THE DARKENING CLOUDS OF TOTALITARIANISM

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*Totalitarianism: form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state.”

– Encyclopaedia Britannica

"Under Jacinda Ardern’s stewardship, New Zealand is becoming a totalitarian* state" - Dr Muriel Newman 

https://www.nzcpr.com/author/mn/. 

"Another giant leap down that path was announced last week in a Cabinet paper outlining plans to criminalise free speech. But other significant expansions of State authority are already underway.

State control of the entire economy under the guise of ‘climate change’.

With the Prime Minister imposing the harshest carbon restrictions in the world onto New Zealand, the Climate Commission is foreshadowing the need for central planning on a grand scale.

 

Why is our Prime Minister sacrificing our economy and living standards, when most other countries are doing nothing? 

The Ardern Government has already abolished our democratic right to prevent local councils from introducing Maori wards. Now they are replacing democracy with separatist rule.

According to their He Puapua report, the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will be enacted by 2040. Our constitution will be replaced with one that elevates the Treaty of Waitangi into supreme law, Maori tikanga will replace the common law, and the country will be governed through a 50:50 Crown-Maori ‘partnership’. Under ... a tribal dictatorship, democracy will cease to exist.

It’s time to say “No”! To defend democracy and equal rights we have launched a “Declaration of Equality”. Please click HERE.

The Prime Minister is now embarking on an assault on our freedom of speech.

1990 Bill of Rights Act: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.”

That freedom is limited by the 1993 Human Rights Act. It's a civil offence to express “threatening, abusive, or insulting” opinions that are likely “to excite hostility against or bring into contempt any group of persons… on the ground of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins.”

Intentionally inciting hostility is a criminal offence that can result in imprisonment or a fine.  Such prosecutions need the approval of the Attorney-General

According to the Human Rights Commission, New Zealanders’ right to make controversial or offensive remarks is not undermined by these laws – they restrict only those who are inciting serious ethnic tension or unrest: “Only where there is the potential for significant detriment to society can the right to freedom of expression be limited.”

Many other constraints on free speech also exist. There are the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Advertising Standards Authority, New Zealand Press Council, the Harmful Digital Communications Act. the Crimes Act.  Threats against people or property that cause “significant disruption of the activities of the civilian population” are an offence with a penalty of up to seven years in prison.

In 2019, following the Christchurch tragedy, the then Minister of Justice Andrew Little announced a review “to examine whether our laws properly balance the issues of freedom of speech and hate speech. The process should not be rushed, and I expect a report for public comment towards the end of the year… Protecting our crucially important right to freedom of speech, while testing whether the balance is right regarding ‘hate speech’, needs a robust public discussion from all quarters. This will ensure all our citizens’ rights are protected.”

The promised public consultation never eventuated.

Ardern, Little&Co, Death Dealers to the Nation, lying again. 

No open and transparent process; instead secret discussions held with groups campaigning for harsher laws.

The Ministry of Justice chief executive Andrew Kibblewhite claimed hate speech was a “tricky thing” to navigate. He wanted to keep discussions “away from the political fray”, to prevent them being “derailed” and to “avoid protests”.

NZ First refused to support any restrictions of New Zealanders’ right to free speech. So Labour promised a law change: “Labour will extend legal protections for groups that experience hate speech, including for reasons of religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation, by ensuring that we prohibit speech that is likely to incite others to feel hostility or contempt towards these groups under the Human Rights Act.”

Their plan was to use the Human Rights Act to provide statutory protection to groups based not only on ‘race’, but also on religion, gender, disability and sexual orientation.

Then the Royal Commission into the Christchurch shootings released its report,. They recommended criminalising anyone deliberately inciting hostility by inserting section 131 of the Human Rights Act into the Crimes Act, increasing the penalties from three months in jail to at least two years, including ‘religion’ as a protected characteristic alongside ‘race’, and broadening the scope of ‘hate speech’ from an intent to ‘incite’ hostility to an intent to ‘stir’ it up.

But this week political commentator Chris Trotter questions the Government’s plan to enact Royal Commission recommendations to restrict our freedom, when nothing could have stopped the ‘lone wolf’ attack:

“The Royal Commission’s finding that no state agency could have prevented Tarrant from carrying out his deadly intent – except by chance – is correct. He understood that he must do nothing to draw the attention of the authorities.

The state can punish Lone Wolves, but it cannot stop them. In attempting to minimise the terrorist threat, however, the state can eliminate our freedoms.”

Chris warns: "Even when such extensions are introduced in response to a terrorist atrocity, we need to ask ourselves: would these new powers have prevented it?”

 

'Minister of Justice' Kris Faafoi

 

Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi wants all free speech breaches criminalised – not just deliberate, but  unintentional; to widen the law to include an intent to “stir up” hatred; to strengthen penalties from three months jail to three years – even though the Royal Commission recommended two years – with fines increased from $7,000 to $50,000.

The Minister wants protection expanded to include “all groups listed under the prohibited grounds of discrimination in section 21 of the Human Rights Act”.

So under Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government, you will not only have to mind your Ps and Qs when it comes to discussing race and religion, but also sex, marital status, ethical belief, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, and sexual orientation. The only group that will not be protected by Minister Faafoi’s new law will be white able-bodied working age males!

The Ardern Government plans to use these law changes to massively expand the concept of ‘incitement to discriminate’. "Examples of inciting discrimination of a group include encouraging their exclusion or unfavourable treatment in the provision of goods and services, rental housing, or employment. As it is unlawful to discriminate against population groups, it should also be unlawful to incite others to discriminate against these groups.”

Landlords and employers beware – if someone alleges unfavourable treatment the police may come knocking!

Many other changes are proposed by Minister Faafoi. Some are being withheld from the public. “Groups spoken with also expressed their desire to address discrimination and hate speech in society more broadly than just through the incitement process”; but how that is to be put into effect is fully redacted.

Is the Minister proposing a new department of Thought Police?

In Jacinda Ardern’s totalitarian State, few New Zealanders will speak their mind for fear of a criminal prosecution. 

Through the imposition of State authority over the economy using carbon regulations, over democracy through separatist rule, and over free speech using hate speech laws, New Zealand will be a shadow of the vibrant, free society that we all love.

These changes herald the most dramatic expansion of government influence in New Zealand’s history, and it’s happening at an extraordinary pace, while Ardern’s socialist government has a just a three year window of unbridled control. It's happening with very limited scrutiny given the lack of independence in the media and lack of transparency in government.

All of these changes are seismic but the threat to freedom of expression is the most ominous. Free speech is the essence of a free society. It is the very oxygen of a democracy and individuality. Free speech is how knowledge is developed and shared, and the most effective bulwark against tyranny.

As Andrew Little explained as Minister of Justice: “Protecting freedom of speech is vital to hold those in authority to account, challenge the socially and culturally dominant, and enable society to progress. Freedom of speech can give force to new ideas, but also cause discomfort and offence. It is usually the first right to be lost under oppressive regimes, and among the first to be restored, at least in name, after revolutionary change.”

These proposals have been approved by Cabinet.

Jacinda Ardern plans to take away not only our right to criticise others, but also our right to criticise her and her Party.

Including ‘political opinion’ as a protected characteristic in hate speech laws puts New Zealand on course to become the North Korea of Oceania."

 

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