests in New Zealand. We know that IPCA is not subject to the Official Information Act 1982, but we are asking them for information gathered during the course of producing its report anyway.
Keep reading “Freedom to protest – Letter to IPCA”
The peformance by New Zealand of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is being reviewed by the UN's Human Rights Committee. The Council made a submission on issues we think the HRC should ask the government about during the review.
Keep reading “Submission: List of Issues Prior to Reporting for Aotearoa New Zealand’s 2025 Review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”
The Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill creates several new criminal offences. However, it is very broadly drafted, meaning people engaging in legitimate political activities, such as protests, could face sentences of up to 10 years in jail. The Bill also empowers the Police to carry out searches related to these offences without having to get a search warrant. We oppose the bill and have also recommended amendments.
Keep reading “Submission: Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill”
The government is proposing to introduce a Regulatory Standards Bill, which would define principles of liberty and property against which all other legislation would be tested. The Council is opposed to the proposals, and believes they seek to make the 'liberties' and property rights of companies as important as people's human rights.
Keep reading “Submission: Consultation on proposed Regulatory Standards Bill”
The Council opposes preventative detention and post-sentence orders in principle. We reluctantly acknowledge that we should not abolish preventative measures at this time. The Council generally supports the Law Commission's Preferred Approach, but we do note some objections.
Keep reading “Submission: Here ora? Preventive measures for community safety, rehabilitation and reintegration (NZLC IP54, 2024)”
The Council opposes the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill as an unwarranted intrusion on our civil liberties to implement a regime that fails in its stated purpose.
Keep reading “Submission: Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill”
The Council opposes the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill as it infringes on our civil liberties while not providing sufficient justification for doing so. It seems to us that the bill is more about political signalling than improving our justice system.
Keep reading “Submission: Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill”
The Council believes that biometric processing is a significant threat to our liberties and our democracy. The Council re-iterates our call for a ban on Remote Biometric Identification (RBI). The Council recommends that a biometrics code under the Privacy Act should not be adopted.
Keep reading “Privacy Commission Biometrics Consultation”
The Council's response to a consultation by the Ministry of Justice on the draft of a voluntary Code of Conduct for lobbyists. We're concerned by the definition of 'lobbyist' and how weak the draft Code is.
Keep reading “Submission on the Draft Voluntary Code of Conduct for lobbyists”
This Bill is a gross infringement of our civil liberties including the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of peaceful assembly. The Council recommends that the Committee reject this Bill in its entirety.
Keep reading “Submission: Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill”
The Council condemns this bill in the strongest terms. The word for Police interactions “without having reasonable grounds to suspect that any offence has been, is being, or will be committed” is harassment.
Keep reading “Submission: Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Bill”
The Attorney General has decided that this bill can not be justified in a free and democratic society. That’s a serious condemnation from a trusted source. The Council urges the committee to kill this bill.
Keep reading “Ram Raids Bill Oral Submission”
The Council opposes preventative detention and post-sentence orders in principle. The Council reluctantly acknowledges that the rest of our systems are in such an unsatisfactory state that we can not recommend abolishing preventative detention at this time. There are small numbers of people who are dangers to themselves and others who are currently managed though preventative detention.
Keep reading “Submission: Public safety and serious offenders: a review of preventive detention and post-sentence orders”
This bill is an affront to our democracy. The autocratic measures at the heart of this bill are precisely the sort of executive overreach the Council was founded to prevent. The process for passing this legislation under urgency is a further affront to democracy.
Keep reading “Submission: Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill”
