Rights Aotearoa welcomes Melissa Derby's support for extending hate speech protections to include religious groups and the LGBTQIA+ community, as expressed in her appearance on TVNZ's Q+A this morning. She explicitly said that the LGB included the 'T' RA will issue a formal press release tomorrow.

Dr Melissa Derby, formerly on the council of the FSU says she supports hate speech laws, and supports adding religion to our current hate speech laws. AND LGBT - including trans! www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-...

“In this 50th anniversary year, the Tribunal and Te Tiriti are under a sustained attack from perhaps the most anti-Tiriti government that we’ve seen since the Tribunal was established.” — Carwyn Jones.

Rights Aotearoa has been a major financial strain on me recently. Breaking my glasses could not have come at a worse time - I can get progressives online (Firmoo) for 180! Any contributions greatly appreciated - and thanks to the person who gave already! 120 to go. Paul Thistoll 03-0547-0039160-001

Rights Aotearoa has been a major financial strain on me recently. Breaking my glasses could not have come at a worse time - I can get progressives online (Firmoo) for 180! Any contributions greatly appreciated - and thanks to the person who gave already! 120 to go. Paul Thistoll 03-0547-0039160-001

AI cannot say "no", and having somebody in the office willing and able to do that is incredibly fucking necessary

speaking as a comms manager who's been watching job opportunities massively constrict because people think the job can be replaced by AI: take Jay's behaviour today as an example of why it can't, because an AI cannot disconnect your keyboard and say "go for a fucking walk"

Ha, at least the FSU are smart enough to book venues mostly covered by NZBORA, so under existing case law, it's hard to shut down hate speech. The Women's Rights Party aren't releasing venues until just before. Ha, amateurs. I think you know what to do, team. wrpnz.substack.com/p/helen-joyc...

The FSU isn't bringing Helen Joyce for debate—they're platforming eliminationist rhetoric that treats trans lives as a problem to be erased. That's not free speech. That's harm. www.rightsaotearoa.nz/media-releas...

Free speech advocate Brian Tamaki

"When someone argues that fewer trans people should exist, when they liken... healthcare to child abuse, when they advocate criminal penalties for doctors following...best practice —That is .... eliminationist rhetoric dressed up in the language of concern." www.rightsaotearoa.nz/media-releas...

We just sent out our second newsletter. Please share and sign up - our focus right now is on building up our newsletter subscriber base organically. www.rightsaotearoa.nz/rights-aotea...

I feel a real sense of community forming around Rights Aotearoa's work, especially here on BSky, and it is very heart-warming. Good night.

(1) The NZ govt rejected 8 of 10 recommendations from its own Frontier Economics review. Even worse: peer reviewers found existing Huntly capacity sufficient for dry years - no new thermal needed. They commissioned a report, then ignored it. #NZEnergy

Small favour: sign up for the Rights Aotearoa mailing list at 👉 www.rightsaotearoa.nz It’ll be our main communications channel in the future (besides BSky): a weekly Thursday newsletter + the occasional urgent human rights hot take. No spam, NO YELLING, just substance.

This is truly unbelievable behaviour.

How dear the media council ask us to evaluate our sources in order to expose fundamental bias.

This is an unfathomably bad response.

Today's mood board is vindicated! But I am not going to skite, because this case is utterly tragic, and I feel for Alex's parents. I lost a family member tragically young recently, and it is heartbreaking. Also, treatment for eating disorders in this country is absolutely dire, apparently.

*BREAKING: PLEASE REPOST* The Media Council has upheld complaints against RNZ, finding that the article about Alex lacked balance and failed to present alternative perspectives, particularly once information about Alex's own voice became publicly available. www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/park...

See below - a final decision from the Ombudsman that Brooke Van Velden can rely on professional legal privilege to redact the human rights analysis of the pay equity changes. I gave it my all, team. Attached to the second post is my response to their provisional opinion.

Ozempic! Thanks for dinner!

Even though we don't have the human rights analysis from the Cabinet Paper on the pay equity law changes, we do have RIghts Aotearoa's analysis. You can find it here: www.rightsaotearoa.nz/rights-aotea...

Since Elon bought Xitter, antisemitism and conspiracy crap has proliferated there. A new report finds that the site took no action on 88% of highly visible antisemitic posts. Only 7% eventually had visibility limited. It also ran ads on them.

It's my informed understanding that an interesting Media Council judgment is coming out on Wednesday. 👀👀👀 🤞

See below - a final decision from the Ombudsman that Brooke Van Velden can rely on professional legal privilege to redact the human rights analysis of the pay equity changes. I gave it my all, team. Attached to the second post is my response to their provisional opinion.

This is happening here, too.

Still hearing this - politics is about to get brutal.

Comparing respect for trans people's identities to denying documented mass death in Gaza is grotesque. One affirms human dignity. The other denies human suffering. Don't instrumentalise Palestinian deaths to attack trans people. This cynical false equivalence from Damien Grant is disgusting.

It's my informed understanding that an interesting Media Council judgment is coming out on Wednesday. 👀👀👀 🤞

Small favour: sign up for the Rights Aotearoa mailing list at 👉 www.rightsaotearoa.nz It’ll be our main communications channel in the future (besides BSky): a weekly Thursday newsletter + the occasional urgent human rights hot take. No spam, NO YELLING, just substance.

I have started a fundraiser for a group of LGBTQIA+ refugees in Kenya. Please give any support you can, whether it be through donations or sharing! All proceeds will go towards supporting Frank and his friends givealittle.co.nz/cause/lgbtqi...

This is absolutely unbelievable.

We were on Ghost.io before it was made fashionable by Farrier ;-) We just sent out our first Ghost-hosted newsletter, though just now. Please read and then sign up! :-) www.rightsaotearoa.nz/rights-aotea...

I just want to restate Rights Aotearoa's position from my account. (1) All forms and expressions of anti-semitism must be roundly condemned, as must all forms of discrimination. (2) Attempts to widen the definition of anti-semitism to include criticism of Israeli Govt policies are also wrong.

100%. A lot of the struggles were having in Aotearoa NZ are due to the very same folk who are abusing the US system and buying politics to reach their own ends.

Despite my industrial-strength ADHD, Rights Aotearoa will send out a newsletter each Thursday outlining our activities and key human rights news. There will be the occasional extra email when important events require it, but we will not clog up your inbox! Please sign up at www.rightsaotearoa.nz

In Peter's speech, he invoked 5 arguments: Failure to Meet Statehood Criteria (No 1): Peters argued that "there is no fully legitimate and viable...Palestine to recognise. Palestine does not fully meet the accepted criteria for a state as it does not fully control its own territory or population

Have heard that govt likely to cut eligibility for Total Mobility - an essential lifeline for many disabled people who cannot drive or access public transportation. Please sign this petition to parliament calling for Increased funding for Total Mobility Scheme

Someone ask Jordan why there isn’t a Free Speech Union Singapore branch. No seriously, someone email him and ask if we should follow Singapore on speech rights!?

I just wrote to Marama welcoming her exceptionally strong statement.

Refusing to recognise Palestine diminishes both Winston’s office and our country’s mana. It aligns NZ with impunity rather than international law — seemingly to please Trump. We should stand with justice and human dignity.

I am thoroughly ashamed of our Government today.

We could start with an open letter to Goldsmith in the Dom Post. Anyone got a few $k for a 1/4 ad in the Dom! :-)

I will almost certainly seek to challenge under NZBORA any voting restrictions if actually passed. This is pure disenfranchisement and a retrogression of rights.

🔽🔽🔽Please sign up for the Rights Aotearoa Weekly Newsletter🔽🔽🔽