Ilan Noy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
A proposed new airport at Tarras would affect the entire South Island economy. Twelve years on from the Canterbury earthquakes, have the implications of such a project been properly thought through?
Efforts to rein in the social media giant’s power have followed the same script: dialogue, then attempts at self-regulation, then a bitter dispute over legislation, followed by compromise.
‘Antarctic cities’ residents care deeply about the continent, with environmental concerns outweighing economic priorities. Asked about its future, they feel a mix of hope, pessimism and sadness.
The Christchurch gunman’s surprise guilty plea makes him the first person convicted of terrorism in New Zealand. A legal expert explains what will happen next in the sentencing process.
Haji-Daoud Nabi was a lifelong friend, who helped inspire my research in Afghanistan on how violent events shape people’s sense of community. I never thought my work would one day apply at home in NZ.
The US, Russia and China haven’t backed the NZ-led Christchurch Call to crackdown on online extremism. Without them, and key non-western media, the initiative is unlikely to make enough difference.
My assessment is that there are about 150 to 300 core right-wing activists in New Zealand. This might sound modest – but proportionate to population, it’s similar to extremist numbers in Germany.
In the wake of last year’s Christchurch mosque attacks, New Zealand’s intelligence agencies must become more transparent in their reporting on the risk of right-wing terrorism.
To understand the threat better, we need to devote more resources to monitoring and tracking far-right forums and social networks and a national database tracking hate crimes.
New Zealand’s terrorism law has never been prosecuted successfully since it was enacted nearly 20 years ago. So, why are prosecutors bringing a terrorism charge against the Christchurch shooter?
The language of the neutral and secular state in Bill 21, like its precursors, presumes an invisible Christian default for the rules around public expressions of religiosity.
At a time when we could expect anger, vengeance and resentment to take hold in a community so demolished by violence, Professor Mohamad Abdalla visited victims and found compassion and forgiveness.