Greens Launch Petition Against Govt's Attack On Democracy
'We cannot allow this Government to rob New Zealanders of their democratic rights,' says the Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.
'Make no mistake, the Government is making calculated changes to electoral law that erode the democratic rights of regular people and play into the hands of a wealthy few.
'By blocking voters and also opening the floodgates for anonymous donations from the rich, this Government is distorting the settings of our democracy in their favour.
'Who gets to vote and who gets to influence Parliament, decides the future of our country. These laws slam the door on everyday people while rolling out the red carpet for wealthy donors who bankroll parties in this Coalition Government.
'We are calling on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice to drop this anti-democratic legislation.
'A Green Government will reverse these rollbacks: restoring same-day enrolment, reinstating voting rights for prisoners, cleaning up campaign finance and extending the vote to 16-year-olds.
'Democracy is for everyone, we should be expanding voting and participation, not restricting it,' says Marama Davidson.
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NZ Herald
14 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Cabinet paper leak suggests Minister Nicole McKee's U-turn on alcohol sales reform
The draft Cabinet paper says restricting opening hours could have had a major impact on violent crime – preventing 2400 'violent victimisations' each year. But that move has now been axed. A Ministry of Justice email, also leaked to RNZ, shows justice officials 'were directed by Minister McKee to proceed with speed to lodge a revised Cabinet paper' to go before a Cabinet committee on August 13. 'The focus of the paper had changed during negotiations - it is now on reducing regulatory burden with some of the harm reduction measures no longer included - e.g. reducing maximum default trading hours.' McKee told RNZ it was regrettable her draft Cabinet paper was leaked. 'I won't be discussing a few cherry-picked parts of a draft paper through the media before I've even had an opportunity to discuss the issue with my Cabinet colleagues,' she said in a statement to RNZ. 'I am extremely disappointed that a draft Cabinet paper has been shared with media. This undermines the integrity of the public service and erodes New Zealanders' trust in public servants.' 'Strong correlation' between off-licence opening hours and violent crime The leaks show that in an early version of her Cabinet paper, McKee proposed to restrict bottle store opening hours to between 9am and 9pm in a bid to reduce violent crime. 'I am focused on hazardous drinking which can lead to violent crime. Evidence shows a strong correlation between later opening hours for off-licenses and violent crime,' the Cabinet paper originally said. 'Ministry of Justice analysis indicates that bringing forward the closing hour to 9pm could see up to 2400 fewer violent victimisations annually.' The paper said restricting opening hours would reduce sales revenue for off-licences, as about 20% of sales were made between 8pm and 11pm and about 2% before 9am. The paper originally said the impacts on business had been 'weighed carefully' against the benefits of reducing violent crime. But the leaks show this was changed in a later version. 'I am not proposing any changes to the maximum trading hours for license holders,' McKee wrote in the updated paper, noting Auckland and Christchurch had already set a 9pm closing time under their Local Alcohol Policies. 'I consider that this is sufficient to manage concerns around license hours.' Focus now on 'reducing red tape' for law-abiding businesses McKee would not be interviewed by RNZ, but confirmed her reforms would now focus on making it easier for businesses in the alcohol industry. 'My focus is on reducing red tape restricting businesses and New Zealanders who play by the rules. The law Labour left us with is a mess,' she said. The draft Cabinet paper obtained by RNZ shows McKee is now proposing to make it easier for clubs and bars to serve alcohol outside normal trading hours when screening major sport or cultural events. McKee's Cabinet paper also proposes giving the alcohol industry more power when faced with objections to liquor licences. The paper says changes in 2023 allowed any person or group to oppose a liquor licence but that McKee wants to overturn this so objections only come from the community impacted. 'To better balance community voice and impacts on business I seek agreement to only allow objections to licensing applications by people or groups and organisations in the same territorial authority as the premises.' There are also moves to protect businesses impacted by changes to a council's Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) – where communities determine when and how alcohol is sold. 'To protect existing businesses if a LAP is adopted or amended I also seek agreement to prevent a DLC (District Licensing Committee) from declining a renewal application if the license would be inconsistent with the relevant LAP.' The changes would also give applicants for a liquor licence a right of reply to objections received in DLC hearings. Andrew Galloway, executive director of Alcohol Healthwatch, funded by the Ministry of Health, said reducing trading hours for bottle stores and supermarkets would have had a major impact on reducing alcohol harm. 'Off-licences sell over 80% of alcohol in Aotearoa and these off-licences are over-concentrated in the most deprived areas. Restricting off-licence supply of alcohol would be especially important in reducing alcohol-related harm.' Galloway said that when he became aware the Government was looking at restricting off-licence trading hours, he said to his team 'we should prepare for a U-turn' once industry lobbying swung into action. 'We will continue to miss every meaningful opportunity to reduce or prevent alcohol harm in New Zealand if we continue to allow unbridled access to power for harmful commodity industries.' -RNZ
