In the coming days, the Premier of China will be visiting New Zealand and Australia. This is significant, although the role of the Premier—nominally number two in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hierarchy—is not quite as important as some may think. Much of the power is now deeply centralised in President Xi Jinping. Don’t get Read more
Labour’s charity spokeswoman, Louisa Wall, and Christchurch charity expert Dr Michael Gousmett have criticised the lack of accountability of subsidised charitable organisations. Under the existing law charitable organisations are allowed tax relief, and receive subsidies with no public benefit test holding them to account. Gousmett says that while charities must make their financial accounts publicly Read more
A Parliamentary Select Committee has recommended that a bill to legalise same gender marriage be passed into law. The Government Administration Committee said the private member’s bill should progress, but with an amendment to make it clear that no minister was obliged to marry someone against their own beliefs. New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops say they Read more
The Marriage Amendment Bill aims to amend marriage legislation to ensure gay couples are not treated in “a discriminatory manner”. It has passed its first reading and is now open for submissions from the public. In our next piece in a series of opinions, Wairarapa man and future Labour political hopeful Kieran McAnulty says marriage Read more
Catholic priest Father Merv Duffy argues a change is wrong, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary while Presbyterian minister Margaret Mayman says it is equality that most New Zealanders, gay and straight, want. Father Merv Duffy: I oppose the proposed re-definition of marriage in Labour MP Louisa Wall’s bill before Parliament because it is wrong, dangerous, expensive and Read more
A website launched on Monday to oppose the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill has been taken down after what has been described as one of the “largest unprecedented” denial of service attacks on a website in New Zealand. Family First, which launched the Protect Marriage website, says after being alerted by media that the website was down, Read more