Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Culture and Arts – SCREENRIGHTS ANNOUNCES $300K CULTURAL FUNDING INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR TWO AOTEAROA PROJECTS

Source: Screenrights

Screenrights has announced six projects will be supported by the 2025 round of its annual Cultural Fund, with a total $299,750 in funding for this year’s focus of Creative Intelligence. Among them are two Aotearoa New Zealand initiatives: Jack Media’s Te Piringa: A Programme for Indigenous Wellbeing in Screen Storytelling and Script to Screen’s Script Development Workshops for Deaf, Disabled and Neuro Diverse creatives. Each will receive $50,000, alongside four Australian projects also selected for funding this year.

GARUWA will run ‘Ngaluwi: Documentary Storytelling Incubator’, a 12-month initiative designed to support First Nations documentary practitioners and teams, with a grant of $49,750. Milk Crate Theatre’s ‘MCT ScreenLab: Unearthing New Voices for the Screen’ will receive $50,000 for their 20-week program providing accessible, professional screen-based training for individuals with diverse lived experiences, including those experiencing homelessness, disability, and mental health challenges. And Aotearoa New Zealand’s Jack Media will receive $50,000 for ‘Te Piringa: A Programme for Indigenous Wellbeing in Screen Storytelling’, a six-month Indigenous-led pilot program designed to support the health and wellbeing of Māori and Indigenous screen practitioners, both on-screen participants and crew.

A ‘Residency+ Producing Skills Program’ aims to develop culturally diverse and First Nations screen producers through a three-phase capacity building initiative from Cinespace supported by a $50,000 grant. ‘AI for Women in Screen’ will see Jessie Hughes deliver masterclasses designed to upskill women screen practitioners in AI* tools, enabling them to lead creative teams through technological transformation in the screen industry, with $50,000 in funding from the Screenrights Cultural Fund. And Aotearoa New Zealand’s Te Tari Tuhi Kupu A Whakaahua Script to Screen will receive $50,000 for their ‘Script Development Workshops for Deaf, Disabled and Neuro Diverse creatives’ program designed to upskill Deaf, Disabled, and Neuro Diverse (DDN) creatives in innovative screen storytelling.

“We were once again so impressed with the calibre of applications and the breadth of the potential positive impact for the screen sectors in both Aotearoa-NZ and Australia,” says Screenrights Board Director and Cultural Fund Working Group Chair Rachel Antony. “My thanks, too, to our panel of external assessors for their thoughtful consideration and recommendations of this final six.”

The Screenrights Cultural Fund makes a difference by supporting people with exciting and innovative new initiatives that foster the creation and appreciation of screen content in Australia and New Zealand. Including this year’s funding round, the Cultural Fund has now provided almost $2 million in funding for projects since it was launched in 2018. Applications were assessed by a panel of professionals with both local and international expertise in screen, media and education.

*Screenrights recognises the benefits that generative AI can offer the screen industry, while advocating for the legal use of copyright materials through licensing. Upholding copyright is vital for maintaining a viable creative sector that can contribute to and benefit from the use of generative AI. Further information about our position can be found here.

https://www.screenrights.org/cultural-fund

ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS

Ngaluwi: Documentary Storytelling Incubator
Activity: A 12-month initiative by GARUWA, a First Nations-owned and led production enterprise, Ngaluwi is designed to support First Nations documentary practitioners. The program offers tailored mentorship and strategic guidance for projects at various stages (development, production, or impact design), prioritising cultural safety, creative sovereignty, and First Nations values. It aims to support and amplify First Nations storytellers making positive social, environmental and political change. The incubator will select three First Nations-led documentary projects via a national call-out, providing up to nine hours of bespoke support per team from a network of producers and impact experts. This initiative seeks to build a replicable model for a sustainable and culturally safe ecosystem for First Nations impact storytelling.
Location: online across Australia
Amount Funded: $49,750
Recipient Quote: “With Ngaluwi, we’re creating a space where First Nations storytellers can be supported in ways that honour cultural integrity and our responsibilities to future generations. GARUWA is deeply committed to nurturing this next wave of documentary filmmakers, and Screenrights’ support allows us to build an incubator that meets projects where they are, strengthening an ecosystem where First Nations voices lead the way in shaping stories of justice, healing and change.” – Genevieve Grieves, Worimi, Co-founder & Creative Director, GARUWA

