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SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Kahui case: $25,000 reward offered by registered charity Family First NZ for information that leads to a conviction

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TVNZ One News Story: Kahui case: 25k reward offered. Family First [a registered charity. Reg. no. CC 10094] is offering a $25,000 reward for any new information that leads to a conviction in the case of the Kahui twins’ deaths.

Coroner Garry Evans says he is satisfied that the traumatic brain injuries suffered by three-month-old boys Chris and Cru Kahui were incurred during the afternoon-evening of June 12, 2006, while they were in the “sole custody, care and control of their father” Chris Kahui at the Mangere house where they lived.

Chris Kahui was acquitted of the twins’ murders in 2008.

The National Director of Family First Bob McCoskrie said it is hoped the reward will be enough incentive for somebody to break their silence.

McCoskrie said somebody must know what happened.

“This should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet,” he said.

“New Zealanders want answers to this case – who killed the twins, why did the prosecution fail, and what were the contributing factors to these murders that need to be tackled to avoid similar cases in the future?”

He said a reward will be a small price to pay for justice to be served for Chris and Cru.

Kahui’s defence claimed that the twins’ mother Macsyna King was responsible for the deaths, but she denied this at his trial and at the coroner’s inquest last year.

Evans said in his report released today that the allegation that King was responsible for the infliction of the twins’ fatal injuries “lies unsupported by the evidence and is without substance in fact”.

Police consider evidence

The coroner also said in his report that the evidence given by Chris Kahui was “unreliable, conflicting and, on many occasions, untrue”.

But Kahui today rejected outright the findings of the Coroner’s Court and again denied any involvement in his sons’ deaths.

Police said they are still considering the evidence heard during the coroner’s inquest and will not be making further comment until that analysis is completed.

“The death of the Kahui twins is yet another tragic reminder of the need for everyone in our communities to play their part in ensuring the safety and welfare of our young and vulnerable people” said Superintendent John Tims.

Police said today they thoroughly investigated the deaths of the Kahui twins and put all available evidence before the court for examination and judgement.

Family members initially refused to co-operate with police in their homicide investigation into the twins’ deaths.

Source: TVNZ  One News Story: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/kahui-case-25k-reward-offered-4985743

See Family First NZ Offer (first made in 2010).

http://familyfirst.org.nz/2012/07/kahui-case-25k-reward-offered/

http://familyfirst.org.nz/issues/kahui-case-reward/

Lobbyists with free access to Parliament – Revealed

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Members of one of New Zealand’s most exclusive clubs have finally been revealed – the 15 members of the public with access cards to Parliament have been named by Speaker Lockwood Smith.

As expected, the list includes some of our most influential lobbyists, including former diplomat Charles Finny, Sky TV’s Tony O’Brien and Wellington identities Barrie Saunders and Mark Unsworth, as well as leading unionists Helen Kelly and Peter Conway.

Philippa Falloon, widow of former Cabinet minister John Falloon, and Lady Jane Kidd, wife of former Speaker Doug Kidd, are also on the list.

The Speaker has previously rejected calls to reveal those lobbyists with access cards for Parliament, but agreed to release the list yesterday to coincide with the first reading of a bill sponsored by Green MP Holly Walker calling for greater transparency around lobbyists.

The access card gives holders the right to enter Parliament without passing through the usual security screening and through the public areas.

A spokeswoman said the card did not give the group swipe card access to private areas like the Beehive core, Bowen House or the Speaker’s corridor.

There have long been questions over the level of access to MPs by lobbyists, and elsewhere, including in Australia and the United States, they are required to sign lobbyists’ registers that allow the public to know which lobbyists have been schmoozing a country’s decision-makers.

The Speaker’s decision to make the information transparent will be welcomed – but earlier yesterday Dr Smith was on the wrong side of public opinion, after insisting that he give evidence behind closed doors to a select committee hearing evidence on MPs’ perks and conditions.

Dr Smith’s evidence related to legislation giving an independent authority greater control over perks and follows moves to tighten up the rules around travel.

The legislation is supposed to provide greater transparency around pay and perks.

But after the Government administration committee advertised Dr Smith’s evidence as open to the public, it shut out the media and members of the public.