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Number of high-security beds at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison could rise by up to 460, document shows
It said the population would increase rapidly until June 2028 and then rise gradually until June 2035. In a section of the long-term network configuration plan entitled The Future Prison Network – what could the prison network look like in the next 20 Years, the plan calls for new high-security capacity at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison. Between 240 and 720 new high-security beds would be built at the facility, to replace 256 existing beds deemed to be poor quality, the plan shows. The report also mentions the refurbishment of six hut units – typically low-security buildings for prisoners nearing release – which would improve quality and decrease bed numbers in these units from 380 to 252. A spokesperson from Corrections said on August 4, 2025, Hawke's Bay Regional Prison had 755 operational beds, 68 of which were vacant. Hawke's Bay Regional Prison. Photo / Paul Taylor Labour Corrections spokeswoman Dr Tracey McLellan said the party had warned before the 2023 election that the coalition Government was laying the groundwork for a 'mega-prison' in Hawke's Bay. 'The plan for up to 720 new high-security beds turns Hawke's Bay Regional Prison into one of the largest custodial sites in the country,' McLellan said. 'People in Hawke's Bay didn't ask for a mega-prison. They asked for better housing, safer communities and support for youth – not more cells.' Before the 2023 general election, then Tukituki Labour MP Anna Lorck said she didn't want any more beds built at the prison. 'What we know happens is, if we build a mega-prison, there will be more serious criminals brought into Hawke's Bay to serve their time and with them come their associates,' Lorck said at the time. Wedd said at the time that Lorck was peddling 'desperate misinformation' with her 'mega-prison' claim. When contacted by Hawke's Bay Today, Lorck, no longer in politics, said she hoped the region fights back against any plan to build a larger prison. 'It's the last thing our region needs,' she said. Wedd said Corrections had a range of projects under way to increase the number and quality of beds across the prison network, but no projects at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison had been confirmed. A Corrections spokesperson said public safety was their top priority, and ensuring they had sufficient fit-for-purpose prison capacity was critical to keeping the public safe. 'The Hawke's Bay Regional Prison redevelopment is a potential project being planned to meet the forecast rising demand for high-security beds at the prison,' the spokesperson said. 'This project would deliver additional high-security accommodation and necessary upgrades and replacements to essential site infrastructure such as the gatehouse and visitor facilities. 'The detailed scope of the project is being developed and the project remains subject to approvals and funding decisions.' The spokesperson said they could not provide timings of when decisions would be made. Inmate numbers at NZ's largest prisons*: Mt Eden Corrections Facility – 1318 Rimutaka Prison – 1024 Auckland South Corrections Facility – 960 Spring Hill Corrections Facility – 904 Christchurch Men's Prison – 896 Hawke's Bay Regional Prison – 703 Auckland Prison – 679 Northland Regional Corrections Facility – 601 Whanganui Prison – 519 * as of March 31, 2025 Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke's Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.
NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Cameras on boats: Government confirms pro-industry fisheries changes
'A key feature of the reforms is more efficient and effective decision-making when setting sustainable catch limits. The changes mean specific fisheries will be able to have rules that automatically respond to changes in abundance for up to five years. 'These rules will be subject to the usual scientific evaluation and consultation processes but will allow for greater catch when there are more fish in the water and more responsive intervention when fisheries need to recover,' he said. Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones during his stand-up on the Wellington waterfront where he released a consultation document on 'the most significant reforms' of New Zealand's fisheries for decades. 12 February, 2025. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell This change replaces the slower process currently in place, where each change must be assessed and considered separately, Jones said. Another significant change is the exclusion of footage captured by cameras on fishing boats from being requested under the OIA. 'The information from on-board cameras will continue to contribute to fisheries management but camera footage will not be subject to the Official Information Act 1982,' Jones said. 'Fishers won't need to worry about private or commercially sensitive footage being publicly released and either deliberately or unintentionally misconstrued.' While supported by industry, the proposals copped criticism in February when they were consulted on. The Green Party's oceans and fisheries spokesman Teanau Tuiono said in February the proposals 'seem to reward industry for overfishing, posing a significant threat to the sustainability and longevity of our oceans'. 'If the minister truly cared about sustainability he would ban bottom trawling and champion sustainable, adaptive fishing practices, which will increasingly be required in the context of climate change,' he said. An amendment bill will be introduced this year and people will have a further opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes during the select committee process. Jones is the former chairman of the seafood company Sealord and was a one-time member of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission. He declared donations from the industry for the 2023 election.