MCT ScreenLab: Unearthing New Voices for the Screen
Activity: The MCT ScreenLab aims to provide accessible, professional screen-based training for individuals with diverse lived experiences, including those experiencing homelessness, disability, and mental health challenges. This 20-week program expands Milk Crate Theatre's Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) practice into film and digital storytelling. It includes intensive learning led by professional screen artists covering story development, concept planning, production, post-production, and funding, followed by a hands-on creative production phase where participants create original screen content. Delivered in accessible community spaces in the City of Sydney, the initiative seeks to unearth new talent, champion diverse narratives, and build pathways into the screen sector for underrepresented voices in Australia.
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Amount Funded: $50,000
Recipient Quote: “Milk Crate Theatre is delighted to receive the support of Screenrights Cultural Fund to bring our ScreenLab project to life. We can’t wait to bring an amazing range of new and diverse stories and talent from our community to new audiences through screen.” – Jodie Wainwright, CEO, Milk Crate Theatre
Te Piringa: A Programme for Indigenous Wellbeing in Screen Storytelling
Activity: A six-month Indigenous-led pilot program designed to support the health and wellbeing of Māori and Indigenous screen practitioners, both on-screen participants and crew. The program addresses the emotional labour, cultural responsibility, and potential for retraumatisation involved in Indigenous storytelling, especially concerning topics of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. Te Piringa will offer culturally grounded wānanga (gatherings), therapeutic and peer support, and trauma-informed practices. It will also develop Indigenous-led resources such as mana-enhancing talent agreements, guidelines for working with sensitive material, and trauma-led protocols for interviewing, consent, and participant aftercare. These tools aim to embed Indigenous wellbeing and safety into the screen sector, serving as a template for other Indigenous cultures and minority groups. The pilot will directly support 10-15 participants through three regional wānanga and an online resource hub, with an evaluation to inform future scalability and systemic change within the screen industry.
Location: regional areas and online across New Zealand
Amount Funded: $50,000
Recipient Quote: “I’m incredibly grateful to receive this funding to bring Te Piringa to life. This kaupapa has the potential to become a significant cultural resource for Indigenous storytellers and creatives, one that uplifts our people, honours our ways of healing, and embeds care at the heart of how we work. It’s a step toward a safer, stronger future for our industry.” – Nicola Smith, Jack Media
Residency+ Producing Skills Program
Activity: The Residency+ Producing Skills Program is a capacity-building initiative designed to develop culturally diverse and First Nations screen producers. It focuses on strategic planning, pitching, market access, and business development, addressing identified gaps in project development, financing, marketing, and distribution skills among emerging creatives. The program, based in Footscray, Victoria, will run in three phases in 2026: Packaging & Pitching; Production Management; and Marketing & Distribution. It aims to foster diverse leadership, create sustainable pathways for underrepresented creatives, and ensure their projects are strategically positioned within the Australian screen industry.
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Amount Funded: $50,000
Recipient Quote: “This program will build the capacity of culturally diverse producers and creatives to lead their own projects and careers. By investing in skills like development, packaging, and distribution, and teaching adaptability and resilience in a fast changing industry, we’re not only increasing the visibility of underrepresented voices—we’re creating lasting pathways for our community to thrive in the screen industry.” – Steve RE Pereira, President, Cinespace Inc.
AI for Women in Screen
