On 20th October six Gore District councillors
[Councillors Gardyne, MacDonell, Coats, McPhail, Cupit and
Fraser] attempted to block a petition by locals Jenny and
Terry McNamara from being received. The petition called for
ethical procurement regarding companies involved in illegal
Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine. All 12
councillors then remained silent when asked to receive the
staff report recommending the change, so the matter
lapsed.
The right to petition is fundamental to
democracy. The petition gathered about 360 signatures in a
week and a half. Four councillors didn’t respond with a
reason for their opposition, while two cited too few Gore
signatories. On review however, the council has previously
accepted at least three petitions without any addresses
since 2023, and its Standing Orders contain no relevant
requirement. This raises serious questions – not for the
first time according to a 25/10/2023 LGOIMA – about
consistency regarding public petitions and
participation.
The proposal was supported by Sh’ma
Koleinu – Alternative Jewish Voices, the NZ Council of
Trade Unions, Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson,
Catholic Priests of Southland, Unions: Otago, Unite Union
and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Te Hāhi
Tūhauwiri Invercargill Worship Group. If passed, Gore would
have joined 7 other councils who’ve passed similar
proposals including Invercargill and Environment
Southland.
It concerned 214 companies listed by the UN
HRC (A/HRC/63/20) as involved in settlement activity (there
are now 700,000 illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank
and East Jerusalem) and would align with UN SC2334,
co-sponsored by New Zealand in 2016, which calls Israeli
settlements a “flagrant violation under international
law” and a “major obstacle” to peace. In July 2024,
the International Court of Justice ruled Israel’s
occupation illegal and in breach of international law on
apartheid and racial segregation.
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Statement from
Invercargill PSNA (aligned with Palestine Solidarity Network
Aotearoa): “We condemn councillors’ attempt to block the
petition – constituents have a right to be heard equally, as
Mayor Ben Bell said when he used his casting vote to receive
the petition.
“Council is also required to consider
social wellbeing in procurement decisions, and Government
Procurement Rule 28 specifically allows exclusion based on
serious human rights abuses. The UN Human Rights Council has
committed to keeping the list of complicit companies updated
(methodology available online) and alongside UN SC2334,
it’s provided uniquely easy-to-act on evidence for
councils and organisations worldwide who’ve chosen to
align with human rights standards on
Palestine.
“Please also remember, councils are
taking this step because Parliament, which sanctioned Russia
within weeks, still hasn’t acted on UN SC2334. The
relentless double standards have caused unimaginable harm to
the Palestinian people, as well as widespread
disillusionment, and damage to the rules-based order we all
rely
on.”
