All people should enjoy freedom, justice and equality. That includes Palestinians. Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, and maintains an apartheid system of discrimination against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in violation of international law.  We support the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity, as called for by the Palestinian-led BDS movement. Israel is only able to maintain its apartheid regime and to expand its illegal settlements because of material support from the international community, including through unethical investments by global financial institutions (including ASB and other New Zealand banks and funds). According to research by Mindful Money, KiwiSaver funds' investments in companies financing and constructing illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine and arming Israel were up 20% in the first 5 months after October 2023. The research showed that our KiwiSavers have an estimated $200 million collectively invested in these companies. Many of our KiwiSaver funds are invested in companies that are involved in Israel’s illegal occupation, meaning that through our retirement savings we are inadvertently helping to finance of Israel’s system of apartheid, the expansion of illegal settlements in the Westbank and East Jerusalem, and the genocide of the people of Gaza. What can you do about it? It’s time we pressure our KiwiSaver providers, beginning with ASB, to stop financing Israel’s apartheid, ongoing colonisation and genocide and divest from the illegal settlements. Together we can get them to do the right thing.  • Are you an ASB customer? Sign the petition and use your power to demand that ASB divest - or else you will switch to another provider. But don’t switch yet - while you’re still a customer you have power to pressure ASB - keep the pressure on till 29 November when everyone will switch together if they haven’t divested from Israel. • Not a ASB customer? Sign the petition and share to help bring others on board to demand action from ASB. Boycott action works - and is a powerful tool we can use to make big companies realise the cost of doing business with an apartheid state.  Why ASB? Of all of New Zealand’s KiwiSaver funds, ASB has the most investments in Motorola Solutions Inc.  Motorola Solutions Inc provides telecommunications, surveillance and military technology to the Israeli military and illegal Israeli settlements - effectively operating as the IDF’s technology arm and enabling the maintenance and expansion of these settlements. The company also provides technology for operating Israel’s checkpoints and separation wall, two key pieces of Israel's apartheid infrastructure.[1] https://www.whoprofits.org//writable/uploads/old/uploads/2018/06/old/bab_al_shams_-_ahmad_al_bazz.jpg Motorola Solutions Inc. have been included in the UN List businesses involved in activities that help maintain/enable Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law. [2] ASB has $14 million invested in Motorola Solutions Inc., making their KiwiSaver fund one of the biggest investors in the occupation in the top 10 KiwiSaver providers. While many KiwiSaver funds are complicit in Israeli crimes, we have identified ASB as the #1 Most Unethical KiwiSaver for those who care about Palestinian human rights.  The International Court of Justice – the world’s highest court – recently declared that states, international organisations, investment corporations and all other institutions must not assist in maintaining the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.[3] ASB is currently complicit in Israel’s violations of human rights and international law through its investments in Motorola Solutions Inc. To avoid being an accomplice to this illegal activity, ASB must divest from Israeli apartheid. BDS works! In calling on ASB to divest from Motorola Solutions Inc. we are taking the lead from the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as a form of non-violent pressure on Israel. Both globally and here in Aotearoa, companies are realising that the investments in companies that sustain Israel's apartheid are unethical and are divesting. NZ Super Fund, KiwiSaver provider Simplicity, and most recently Ireland’s sovereign investment fund and French Insurance giant AXA have all divested from services due to their role in illegal settlements. Public pressure works! We won’t stop with ASB’s investments in Motorola… ASB and other New Zealand banks and KiwiSaver providers continue to maintain investments in other companies directly or indirectly involved in the maintenance and expansion of the illegal settlements, listed in the UN database.[4]  So we are also calling on ASB and all other New Zealand banks and KiwiSaver providers to adopt policies that prohibit investments in the companies identified by the UN and get rid of any existing investments in these companies. These financial institutions are on notice that we don’t want our money invested in Israel’s discrimination and colonisation. If they continue to bank on apartheid, we’ll stop banking with them! It is more urgent and important than ever that our voices are heard loud and clear by decision-makers and to encourage others to join our growing movement. References:  [1] https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3808? and https://wiki.stoparmingisrael.nz/motorola [2] OHCHR update of database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the report of the independent international fact finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem [30 June 2023]. [3] Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (Advisory Opinion) [2024]. [4] See for example: kiwisaver_investments_israel – Stop Arming Israel (stoparmingisrael.nz). Photo credit: Motorola communication device used by the Israeli Police during the dispersal of a Palestinian demonstration Bab Al Shams, E1 Area | Jan 2013 | Photographed by Ahmad Al-Bazz, Activestills.

