The Human Rights Foundation promotes and defends human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad, through research-based education and advocacy.
A recent Dominion Post column attacked British-born Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt as not ‘one of us’. It’s a phrase we should all feel uncomfortable with, writes Hunt, wherever we come from. Not long after I took up office as Chief Human Rights Commissioner, a newspaper columnist complained that I am not “one of
The Wellington Howard League’s “Let Prisoners Vote” petition, presented to Parliament by Wellington Central MP, the Hon. Grant Robertson, will be tabled in the House on Tuesday 21 May before question time. The over two thousand people who have signed the petition are asking Parliament to repeal section 80(1)(d) of the Electoral Act 1993 to
Journalist Nicky Hager has launched a scathing attack on the Defence Force during a presentation to the Operation Burnham Inquiry, accusing it of not telling the full truth about its operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Inquiry, which is investigating allegations that six civilians were killed in Afghanistan during a New Zealand-led raid in 2010,
Reportedly most (and possibly all) of the Royal Commission investigation into the Christchurch mosque shootings will be closed to the general public and to the media. Oh sure, come delivery date in December there will be some kind of “public-facing” document containing conclusions and rationales, but there will have been no interim way of scrutinizing the
Ministers and government agencies have ignored the Ombudsman’s plea for signed agreements outlawing political meddling in Official Information Act (OIA) responses. Two years after the Ombudsman urged agencies to agree terms to avoid “perceptions of impropriety”, none of the 30 departments surveyed have done so. Two have agreements in the pipelines. Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier made the call
A group of mosque attack victims are angry Victim Support did not ask them how they wanted the millions of dollars it collected on their behalf to be distributed. Christchurch lawyer Andrew Oh is working pro bono to help the group of about 64 bereaved, seriously injured or traumatised victims get their voices heard. Read more at Stuff
The police watchdog says a police officer who drove more than 80kmh over the speed limit in pursuit of a fleeing driver should have been charged. In a statement, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) said a criminal investigation should have been undertaken, as the officer could have been convicted for dangerous driving. The IPCA oversaw a police investigation
The United Nations Secretary General has given a nod to indigenous rangatahi in their fight for climate justice. Yesterday morning, rangatahi Māori activists made their way to Auckland Museum’s event centre for an unusual meeting. Te Ara Whatu, Aotearoa’s first indigenous youth delegation to the United Nations, joined climate minister James Shaw and other climate activists in
Previously classified documents released by the inquiry into Operation Burnham show the NZDF thought civilians may have been killed in the days following an attack in Afghanistan. Twenty-two documents, 14 directly relating to Operation Burnham, have been uploaded to the Inquiry website. It comes ahead of a public hearing on 22 May into allegations that six
OPINION: What does it take to get a conviction in a rape trial, these days? I’m genuinely interested to know. In Hawke’s Bay two men, Jason Trembath and Joshua Pauling, were found not guilty of rape. The woman said she did not consent to sex with them. She was so drunk that she has little memory of that