Activity: A generative AI Masterclass designed to upskill women screen practitioners in AI tools, enabling them to lead creative teams through technological transformation in the screen industry. Delivered in partnership with Screen Producers Australia, the program employs a “train the trainer” model, providing participants with hands-on experience in creating AI-enhanced visual treatments and equipping them to deliver similar workshops to others across Australia. The program will be offered as a 2-day in-person Masterclass in Sydney for 30 selected women and a 1-day online Masterclass for 50+ national participants. Led by Jessie Hughes, an awarded creative technologist and screenwriter, the initiative aims to increase women's visibility and value in the industry by adding graduates to a national database of hireable AI-literate screen practitioners, addressing the underrepresentation of women in AI fields. The project is designed for scalability and long-term impact through continued resource sharing and future program iterations.
Location: Sydney, NSW and online across Australia
Amount Funded: $50,000
Recipient Quote: “This initiative is about giving Australian women leaders a crucial headstart in shaping the future of our industry. As we navigate a profound technological shift, I am committed to seeing women lead the charge in our screen industry's adoption of AI. I’ve seen the transformative power of this approach firsthand; creators from a previous Forbes-featured program have gone on to attain university lectureships and step into senior screen roles. The success of these women is a testament to what happens when we intentionally create opportunities for creatives who previously weren't made to feel like tech was a space for them. This is about more than upskilling; it’s about shifting power, expanding opportunity, and shaping the future of the Australian screen sector with diverse creative intelligence.” Jessie Hughes
Script Development Workshops for Deaf, Disabled and Neuro Diverse creatives
Activity: A programme designed to upskill Deaf, Disabled, and Neuro Diverse (DDN) creatives in innovative screen storytelling. Co-created with DDN artists and organisations, the programme supports participants in utilising their unique perspectives in story development, aiming to break down barriers for their progression in the New Zealand screen sector. The programme will feature script development workshops for emerging DDN creatives held in various centres across NZ. These workshops will cover fundamentals of screen storytelling, including character development, conflict creation, scripting, dialogue writing, and genre exploration, and are open to those developing short films, TV, digital series, and feature films (excluding documentaries). A key objective is to reduce barriers to progression, with a final online pitch session, for those participants who want to, to invited New Zealand screen industry decision-makers. As Script to Screen alumni, participants also receive ongoing support through the STS awhi programme as well support to attend STS events likes Big Screen Symposium.
Location: Various centres (tbc) across New Zealand
Amount Funded: $50,000
Recipient Quote: “NZ’s leading screen sector professional development organisation, Te Tari Tuhi Kupu a Whakaahua Script to Screen, is proud to be piloting a new community programme of Script Development Workshops.
This bespoke programme of workshops will upskill Deaf, Disabled and Neuro Diverse (DDN) creatives in Aotearoa, NZ, to create innovative and compelling screen stories for TV, Film and online platforms. This programme places creatives unique perspectives at the heart of their story development, helping them to create and develop authentic work that resonates with audiences. These workshops have been designed to support this underserved and underrepresented group of creative talent, helping to uplift them and their stories, and creating pathways for progression in the screen sector in Aotearoa, NZ. Script to Screen looks forward to working with the community on the final planning and design of the programme before inviting applications from participants. A huge mihi (thanks) to the Screenrights Cultural Fund for supporting this important work, we can’t wait to get started.” – Dale Corlett, Tumu Whakarae Executive Director, Script to Screen
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New Business Investor Visa to boost investment and support business succession – BusinessNZ