The ageing Interislander ferries must be replaced. We believe it’s crucial that new ferries are rail-enabled and publicly owned, letting rail freight and equipment move easily between the North and South Islands. Without rail-enabled ferries, the two islands’ rail networks will be disconnected, restricting the movement of goods and putting the South Island’s whole rail network at risk. Current and future passenger rail services also rely on a viable national rail network.  The government said in its transport policy statement that it would prioritise making the best use of existing transport infrastructure. The only decision consistent with this policy is to ensure future ferries are rail-enabled and remain in public ownership.

In November last year mayor Phil Mauger called for a ceasefire. We ask now that Christchurch city Council go further and follow the ruling of the International Court of Justice and divest itself from the genocidal regime.  The Israeli bombardment and siege of the people of Palestine only continues with the support of other states. The highest court in the world has called on all of us to divest from the genocidal occupation. We ask our representatives to follow international law; Christchurch City Council is obligated to speak out against the genocide, and refuse to support the products of the Israeli apartheid regime.

Calling all peace activists! The annual Aerospace Summit is approaching fast, on the 23rd and 24th of September in Ōtautahi, and we need YOUR presence to shut it down!  We must end the aerospace military industrial complex, and stop the climate and human rights injustices perpetrated by Rocketlab and others at the Aerospace Convention. We condemn the use of Aotearoa as a private military launch pad, and we WON'T stand for criminals like the Boeing head of 'Sustainability' coming to our city. In the midst of a climate crisis, our Government is intent on patting the back of the aerospace industry to line their own pockets. These rockets have a vast climate impact, ripping holes in our ozone layer, polluting our night sky and implicating us in foreign military weapon targeting systems and surveillance without our consent. Boeing executive Kimberly Camrass is being paid to speak on 'Aerospace for good' at the conference- how on earth are the billions Boeing makes from bombing Palestinian family homes and hospitals, 'GOOD'?? We have to oppose this criminal industry!

The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) are New Zealand’s spy agencies. While they are domestically-focused, they can produce intelligence of relevance to international conflicts. Associate Professor Treasa Dunworth, Dr Max Harris and Vinod Bal are asking the IGIS to open up an inquiry into the GCSB’s and NZSIS’ compliance with New Zealand law, and standards of propriety in relation to possible intelligence-sharing that has contributed to the commission of international crimes by Israel in Gaza. They believe there is a plausible case that the intelligence-sharing actions of the GCSB and NZSIS, in relation to what has occurred in Gaza, breach New Zealand law as well as standards of propriety. They are concerned that intelligence is being gathered by the GCSB and NZSIS which may be shared with Israel, either directly through authorised providing of intelligence or indirectly, through New Zealand’s position in the Five Eyes alliance. For example, New Zealand gives intelligence to the United States and the United States can then pass on that intelligence to Israel. If that is so, then they believe that this intelligence might be supporting the commission of international crimes in the current Gaza conflict. In their request, they begin by setting out the key legal provisions and how they ought to be interpreted. They consider past Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security reports and lessons to be drawn from them. They address the background to Israel’s actions in Gaza, credible reports about what is occurring, and possible New Zealand connections to those actions. Attention then turns to why the IGIS should exercise his discretion to open up and inquiry of this kind. The IGIS has an important role in ensuring that the New Zealand spy agencies act in a way that is compliant with New Zealand law and within the bounds of propriety. It is hoped that the IGIS will discharge this duty by opening up such a request. Read the request document