Prime Minister John Key, who has driven the push for transparency, said he was “surprised” by Dr Smith seeking secrecy and made it clear he was unhappy, given the commitments he had made on MPs’ perks.

“We’re trying to add more transparency to the process.”

THE LIST

Nicholas Albrecht – government relations manager for infrastructure company Vector.

Tim Clarke – law firm Russell McVeagh

Peter Conway – Council of Trade Unions

Helen Kelly – CTU

Daniel Fielding – law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts

Charles Finny – lobbyists Saunders Unsworth

Barrie Saunders – Saunders Unsworth

Mark Unsworth – Saunders Unsworth

Tony O’Brien – Sky TV

Phil O’Reilly – BusinessNZ

Leigh Pearson – former TVNZ journalist turned lobbyist

Jordan Williams – law firm Franks & Ogilvie

Rasik Ranchord – Parliamentary Breakfast Group

Philippa Falloon – former MP’s widow

Lady Jane Kidd – former MP’s spouse

Source:

The Dominion Post, July 26, 2012, p. 1.

Story by Tracy Watkins

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7349759/Lobbyists-with-free-access-to-Parliament

 

Registered charities and the proposed Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct and Register of Lobbyists

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Under legislation proposed by Green MP Ms Ms Holly Walker, people who receive pay for lobbying MPs about laws or policies and who fail to register with the Attorney-General as paid lobbyists, could face criminal charges. The Lobbying Disclosure Bill, drawn from the parliamentary ballot on 21 April 2012, seeks to bring transparency to the activities of all paid lobbyists who attempt to sway and influence legislative processes by communicating with MPs. The bill proposes that the Auditor-General be empowered to investigate any alleged breaches of a Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, which all paid lobbyists must agree to and sign, before they can lawfully engage in the lobbying of MPs. The Auditor-General will also be empowered to remove or suspend persons from a Register of Lobbyists if they breach the Code of Conduct.

Ms Walker wants regular statistics to be gathered on all paid lobbyists and the data regularly collated and reviewed, so the public, government officials and a host of enforcement agencies can closely scrutinise all their activities.

If her proposed bill, as drafted, passes into law, charities registered with the Charities Commission, such the the New Zealand Aids Foundation (NZAF), that are heavily engaged in political advocacy and lobbying AND receive significant government funding (see below); will need to have all and every one of their paid lobbyists sign a Lobbyists’ Code of [ethical] Conduct and register their personal details on the Register of Lobbyists.

Failure to do so prior to watching a rugby match from a NZAF-sponsored corporate box, or watching a NZAF-sponsored modelling pageant, alongside any MP or MPs, regardless of their gender, age, race, religion, political affiliation or sexuality; might lead to an unauthorised NZAF lobbyist having criminal charges being laid against him or her. Such unauthorised lobbyists attending a Big Gay Out event or a Hero Parade, who might be photographed or filmed arm-in-arm with an MP, whilst indulging in “political advocacy,” may face the prospect of being charged with criminal activity (lobbying).

Once charged, the NZAF charity worker accused would be required in make a credible defence to the Attorney-General, disclosing the range of presumably “gay” friendly legislative issues discussed with the friendly MP, and the methods used in the lobbying campaign, if any.

Authorised NZAF lobbyists who face charges over alleged breaches of the Code  will have to rely on the official records made of their lobbying encounters as recorded by the friendly MPs as well as their own diary records and any corroborating evidence provided by Big Gay-Out/Hero Parade participants/witnesses.

(NZAF, a registered charity [CC22230], which received $4,112,376 in government funding/contracts, and $342,029 in other grants/sponsorship in the financial year ending 30 June 2011, has “40-something staff throughout the country” according to one NZAF official. No figures have been provided as to how many of these are paid lobbyists. $2,564,846 was spent by NZAF on salaries/wages in 2010/2011. See www.charities.govt.nz ).

The Auditor-General would need to scrutinise the lobbying activities of registered charities like NZAF, if the latter’s paid staff were charged with unlawful lobbying, and refer offending paid charity workers to the police if they breached the new law. The Bill requires a report on any suspended or deregistered paid lobbyist to be reported to Parliament, as well as all investigations of such breaches to be undertaken.

