Buzz from the Beehive
A government committed to improving our wellbeing and safety is assuring us it intends strengthening counter-terrorism laws “to make it harder for people who are known threats to undertake terrorist acts”.
The headline announcing this proclaims: Stronger terrorism laws make New Zealand safer.
This is hugely encouraging and may well become the subject of study by criminologists around the world. If our legislators can draft a stronger law to make us safer from terrorists, then all sorts of possibilities are opened.
A stronger law that makes it harder to conduct a ram raid is an attractive possibility, for example, or a stronger law to make it harder for those of us with homicidal inclinations to murder our fellow citizens.
But fair to say, Allan did acknowledge:
“While no law can ever stop a motivated terrorist from undertaking an attack, these changes will go a long way in preventing, disrupting and limiting their ability to do so.”
Her announcement is recorded on the Beehive website along with news that her colleagues have been: –
The Hamilton West by-election – triggered by the resignation of independent MP Gaurav Sharma – will be held on Saturday 10 December.
The deadline for candidate nominations to be received will be noon Tuesday 8 November and official results will be declared on Wednesday 21 December.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins will lead a delegation to Asia to encourage people to study in New Zealand and promote the fact our country is open for business.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced the appointment of Jacqueline Frizelle as New Zealand’s next ambassador to Italy.
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni was keen to inform us that September Quarter Benefit statistics released today show the number of people receiving a Main Benefit continues to fall year-on-year.
There are 13,731 fewer people on a Main Benefit compared to September 2021 and the number of people receiving Jobseeker Work Ready Benefit continues to fall.
There are 98,934 people receiving Jobseeker Work Ready, the first time numbers have dipped below 100,000 since April 2020.
“Our government have been relentless and deliberate in supporting more people into meaningful employment, education and training,” Sepuloni said.
Click here for The Quarterly Statistics (to winkle out what she didn’t mention in her press statement) .
Digital Economy and Communications Minister David Clark announced the Government is working with New Zealand’s major telecommunications network operators to accelerate the roll-out of 5G services across New Zealand and improve rural connectivity.
As one consequence of a new agreement, Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone will be required to increase the pace of the 5G roll-out to small towns across New Zealand. There is also an expectation they will continue efforts to improve rural connectivity.
Shared network infrastructure provider, Dense Air, will also have access to the 3.5 GHz spectrum band as part of this deal – helping network operators serve the hardest to reach parts of the country.
Has the Treaty of Waitangi influenced what is happening?
Of course.
Māori will receive spectrum in this band, as per the agreement that the Crown signed with the Māori Spectrum Working Group in February this year.
Minister for Women Jan Tinetti reminded us that the Equal Pay Act 1972 was passed 50 years ago today, a law instrumental in ensuring the legal right to equal pay for equal work in New Zealand
She also drew attention to Public Service 2022 Workforce data released today, claiming “a unified approach across the Public Service and unions” has delivered a record low gender pay gap of 7.7 per cent.
It shows the number of women in leadership continues to trend upwards with women now holding 55.8 per cent of senior leadership positions
That figure – of course – suggests a gap is opening on the other side of the gender divide.
This has us wondering what the Government might do about that widening gap and when a Minister for Men will be appointed.
Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Priyanca Radhakrishnan jointed Tinetti in announcing the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW) will become the government’s national advisory group on pay transparency.
Its role will be expanded to consider both gender and ethnicity in relation to pay transparency and will provide advice on what a pay transparency system that is fit-for-purpose for New Zealand could look like.
The changes announced by Kiri Allan aim to improve the effectiveness of the Control Orders Act, and expand the criteria for high-risk individuals who can be covered by the restrictions, which limit their ability to undertake an attack.
Cabinet has agreed to several changes to the control orders regime:
- expand the eligibility criteria for those who can be covered by a control order to include if the person has received a conviction for objectionable publications that promote torture, extreme violence, or cruelty. This is in addition to the current criteria, which includes a conviction for objectionable publications that promote terrorism;
- expand the eligibility criteria to include people sentenced to home detention and community-based sentences (currently it is limited to sentences of imprisonment) and allow sentence conditions and control orders to exist concurrently for these offenders, to ensure a consistent approach to risk management;
- allow for greater judicial discretion when setting control order restrictions, to ensure they can be more closely tailored to risk;
- provide in more detail requirements of the following kinds: a requirement that the relevant person reside at and remain at a specified address and electronic monitoring requirements; and
- make name suppression requirements more flexible so that an appropriate balance can be struck between preventing the glorification of terrorism activity and reassuring the public that a known terrorism risk is being appropriately managed.
The strengthened terrorist designations scheme will make it explicit that it covers individuals in prison.
Allan recalled that the terrorist designation scheme was initially brought in to stop New Zealanders from providing financial support to overseas terrorist groups in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
“Now, as the terrorism landscape has evolved, our laws need to also. For the first time since the scheme was introduced we have a situation where a designated terrorist entity is imprisoned,” Kiri Allan said.
“Overseas, we have seen examples of how imprisoned terrorists continue to attempt to influence and incite others from behind bars. We are seeking to further reduce any ability for designated entities to be glorified or to support others in carrying out acts of terrorism.”
Cabinet will amend the Terrorism Suppression Act so that in the case of a designated person who is imprisoned:
- no application for revocation of the designation can be made on the grounds that the entity is no longer involved in any way in the carrying out of terrorist acts;
- expiry of the designation would be paused, and the designation remain in place, while the person is imprisoned; and
- requiring the Prime Minister to review the designation every three years to determine whether it remains justified. In making this assessment, the Prime Minister must consider relevant information provided by the designated individual.
Latest from the Beehive
20 OCTOBER 2022
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The Hamilton West by-election will be held on Saturday 10 December, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today.
50 year Anniversary of Equal Pay marks record low pay gap
Today marks 50 years since the Equal Pay Act 1972 was passed, a law instrumental in ensuring the legal right to equal pay for equal work in Aotearoa New Zealand says Minister for Women Jan Tinetti.
Government action helps more people move off Main Benefit
September Quarter Benefit statistics released today show the number of people receiving a Main Benefit continues to fall year-on-year.
Kiwis to benefit from accelerated 5G roll-out
The Government is working with New Zealand’s major telecommunications network operators to accelerate the roll-out of 5G services across New Zealand and improve rural connectivity, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, David Clark said today.
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Promoting New Zealand as an International Education destination and partner
Education Minister Chris Hipkins will lead a delegation to Asia to encourage people to study in New Zealand and promote the fact our country is open for business.
Next Ambassador to Italy announced
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of Jacqueline Frizelle as New Zealand’s next ambassador to Italy.
Stronger terrorism laws make New Zealand safer
The Government is strengthening counter-terrorism laws to make it harder for people who are known threats to undertake terrorist acts, Justice Minister Kiri Allan has announced.
Point of Order 
It would be very interesting to see the proposed and/ or actual criteria that defines a terrorist. After all, we don’t want those opposed to the government to be labelled terrorists just because of their opposition. And we don’t want the law to be used by a government to stifle the opposition through banning free speech. arbitrary arrest and/ or imprisonment, do we ? That’s how dictatorships get started, right ?
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How about addressing penalties accorded repeat offenders, ramraid perpetrators, etc. Also revisit youth crime, and if the ideology is for 16-years-old criminals being able to vote, then let them be jailed also.
So far as dictatorship being started, we are well down the track, with David Parker leading the underhand charge.
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