Vaping is an issue in New Zealand that affects many people’s health habits and can be easily picked up at a young age. There is a particular concern around vaping and the ways it impacts youth. Vaping in schools is a concerning issue in New Zealand, with school kids obtaining vapes and vaping during school hours.  Our petition aims to reduce the amount of vape sales as well as make it common knowledge that vaping is bad for your health. By changing the packaging to be the same as cigarette packaging, we are hoping that this will help hinder the promotion of vapes and inform consumers about the serious health risks they are taking when they are using one. We hope that the impact of our petition helps to inform people that vapes are dangerous to health. We think that vaping is an issue among a large amount of the NZ population and one that impacts us both socially and in a health context. Australia has made significant, admirable crack-downs when it comes to vaping. For packaging, they require that it remains “plain”. By this, they mean “be packaged in a certain colour, display brand names in certain ways, display the required text and graphic health warnings, not display logos, brand images or promotional text.” (3) By doing this they have minimised the appeal of purchasing the products. Corporate interests will undoubtedly affect our ability to change vape packaging, as vape companies prioritise profitability and marketability over public health concerns. Improved packaging will not be seen as an improvement to vape companies as health warnings, no logos, and no bright colours will impact their sales and make them take a turn for the worse, which ultimately means less profit for them. They want their packaging to be attractive in order to keep addicts buying their products. Vapes and vape packaging are brightly or pastel coloured, often with cartoon characters or images displayed. This packaging is part of the reason that makes vaping so attractive and popular among youth. Marketing strategies implemented by vape companies include the packaging targeting youth. According to News Medical, “Packaging holds a significant position in promoting vaping products, including devices, pods, and e-liquids. Candy- or fruit-flavoured vaping products sold in colourful packaging are known to attract the youth attention more than adult smokers. Moreover, packaging of such products is often designed to resemble food or drink products that are mostly marketed to the youth” (4). References: 1. https://www.health.govt.nz/publications 2. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/24952/012318ecigaretteConclusionsbyEvidence.pdf 3. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-vaping-and-tobacco/tobacco-control/plain-packaging 4. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Colorful-Packaging-Hidden-Dangers-The-Push-to-Regulate-Vape-Aesthetics.aspx

The news story is a violation of the Accuracy and Impartiality Standard with TVNZ failing to present a balanced view of the situation in Palestine, potentially misleading the audience on critical aspects of the conflict. Secondly, the news story violates  the Harm and Offense Standard, being an insufficient and inflammatory portrayal of the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine contributing to public misperception and harm. Additionally, there is a concern regarding the Fairness Standard, with individuals and groups affected by the conflict not being given fair opportunity to respond or be represented in the broadcast. These breaches are significant as they undermine the integrity of the reporting and fail to uphold the standards of responsible journalism. Holding our media outlets to high journalistic standards is essential, particularly in the context of the genocide in Gaza. The media plays a significant part in either exposing or obscuring the realities of such atrocities. When news outlets fail to report accurately or neglect to label the situation in Gaza as genocide, they contribute to a narrative that minimises the severity of the crisis and enables and prolongs Israel’s social license to continue it’s genocidal actions.  Should there be no substantial changes to address our concerns,  we will escalate this matter to the Broadcasting Standards Authority for further review.  News Report TVNZ 29 Aug 2024 starts 43:58 https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-news-at-6pm/episodes/s2024-e242 Here is a link to the written news article as the origninal video story has now been deleted from TVNZ website. This article was published the same day and is derived from the orginial video.  https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/29/israeli-forces-launch-big-operation-in-the-west-bank/   2022.  Mamoun Wazwaz /APA images  95bFM Radio Interview: https://95bfm.com/bcast/get-action-stop-the-bias-report-fairly-on-west-bank-and-gaza-w-actionstations-kareana-kee-11th