Source: BusinessNZ

A new Business Investor Visa will encourage more foreign direct investment and give New Zealand business owners greater succession options, says BusinessNZ Chief Executive Katherine Rich.
“This is a positive step in the Government’s programme to support foreign investment and attract international expertise, and will help ensure greater business continuity, giving owners more choices for succession planning.”
Mrs Rich welcomed the shift away from the previous entrepreneur visa model. “It’s good to see the criteria focused on the skills and experience of the individual, without the overly prescriptive business plan requirements that were in place under the old system.
“Attracting global business skills and expertise will deliver real benefits to our economy and our communities,” Mrs Rich said.
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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Science – Unveiling Cascade: A $35 Million Leap Towards New Zealand’s Technological Future – Earth Sciences

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

New Zealand’s newest and largest supercomputer has produced its first weather forecast.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Shane Reti was there to celebrate the milestone and to help deliver this first weather forecast at Earth Sciences New Zealand’s office in Auckland.
He says the $35 million investment into Cascade, and its data archive Rapids, signifies a huge investment in New Zealand’s future.
“The Government’s science reforms are about turning world-class research into economic value and resilience faster. With Earth Sciences New Zealand bringing together NIWA and GNS Science, we’ve unified capability across hazards, climate, oceans and the solid Earth. As we integrate MetService, New Zealanders will see more accurate, timely, impact-focused warnings. Investments like Cascade show how advanced technologies – including AI today and quantum tomorrow – grow productivity, lower costs, and keep people safe,” he says.
Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA) Transition Chief Executive John Morgan says Cascade is three times more powerful than its supercomputing predecessor, capable of computing speeds of 2.4 petaflops. It would take a human the equivalent of 32 million years to do a similar calculation.
“This represents significant advancements in our science capabilities. Not only can it provide earlier and more frequent forecasts, but it also supports simulations of oceanographic systems, freshwater dynamics, and seismic activity – helping us to model natural hazards, including floods, earthquakes, and droughts. This will be critical for mitigating the impacts of severe events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.
“It can also assess climate change impact, helping us understand our weather under long-term environmental shifts. This level of detail will be crucial. If we can look ahead a few months and say with confidence how the coming season will shape up, we will be able to better plan and protect our people and infrastructure,” said Mr Morgan.
In initial testing, Cascade performed better than expected, including in its energy efficiency. CDC’s datacentre, where the supercomputer is housed, gets its electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources, and its liquid cooling system minimises water use significantly by being a fully closed loop. This ensures the computer’s environmental footprint is as small as possible.
Crown-funded access to Cascade and Rapids mean New Zealand’s entire science sector will benefit from the new supercomputing capability.
“This machine is incredibly impressive, it takes New Zealand’s supercomputing infrastructure to a new level,” says Mr Morgan.
Cascade has been built by Earth Sciences New Zealand’s supercomputing team and vendors Xenon, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, CDC, and it builds on the technology platforms from VAST Data, Versity Software, Spectra Logic, and Altair.
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University Research – Scientists find new cause of high blood pressure – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland have discovered a previously unknown cause of high blood pressure.

Researchers at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland have discovered that a small organ, linked to the brain, contributes to high blood pressure, which is expected to improve treatment in the future.

The carotid body in the neck responds to low oxygen by making people breathe harder by stimulating the brain’s ‘fight or flight’ response.  

Using a rat model, the scientists found that the ‘carotid body’ responds to high blood pressure by activating the sympathetic nervous system, similar to a ‘fight or flight’ response. Authors suggest that this may explain why some patients remain at high risk of cardiac events – heart attack and stroke – even when elevated blood pressure is brought down.

See Circulation Research. 

“This is significant because we know that, for a lot of people, lowering their blood pressure doesn’t necessarily reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke,” says Dr Audrys Pauza, lead researcher.  

“That means current medications are not working for all patients and could be treating the wrong culprit.” 

Pauza likens it to trying to slow a speeding car by applying the brake (lowering blood pressure) but not reducing pressure on the accelerator (the carotid body). 

There are currently two medications that reduce activity in the human carotid body, which could be candidates for reducing people’s risk of heart attacks and strokes. But first, scientists need to confirm humans respond in the same way as the rats in this study. 

Professor Julian Paton, director of the University’s Manaaki Manawa, Centre for Heart Research, has already found in earlier studies that the activity of the carotid body is stimulated by the same mechanism in both rats and humans, meaning scientists are hopeful this discovery could help human patients in the future. 

