The impacts of US politics on New Zealand will be
examined by former UK High Commissioner Phil Goff and
University of Auckland experts on 10
April.
Last month, Foreign Affairs Minister
Winston Peters removed Goff from his UK role, after Goff
made a public comment questioning whether Trump
“understands history”.
Alongside Goff, the panel
discussion will include three University of Auckland
associate professors – Tim Kuhner, from the Faculty of Law,
Danny Osborne, from the School of Psychology, and Maria
Armoudian, co-director of the Centre for Climate,
Biodiversity and Society.
Osborne says US
President Donald Trump’s “brash” leadership style has
ripple effects in Aotearoa and globally, shaping the way
politicians speak and act. This creates small waves in
society – that can have extreme impacts, he
says.
“Trump’s presidency has
re-shaped the norms of what’s socially acceptable for
politicians to say and do. We’re starting to see that
trickle down into New Zealand,” Osborne
says.
Examples of New Zealand leaders echoing
Trump’s politics include Destiny Church members painting
over rainbow pedestrian crossings, Act’s Treaty Principles
Bill, and NZ First MPs making comments some migrant MPs see
as racist, he says.
“Trump is stress testing social
norms by openly flouting them. When the public see an
elected official talking this way, that challenges
people’s perceptions of the norms and can lead to the
norms changing.
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“In New Zealand, the most important
thing is to push back against these stress tests of our
social norms and not let a vocal minority win these
conversations.
“When we hear hateful rhetoric, when
we hear people espousing racist, sexist, or homophobic
views, it’s important to actively confront it and
reinforce the norms that regard this as unacceptable,” he
says.
Despite Trump’s “overtly anti-democratic”
moves, “democracy is not lost”, Osborne
says.
“The good people out there just need to speak
up more.”
Armoudian, who will chair the
panel discussion, says she is “deeply concerned” about
the ideological shift in the US that is moving towards
greater authoritarianism and denial of climate
realities.
“We see governments that are
anti-science, anti-education, anti-human rights, who are
making the planet uninhabitable and education less
attainable,” Armoudian says.
The public and media
are welcome to attend the panel discussion at 5pm on
Thursday 10 April at lecture theatre 2, room 206-203, 14A
Symonds Street,
Auckland.