Palestinians are calling out to the international community to stop the military assault on Gaza responsible for tens of 1000s of civilian deaths and injuries. The world is watching as civilian populations in Gaza are being deliberately exterminated by Israel's military assault and the obstruction of aid and necessities of life, the scarcity of medical supplies and services and the destruction of hospitals. An authoritative estimate of the total Palestinian deaths from the Gaza conflict is 186,000 (as of July 2024), many times the known body count from direct military assault. 20,000 children simply can’t be found – either buried under the rubble, taken into captivity or buried in mass graves. This has to stop. Humanitarian Law applies to everyone everywhere. War crimes are justified by ‘nothing on earth’ as declared by ICC Prosecutor Khan. If we tolerate or fail to prevent genocide in one place, how do we prevent it in another? A small nation like ours depends on an international rules-based order, and for our own security we must always be vigilant and provide strong, consistent support for international law, so we have assurance that we would neither be subject to nor responsible for war crimes. New Zealand has clear legal obligations to do all it can to prevent breaches of international law that apply to conflict. Our response is not a question of foreign policy or subject to negotiation or diplomatic discretion. With regard to Gaza, a public insistence on an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the unhindered supply of aid is one way we can demonstrate an honest commitment to our humanitarian obligations and values. New Zealand is wavering in its humanitarian obligations. We need to clearly and forthrightly speak out against war crimes in Gaza and name those responsible as we have done for atrocities committed in Ukraine. To reiterate, our international humanitarian commitments are a legal obligation, and are not a foreign policy option. LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY Unhindered by foreign policy considerations, local bodies have the power to be clear and forthright about universal humanitarian principles. These principles, such as respect for human life, reflect our humanity and our values as citizens and as a nation. With the support of its citizens, councils are enabled to remind central government of their responsibilities, or to take responsibility when central government is unwilling. Our own law formalises these values and principles. The observance of human rights and the condemnation of acts which breach those rights, namely acts of violence against civilians, is a legal obligation of our government under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Many citizens within the New Plymouth district are directly affected. They may be connected to the conflict through place of origin, family, ethnicity, religious faith, identity or a keen awareness, and be suffering as a consequence. Knowing that the local council is making a concerted effort for peace will give those citizens assurance that their well being and the human rights of their broader community matter. Our collective well being is supported when we speak out and condemn acts of violence as a community, especially the daily atrocities committed against children. It is distressing for many in the community to witness these with no means of taking action. Councils are making a difference. There are a number of local bodies, worldwide and in Aotearoa that are calling for a permanent ceasefire. In Aotearoa, Whanganui and Far North Councils have recently passed motions for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza. When our council passes this motion, it is not acting alone, instead it is joining a circle of like-minded local bodies. A ceasefire is not taking sides. It is about saving civilian lives, and breaking the intolerable cycle of violence and  human suffering in Gaza. It is the first important step towards a just solution and a lasting peace for Palestine. PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD As of June 2024, the state of Palestine has been recognised as a sovereign state by 143 of the 193 member states of the UN. On May 10 2024, at the UN general Assembly, NZ voted in favour of a resolution that admitted Palestine as a full member of the UN but has not formally recognised Palestinian statehood which is a necessary prerequisite for New Zealand's longstanding position on a two state solution.

What is this operation? The New Zealand Government has deployed New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel to support the US and UK-led Operation Prosperity Guardian. The Operation was launched in December 2023 after the Houthi Movement in Yemen blockaded access to Israel via the Red Sea and attacked ships heading to or associated with Israel in response to Israel’s war on Gaza and US support for it.[2] The Houthis have said they’ll stop their attacks as soon as Israel agrees to a ceasefire, end its war crimes in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid  to reach the people of Gaza.[3] As the name of the operation suggests, the US, UK, New Zealand and others claim to have launched this operation to protect shipping. Yet this ‘concern’ for maritime law and the ‘free flow of goods’ does not extend to Israel’s illegal sea (air and land) blockade of Gaza that has been going on since 2007. How is New Zealand involved? In January 2024 the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Judith Collins, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, announced that New Zealand was deploying six members of the New Zealand Defence Force to join the US and UK-led operation.