“We have found that the carotid body doesn’t just detect low oxygen and promote breathing, it actively causes high blood pressure,” Paton says. “If we can successfully target the carotid body, we may have a lot more success in both bringing blood pressure down and preventing heart attacks and strokes.” 
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Government must front up on plans for Ministries – PSA

Source: PSA

Women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and disabled people fought hard for a voice in government decision-making; their Ministries must not be taken away by a government struggling with a fiscal hole of its own making, says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons.
“From the Ministry of Women, in 1984, through to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, in 2022, each of these Ministries has only been established following a long fight by their respective communities for a voice in government.
“These standalone Ministries provide vital free and frank advice to the Government on the impact policies have on groups that can, otherwise, be overlooked.
“It is not good enough for the Government to avoid questions on its plans for these Ministries and try to hide behind the Public Service Commissioner. It is well-known that ACT wants to close them down. David Seymour even said he would like to see the Ministry for Pacific Peoples blown up.
“Along with its gutting of pay equity and clamp-down on the use of te reo Māori in the public sphere, this move is part of this Government's attacks on under-represented New Zealanders. The hardworking staff of these Ministries deserve better than to be used as part of the Government's culture wars.
“These Ministries cost less than 0.1% of the Government's annual budget. That's a tiny fraction of the money this Government has wasted on tax cuts for landlords and the ferry fiasco. The voice of under-represented New Zealanders should not be cut off because the Government is in a fiscal hole of its own making,” says Fitzsimons.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
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NZ economy: Differences & Challenges – BusinessNZ

Source: BusinessNZ

The BusinessNZ Planning Forecast for the September quarter reports on a divide in the NZ economy, with growth in the rural and regional economy, but a downswing in some large urban sectors including Auckland and Wellington.
BusinessNZ Chief Economist John Pask says the divide is reflected in a range of economic indicators including export sales, employment growth, unemployment rates, house price movements, construction activity and broader business and consumer activity.
Overall, however, international factors continue to influence all aspects of the economy.
“At the international level, the economic outlook remains challenging, although financial markets are becoming so used to pricing in upheavals and geopolitical risk that they are taking those challenges in their stride,” Mr Pask said.
“But for NZ, the challenges remain, and are resulting in low levels of demand and unwillingness to invest.
There are no quick fixes for any of these symptoms, however a good starting point would be to get more certainty in the business environment, and for NZ’s main political parties to reach a greater level of agreement on the issues affecting investment – particularly in much-needed infrastructure – rather than promising to cancel previous decisions whether they are sound or not.”
The BusinessNZ Economic Conditions Index, a measure of NZ’s major economic indicators) sits at 3 for the September 2025 quarter, an improvement of 2 on the previous quarter, and the same as a year ago. (An ECI reading above 0 indicates economic conditions are generally improving; below 0 that economic conditions are generally declining.)
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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Greenpeace – Power company ‘vampires’ bleed households dry to fund 1.4 billion dollar shareholder payout

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace is labelling the big four power companies ‘vampires’, for an expected record payout of $1.4 billion to their shareholders. Mercury, Contact and Genesis have already announced an increase to their shareholder payouts in their annual results. The final gentailer, Meridian, is expected to confirm its increased shareholder payouts today and bring the total to $1.4 bn.
Stats NZ confirmed electricity prices jumped 4.9% in the June quarter, the steepest rise in over a decade, with prices increasing 10.4% in the year ended June. Consumer NZ found 20% of people have had difficulty paying their power bill in the past year – up from 18% last year.
“Families and businesses are being slammed by record high power bills, all so that the big four power companies can siphon off an expected $1.4 billion for their shareholders,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Gen Toop
“This is corporate blood-sucking at its most brutal”.
“Instead of re-investing their revenue into building more clean, cheap renewables that would bring power bills down, these corporate vampires are bleeding households and the economy dry to fund their record shareholder payout. And the Government is just letting them do it.”
This year Contact Energy increased its total payout to $384 million, Mercury paid $202 million despite its profits collapsing to just $1m, and Genesis Energy handed out $157 million, even as it hiked household bills by 7.6% and corporate bills by 10.6%.
Meridian is expected to maintain record payouts after funnelling $462 million to shareholders last year. In 2024, the four firms paid out just over $1.3b in divid

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Consumer NZ – Rising cost of insurance prompts call for action on affordability and climate risks

Source: Consumer NZ

Consumer NZ releases a sobering report that highlights how house insurance is becoming increasingly out of reach for New Zealanders.

