The proposed law raising concerns about fearmongering
Yesterday a bill to change how we treat large groups of asylum seekers passed its first reading. We've never had a refugee boat reach the country. Some are asking why this bill is being proposed now
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Thursday, March 30, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: second Auckland harbour crossing to be fast-tracked; Nash calls Luxon a smiling assassin; the nationwide recycling and food scraps strategy has launched; but first, a new bill proposes longer detention time and electronic monitoring for large groups of asylum seekers
Sri Lankan asylum seekers plead for assistance as they seek asylum to New Zealand in 2011 (Photo: Yuli Seperi/Getty Images)
What is the Immigration (Mass Arrivals) Amendment Bill?
I have to confess that when a note about the Immigration (Mass Arrivals) Amendment Bill floated past me the other day, I didn’t pay a lot of attention. I then heard a snippet of news about the possibility of electronically tagging asylum seekers and put two and two together. As Stuff’s Glenn McConnell reports, the bill, which passed its first reading yesterday, would change how the courts and Immigration NZ officers act if a boat with more than 30 asylum seekers aboard reaches New Zealand shores. That number of asylum seekers is the definition of a “mass arrival”.
Immigration minister denies he trying to make it easier to detain asylum seekers
Charlotte Graham-McLay has a very good write up for The Guardian on the changes, the opposition to what is being proposed and reaction from Aliya Danzeisen, the national coordinator of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand, to what she described as “quite xenophobic” remarks during the debate in the house yesterday. Graham-McLay rightly points out we have never had a refugee boat reach the country. That fact and the proposed changes have prompted Green MP Golriz Ghahraman to suggest “the humanity and the rights of asylum seekers” is being turned into an election year issue adding it didn’t seem to be a “bread and butter” issue. Immigration minister Michael Wood has said there is a low likelihood of a “mass arrival” event here and is framing the legislation and the extended detention period as practical preparation.
Proposals include imprisoning asylum seekers
The proposed changes include an allowance to detain asylum seekers in prison for as long as it takes for officials and the courts to process their application for asylum. No asylum seekers have been held in custody in New Zealand for three years and a report commissioned by the government from Victoria Casey KC in 2021 was critical of the practice. Immigration NZ accepted Casey’s recommendations. Wood has said that if a boat arrived carrying hundreds of people, the current time frames would be impractical and there wouldn’t be legal resource to help everyone seeking asylum, hence the need to detain or electronically monitor them. Amnesty International says that if the government is worried that the current system cannot cope, “the solution is to equip its border and legal systems with the resources they need to ensure that all people are treated fairly and in a way that upholds human rights.”
Electronic monitoring of asylum seekers in the UK described as “psychological torture”
The monitoring proposals include electronically tagging asylum seekers so, as Wood put it, they were only detained in prisons when absolutely necessary. The United Kingdom launched a pilot scheme to electronically tag some asylum seekers arriving in small boats from France or in the back of trucks last year. A report released last October described the practice there as “psychological torture”. Wood says the “proposed changes demonstrate the government's commitment to upholding human rights and the rule of law" and it would only use detention and community management for people believed to pose a risk, including that they may abscond.
Your Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year finalists are here
The term Local Hero is something reserved only for the very best of us. Epitomising what it means to make a significant change in people's lives by being bold, challenging the status quo, and putting in the hard mahi – local heroes ensure people from all walks of life get the opportunity to thrive.
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Meet your three finalists on The Spinoff now (sponsored)
Second Auckland harbour crossing to be fast-tracked
A couple of days ago, BusinessDesk’s Oliver Lewis wrote (paywalled) that if previous scoping exercises are anything to go by, the second Auckland harbour crossing will be a tunnel. That’s also what the NZ Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports is likely this morning with the news that prime minister Chris Hipkins and minister for transport Michael Wood will today announce that work on the second harbour bridge crossing will be fast-tracked and begin during this decade. Coughlan writes Hipkins will also announce the five options for the new crossing and the way they will link up with the government’s other key Auckland infrastructure project: Auckland light rail.
Stuart Nash calls out Christopher Luxon on insistence he resign now
Stuart Nash will decide on his political future within the week but he is considering resigning at the next election. National party leader Christopher Luxon held firm on his calls for Nash to resign immediately saying a byelection would be a consequence of Nash's actions. In response Nash said Luxon was focusing on “gotcha politics” and that “Chris is one of these guys who smiles to your face but stabs you in the back.” Prime minister Chris Hipkins announced a review into correspondence between Nash and donors yesterday and admitted the office of his predecessor knew about the leaked email that prompted Nash’s downfall in 2021.
A message from Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman
You're reading this because you value the work The Spinoff does in telling the stories of our people in our voices. As we head further into an already eventful 2023, we have a big job ahead of us. Covering the stories that matter to you is no small job. We’re a fiercely independent media company in Aotearoa but that also means we’re small and I think sometimes people forget how small our team is. I'm asking you to consider deepening your commitment to The Spinoff and the work we do by becoming a Spinoff Member. If you’re already a member, thank you for your support and advocacy - it's what keeps us going.
Nationwide recycling and food scraps strategy
I am a real Oscar the Grouch on rubbish news. I love spending time in the trash can of information about recycling and litter. Yesterday was a banner day with an announcement that will affect every single household in the country and the planet we call home. The long-awaited and nationwide recycling and food scraps strategy was unveiled. RNZ has a good breakdown on what was announced. The initiative is aimed at having a standardised recycling service across the country by 2027 and food scraps collection by 2030. On The Spinoff, Tommy de Silva got amongst the trash too by looking at the country’s latest litter audit. Fascinating and depressing findings that truly call into question our clean, green reputation.
Click and collect
Deep ocean currents at Antarctica that circulate a crucial part of the food chain are set to significantly weaken
Nuanced handling of a fact check on Marama Davidson’s comments about “cis white men” by Katie Kenny at Stuff
Law professor unimpressed about very short public consultation period on Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill
Fiji scraps “draconian” media law
You might have seen the images of rubbish piling up in Paris after refuse collectors went on strike as part of the protests against retirement age changes. Parisians can now breathe easier with the strike called off and rubbish collected.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
Usually I ask you to share The Bulletin in this spot but today I’m asking if you’d share something I’ve written on The Spinoff this morning that explains what The Bulletin is and why The Spinoff decided to create a kind of newspaper frontpage using email. If you’ve ever wanted to recommend The Bulletin to people but thought we needed to explain it better, this is for you. Bonus content: the piece features a picture of a former Bulletin editor at our fifth birthday event for Spinoff members last week.
Mad Chapman on naively thinking that trans people having the right to exist and the right to protest was something we could all agree on. Duncan Greive goes behind the scenes of the $4m "white saviour" recruitment ads for Corrections officers. Toby Manhire looks at why Winston Peters spoke up for his old mate Stuart Nash yesterday. Stewart Sowman-Lund presents a brief history of Stuart Nash failing to hold his tongue. Shanti Mathias explains why you keep hearing about possible TikTok bans.
Sporting snippets
World Netball fines Netball Jamaica after last year's Silver Ferns series turned into a farce
Former New Zealand Rugby CEO fears for the game’s future as player exodus continues
Black Ferns assistant coach leaves job after seven years after he missed out on top job
Will the Ozempic era change how we think about being fat and being thin?
Jia Tolentino is all time favourite of mine and she’s written a brilliant essay for the New Yorker on the popular, growing class of drugs for obesity and diabetes (like Ozempic) and whether they could, in an ideal world, help us see that metabolism and appetite are biological facts, not moral choices. New Zealand’s medical regulatory body Medsafe gave consent for Ozempic to be prescribed in New Zealand recently.