[4] At the time the Prime Minister said the deployment would conclude no later than 31 July 2024, even when directly asked if the deployment would be extended. But on 12 July the Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the deployment would be extended till January 2025.[5] Exactly what NZDF personnel are doing is not entirely clear, but the Prime Minister has said they would provide “precision targeting” through gathering intelligence and the Defence Minister said they would assist in targeting Houthi bases that were involved in attacks on vessels.[6] US-led airstrikes targeting Houthis have killed a number of people and wounded many others.[7] Why are we opposed to NZDF involvement? 1. It aligns NZ with US militarism and Israeli war crimes In joining this US and UK-led operation New Zealand is not only involving itself in war in the Middle East, but it is aligning itself with the US and its support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Israel is currently committing genocide on the people of Gaza, and is perpetuating numerous other war crimes across Palestine. Over 38,000 people in Gaza are officially reported to have been killed, over half of them women and children, but experts have suggested the death toll will be significantly higher - estimated at 186,000 or more - taking into account thousands of people buried under the rubble and indirect deaths as a result of the destruction of health, food distribution and other infrastructure. [8] Israel is also blocking adequate humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, including desperately needed medical supplies and food for the population who are currently starving. The US is enabling Israel to continue its bombardment of the trapped population in Gaza by sending billions of dollars in military aid. 2. Israel is violating international law The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to cease its activities and comply with its obligations under international law. The International Criminal Court is considering issuing warrants for arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister for war crimes. Various bodies of the UN, most recently the ICJ’s advisory opinion[8], have declared that Israel is in breach of the most fundamental norms of international law, including operating an apartheid regime in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The ICJ has said all States - that includes NZ - have obligations not to support and to prevent Israel's breaches of international law. 3. NZ Government's actions are hypocritical and risky Despite the fact that Israel is flagrantly breaching international law in the most horrific and inhumane way, our Government is putting its military might into maintaining international law rules that enable commercial shipping, and allege it is the Houthis who are disregarding international law, peace and stability. Rather than contributing to the pursuit of peace in the region, the Government has involved the NZDF in a situation which is at risk of expanding into wider regional conflict in the Middle East. 4. There is no democratic mandate The Government’s actions in deploying the NZDF do not represent the views and values of New Zealanders and the Government has no democratic mandate for this action. New Zealanders are proud of our track record maintaining independent foreign policy and standing up for equality, human rights and justice against the apartheid regime in South Africa.This Government is departing from those traditions and putting New Zealand on the wrong side of history, without giving New Zealanders a say. We don’t want the NZDF to be involved in a deadly military operation in the Middle East that has no end date.  Rather than supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian, New Zealand should be putting all its efforts into ensuring the Israeli Government stops committing war crimes, ends its illegal occupation and apartheid policies imposed on the Palestinian people. References [1] Fran O’Sullivan. “Winston Peters’ Houthi Red Sea move brings NZ and the US closer” NZ Herald. 6 Jan 2024.  [2] US-led coalition warns Houthis of ‘consequences’ after Red Sea attacks. Al Jazeera. 3 January 2024. [3] Who are the Houthis? A simple guide to the Yemeni group. Al Jazeera. 12 January 2024.  [4] New Zealand deploying NZDF team to protect Red Sea shipping, 23 January 2024. [5]  NZDF’s Red Sea deployment extended, 12 July 2024. [6] New Zealand to deploy Defence Force to Red Sea, 23 January 2024. [7] US and UK air strikes hit Yemen, Houthi-run TV reports, 7 June 2024. [8] Gaza toll could exceed 186,000, Lancet study says, 8 July 2024.  [9] ICJ Advisory Opinion - On the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, 19 July 2024.