Consumer NZ’s report reveals that house insurance costs have risen by a staggering 916% since 2000, according to Stats NZ. Consumer calls for urgent action to prevent insurance becoming inaccessible for New Zealanders.

The consumer watchdog is calling on central government to take the lead and work with local government and insurers on a national solution to ensure insurance remains available and affordable. Consumer wants to see the development of a climate adaptation framework, increased oversight of the insurance industry and increased consumer protections.

“Insurance is getting harder to access and the need for it will only grow,” says Rebecca Styles, Consumer investigative team leader and author of the report ‘Will you be able to get home Insurance by 2035?’

“If we don’t act now, it’s entirely possible that many New Zealanders won’t be able to get insurance at all by 2035,” says Styles.

A crisis of cost and access

Among those without cover, more have cancelled or not renewed their house insurance because of cost. Up from 7% in 2022 to 17% in 2025.

“Insurance now ranks as one of New Zealanders’ top four financial concerns, behind housing, food and household debt,” says Styles.  

“Our research shows people are dropping cover or being priced out entirely, and this will only get worse without serious intervention.”

The report includes major concerns with how the market is working, noting:  

low trust in insurers, with dissatisfaction in claims handling and poor communication

a lack of transparency in risk-based pricing, leaving homeowners unclear about what they're paying for

limited ability to shop around, especially in high-risk areas where quotes are hard to get

insurers' profits rebounding, with trans-Tasman companies appearing to be charging New Zealanders more than Australians for equivalent cover.

Consumer is calling for action on five fronts

1. An effective government-led national climate adaptation framework

This framework should identify homes at risk and outline mitigation or retreat options. Nearly three-quarters of New Zealanders agree such a plan is urgently needed.

2. Greater oversight of the insurance industry

The FMA should investigate whether risk-based insurance pricing is being applied fairly.

The Commerce Commission should carry out a market study into competition and consumer choice in the house insurance sector.

3. Improved transparency and claims standards

Insurers should clearly show how risk affects pricing and explain policy and price changes when policies are renewed.

There should be set time frames for settling claims, with consequences for unreasonable delays.

4. Stronger consumer tools and innovation

Improve access to online quotes, comparison tools and risk data for homeowners.

Insurers should incentivise resilience, for example, by rewarding homeowners who take steps to reduce flood risks around their homes.

5. A stronger national safety net

The government should ensure the Natural Hazards Commission is future fit to serve communities facing the challenges of climate change.

“If insurance becomes a luxury only available to a privileged few, the impacts on communities, our economy and society will be severe. We need a plan, and we need to start implementing that plan now.”

The Brian Gaynor Initiatives – Business Writing and Journalism Excellence Award made it possible for Consumer’s investigative team leader Rebecca Styles to pursue this topic.

Read the Full Report: https://consumernz.cmail20.com/t/i-l-firudkl-ijjdkdttjk-j/

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

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Advocacy – New Zealand challenged to vote for Israel’s suspension in United Nations – PSNA

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

 

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is challenging the New Zealand government to support the move by Türkiye to vote to suspend Israeli membership of the United Nations.

 

Türkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has told the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh that Israel should be suspended from the crucial meeting of the General Assembly next month, for its ‘genocidal aggression.’

 

PSNA Co-chair, John Minto, says New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters will have to take a stand on this issue.

 

“Cabinet should give him clear instructions to vote against Israeli war crimes and support Palestinian rights.”

 

“Suspension of Israel will have a lot of backing from many countries horrified with the starvation and carnage in Gaza, and they want to do something effective, instead of just recognising Palestine as a state.

 

“Even if the US vetoes such a move in the Security Council, there is a precedent going back to 1974 when South Africa was suspended from the General Assembly because it practiced apartheid.  The General Assembly suspended a member then, and New Zealand should back such a move now.”

 

Minto says Israel’s original condition in 1948 for joining the UN was that it allowed the 750,000 Palestinians it had expelled from Palestine to create Israel to return home.

 

“Israel won’t even talk about its obligations to let Palestinians return, and certainly never had any intention of allowing them to go home.  Israel should pay a price for that, along with punishment for its genocide.”

 

Minto says the escalation of the Israeli assault on Gaza calls for immediate international action and not even wait until the General Assembly debate last next month.

 

“The Israeli ambassador in Wellington should be told to leave right now, because his government is openly committing war crimes.”

 

“We’ve just seen a famine declared in Gaza City.  Aid is totally insufficient and deliberately so.”

 

“Israel has called up its military reservists for the major assault it’s conducting on Gaza City to drive nearly a million of its inhabitants out.  Israel’s latest dumping ground of choice is South Sudan, even though its government says it doesn’t want to have expelled Palestinians turn up there.”

 

“And we’ve just had the news that Israel has once again killed journalists, who work for international news agencies, such as Reuters, Al Jazeera and NBC.”

 

“Netanyahu says it was a mistake.  Who believes that?”

 

John Minto

Co-Chair PSNA

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Indonesia: Caning of gay men an act of cruelty – Amnesty International

Source: Amnesty International

Responding to today’s caning of two men in the city of Banda Aceh for having consensual same-sex sexual relations, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer said:

“This public flogging of two young men under Aceh’s Islamic Criminal Code for consensual sex is a disturbing act of state-sanctioned discrimination and cruelty. This punishment is a horrifying reminder of the institutionalized stigma and abuse faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Aceh.  

“Intimate relationships between consenting adults should never be criminalized. Punishments such as flogging are cruel, inhuman and degrading and may amount to torture under international law.

“We call on the Acehnese and Indonesian central government authorities to immediately halt these degrading practices and repeal all discriminatory bylaws that permit such violations. Aceh’s regional autonomy must not come at the expense of human rights.

“Indonesia, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council and a state party to the Convention Against Torture, must align its laws – including in Aceh – with its constitutional commitments to equality and non-discrimination. The criminalization of same-sex conduct and corporal punishment has no place in a just and humane society.”

Background

On 26 August, two men, aged 20 and 21, were publicly flogged 76 times each in the city of Banda Aceh for having consensual same-sex relations.  

The panel of judges at the Banda Aceh Sharia Court earlier found them guilty of violating the Islamic Criminal Code, which forbids consensual same-sex acts.

They were arrested after allegedly engaging in sexual activity in a public restroom at the Taman Sari Park on 16 June.

The defendants, identified as QH and RA, remained in custody during the judicial proceedings, which were held behind closed doors.

Citizen’s arrests are common in Aceh due to the implementation of Sharia law, which allows residents to turn people over to the Sharia police for investigation. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that criminalizes consensual same-sex acts due to the special autonomy status that has allowed it to apply the Islamic Criminal Code since 2015.

Sharia bylaws have been in force in Aceh since the enactment of the province’s Special Autonomy Law in 2001 and are enforced by Islamic courts.

These laws in some cases provide for up to 200 lashes as punishment for offences including consensual intimacy or sexual activity for unmarried couples, consensual sex outside marriage, same-sex sexual relations, the consumption and sale of alcohol and gambling.

In February, two university students were flogged for having consensual same-sex relations in Banda Aceh.

Under international human rights law all forms of corporal punishment are prohibited as they constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and can amount to torture. The UN Human Rights Committee and other expert human rights bodies have raised concerns about laws criminalising ‘adultery’ or other consensual sexual relations outside marriage because they violate the right to privacy.