On Monday, July 8th, Te Herenga Waka students returned to their studies after a short break. That same day marked nine months of Israel’s genocidal campaign that has destroyed the studies, lives, and futures of the students of Gaza. According to research published in the Lancet journal on July 5th, "it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable" to the genocide. In past weeks, Israel continues its relentless attacks on civilians.  As staff and students of Victoria University, we are appalled that since the closing of the 2023 academic year, no student in Gaza has been able to return to class, no lecturer to a lectern, no scientist to a lab. Not one of Gaza’s 12 Universities remains standing. This is scholasticide. Gaza university staff released an open letter on May 29th, 2024, calling upon “friends and colleagues around the world to resist the ongoing campaign of scholasticide in occupied Palestine”. On the same day, students of Gaza urged the students of the world to “raise the pace and ceiling of your struggle and your honourable stances, quantitatively and qualitatively, against the institutions, corporations, and governments that participate in the slaughter of our children, our students, and our people”. As members of the University community, we must respond to these calls for support and justice not only symbolically, but also through collective and institutional actions. It is with these aims in mind that we make the following demands of Victoria University: 1. Divest all funds held by the university and university foundation with ties to Israel Approximately $47,532 of the Victoria University Foundation's $109 million investment portfolio is invested in Israeli government bonds, which helps finance their military campaigns. These investments are made through ANZ Investments, who are exiting the market at the end of August, therefore the Foundation is seeking alternative fund managers in its place. The Foundation must ensure that it has no investments that tie it to the apartheid Israeli government, and companies that support and finance its genocide and illegal occupation. 2. Implement a financial and academic Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) policy The University can take a meaningful stance against Israeli apartheid by boycotting companies that finance Israel’s crimes, as well as ceasing collaboration and partnership with Israeli universities, in line with the recommendations of the BDS movement and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). 3. Establish scholarships and fellowships for Palestinian students and academics The University must offer opportunities for students and staff who have had their studies and careers violently interrupted either by the assault on Gaza or the punishing occupation and escalating settler violence in the West Bank. A fellowship was launched to support Ukrainian academics in 2022; the same should be done for those in Palestine. We, as students, academics, staff and university constituents, want to be part of a University that takes meaningful, material action against settler colonial violence – both in Aotearoa and elsewhere. The demands laid out in this letter are the bare minimum we could be asking of the institution that represents us. We amplify the call of our Palestinian counterparts, and we invite you, the University leaders, to join the collective struggle against settler colonialism, genocide, the denial of Palestinians' futures, and the silencing of their voices. Organisations signed on: • Student Justice for Palestine Pōneke  • Te Aka Tauira—Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association  • Ngāi Tauira—Te Herenga Waka-VUW Māori Students’ Association  • Ngā Rangahautira—Māori Law Students Association VUW • Victoria University of Wellington Feminist Law Society • Peace Action Wellington  • VUW University Workers for Palestine • VUW International Socialists • VUW Climate Action & Resistance • Alternative Jewish Voices • Working Students Wellington • VicMuslims Club—Muslim Students Association • Wellington Community Justice Project • Asylum Seekers Equality Project

As the Israeli military continues its bombardment and siege on the people of Gaza and throughout Palestine, and the US government continues its support by sending weapons and bombs to drop on civilians, the world is being called upon to act. The genocide we have witnessed over the past 9 months is only the most recent escalation of Israel’s decades-long oppression of Palestinians. As of 26 June, 37,708 Palestinians have been killed, at least 5,000 women and 7,800 children. 1.7 million people are internally displaced, and a high risk of famine persists while over 500,000 people face catastrophic levels of food insecurity due to Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza (UNOCHA). The observance of human rights and the condemnation of acts that breach those rights, namely acts of violence and terror against civilians, is an important pillar of our democracy, enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Speaking up has moral and political weight. Failure to call out acts of violence and terror against civilians is not a neutral position. Furthermore, New Zealand is a member of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which requires us to take action to prevent genocide. Having leaders who call out these atrocities and call for action is important and impacts our collective well-being. International law is persuasive and relevant to your decision-making. New Zealand is a member state and is bound by UN resolutions. Numerous resolutions have been passed, the most recent being UN Security Council Resolution 2728, adopted on March 25, 2024, calling for a ceasefire. 145 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise the state of Palestine as a sovereign state. But NZ, together with our brotherhood of English settler-colonial states (Canada, US, Australia and UK), are part of preventing official recognition and Palestinian statehood, and thus, deny the Palestinian people the right to have rights. This must change! New Zealand governments have taken a strong stance on international issues in the past, for example, in opposing apartheid South Africa. We must continue this legacy.  We believe in our individual, collective and national moral responsibility to use our voice and power to stop the genocide. Many local bodies in Aotearoa and internationally are calling on governments to take decisive action. The more voices that join this call, the stronger it becomes.  None of us are free until all of us are free! Justice for Palestine!

It has come to our attention that Massey University is complicit in genocide. The Massey University Foundation has $64 million invested in managed funds, of which a spokesperson has confirmed $7,105 has been invested in Israeli Government Bonds over the last three months. Within those three months, the Israeli government has bombed schools, attacked health infrastructure, fired missiles into refugee camps, and prevented aid from reaching Gaza, weaponising famine and disease against the people of Palestine.  Even prior to your investment, Israel was already engaged in a programme of genocide. As of 6 June 2024, the World Health Organisation reported over 36,000 Palestinians killed— including more than 13,000 children—with more than 10,000 reported missing under rubble and 83,000 injured. Mass graves have been found outside Palestinian hospitals. Even these statistics are being reported as incomplete. These atrocities follow years of dispossession and systematic apartheid inflicted on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel. As of 2022, the people of Gaza already faced “inadequate access to clean water, sporadic electricity provision and [were] without a proper sewage system. Two thirds of the population lived in poverty.” This level of economic and infrastructural destruction at the hands of Israel meant 80% of the population were forced to depend on international aid to survive. Despite UN Resolution 194’s affirmation of Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homeland, more than 6 million Palestinians live today in the diaspora, barred from their ancestral home. This Nakba (Catastrophe) has been ongoing for more than 76 years. Palestinians have been systematically slaughtered and expelled from their lands to make room for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, resulting in a settler-colonial system of oppression “maintained by Israel with the support of the international community.” This is what your investment condones and supports. Massey University, you are complicit in crimes against Gazans, against Palestinians, and against humanity. We, your students, including Palestinian students, pay you to receive an education we wish to be proud of, and you have used that money to help pay for genocide. As academics and university administrators from Gaza have reported after 8 months of incessant bombing, Palestinian civic infrastructure, schools, hospitals, libraries, museums and cultural centres - built by generations of Palestinians - currently lie in ruins. More than 5,479 students, 261 teachers, and 96 university professors have been killed alongside the destruction of all 12 universities in Gaza. Just as you have been cutting courses and jobs across your three campuses for ‘lack of funds,’ you have also been guilty of funding scholasticide in Gaza.   Neither outrage, nor disgust are able to convey the full extent of how we feel.  We make our demands on the back of a string of student activism across Aotearoa. On the 23rd of May, students from all three campuses joined university students across the country in the National Students Rally for Palestine. On the 14th of June, Massey University students at the Pukeahu campus painted over the walls of the Fine Arts block in protest of Massey University’s lack of stance against the prevailing genocide, leaving the following words addressed to staff: “The students have been asking. Disclose. Divest. Declare. Massey has refused to take a stance. And the staff have remained silent. Massey has defined their response as ‘appropriate’. There is nothing appropriate about ignoring the incomprehensible suffering of Palestinians.” We note the hypocrisy of your investment in Israeli Government Bonds as a signatory of both the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which commits to “Zero Hunger” and “Peace, Justice and Strong institutions,” and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, which commits to better aligning investment activities with society’s environmental, social, and corporate governance interests. You have clearly failed to uphold a multitude of obligations: to your students, staff, and alumni, to Gazans and all Palestinians at large, and to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  Are you truly acting as a Te Tiriti-led university as you claim? Aotearoa New Zealand, including its universities, including our university, has a responsibility to protect Indigenous people’s rights to sovereignty and self-determination around the world, under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.This means advocating for Tino Rangatiratanga ki te ao - sovereignty for everybody. Both Palestine and Aotearoa have a shared history of injustice under settler colonialism. You have claimed you uphold Te Tiriti to a “new standard of excellence” in “analysis, practice and implementation initiatives across all areas of the university.” Already, at the national level, via Te Mana Akonga, Māori students across Aotearoa have expressed their complete opposition to the colonial state of Israel’s acts of genocide against tangata taketake in Palestine, unapologetically supporting a vocalised statement from tertiary institutions demanding an immediate and lasting ceasefire. A truly Te Tiriti-led university would join Māori students in recognising that there can be no true justice in Aotearoa without justice for Palestine.  Universities hold a significant platform and a large amount of power in our country. When you have such a platform with which to be heard, what you don’t say matters just as much as what you do. As such, rather than having a “right to remain silent,” we believe an institution responsible for teaching, producing, and sharing knowledge actually has a responsibility to speak up. It is, after all, enshrined in the Education Act 1989 that you be “the critic and conscience of society.” It is past time that institutions like Massey University use their privilege, their platform, and voice to help FREE PALESTINE.