Given that the Auditor-General is an MP, he or she will have to be very, very, careful in all dealings with undercover paid lobbyists, particularly when attending highly-visible social events, if the bill passes into law.

Reference: Lobbying Disclosure Bill. In the name of Green Party MP, Ms Holly Walker.

http://www.greens.org.nz/bills/lobbying-disclosure-bill

Note: The article”Registered charities and the proposed Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct and Register of Lobbyists” was first published on the SPCS Blog on 13 June 2012

Challenge Weekly – owned by registered charity – highlights “University ProLife Win”

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Challenge Weekly Newspaper, owned by a legal entity that was incorporated in 1975 and registered with the Charities Commission as a charity on 30 June 2008, runs a story on its front page this week “Prolife elated with win: University [Prolife] club survives expulsion bid.”

A student-run prolife group is celebrating a vote by its peers at the University of Auckland not to disaffiliate the club.

Prolife Auckland won the vote 227 to 125 at a special general meeting attended by a large and noisy crowd on July 18 and club president Amy Bowers is pleased with the result for a number of reasons.

“We had support from many students who are not members of our club and have no intention of joining. But clearly they recognised that freedom of expression is a right worth protecting for everyone, in particular in a university setting where academic freedom must be paramount.”

After a single anonymous complaint regarding the club’s ‘Right To Know’ pamphlets that were distributed around campus, the Auckland University Student Association (AUAS) executive put forward a motion to deny ProLife Auckland the right to exist as an affiliated club.

“The club ran this campaign in May which promoted a women’s right to know the facts when faced with a crisis pregnancy, which included the health risks of abortion and full statistics. Ironically, this attempt to shut us down has given us the chance to reach a far wider audience with our message, and that’s the whole reason that we exist as a club,” says Ms Blowers.

Prolife Auckland’s sister club at Wellington’s Victoria University is also thrilled with the result.

“Freedom of speech is a vitally important right in a society that truly claims to be open, free and democratic,” says LifeChoice Victoria president Mary-Ane Evers.

“University is the perfect place for discussion of controversial issues. Student Associations should encourage free and frank discussion and not shy away from these topics.”

Celebration has continued throughout the wider prolife community in New Zealand.

Right to Life spokesperson Ken Orr was delighted at the resounding victory for the right to free speech upheld by the students. “We congratulate the members of Prolife for its defence of free speech…” said Mr Orr.”The battle for recognition of the inalienable right to life of every human being from conception to natural death will be won or lost in our universities.”

Source: Challenge Weekly. July 23, 2012, Vol. 70 Iss. 27, p.1.

Challenge Weekly – owned by registered charity – applauds ProLife’s pamphlet upholding “sancity of life”

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Challenge Weekly Newspaper, owned by a legal entity that was incorporated in 1975 and registered with the Charities Commission as a charity on 30 June 2008, has just published the following “Publisher’s Letter” dealing with ProLife issues, including “the sanctity of human life … made in the image of God”…….

The Power of One: by John Massam [23 July 2012]. It seems incredible that a complaint from one anonymous student, about the distribution of a pamphlet, ‘Right to Know’, at Auckland University, would propel the Auckland University Student Association (AUSA) executive to ban ProLife from affiliation as a club on campus.

But rather than accepting the decision the group challenged it, and at a special meeting called to consider their right to exist as a club, won a resounding victory. The vote was 227 for to 125 against.

What is hard to fathom is how a pamphlet advocating the right of women to know about health risks associated with abortion and the alternatives available to them, so they can make an informed decision, should provoke such a reaction. Particularly when the material used came from peer-reviewed academic studies with medical statements which were supported by footnote references to reputable journals.

It is proper that philosophy student Amy Blowers. President of ProLife Auckland, would be elated by the support given by students, many of whom, she said, had no intention of being members of their club. Beyond that she sees freedom of expression as a right worth protecting, particularly in a university setting, where academic freedom must be paramount.

Sadly, we are seeing values that we have taken for granted being replaced and worse still, denigrated. The very people who demand the right to promote alternative values appear to believe that they have the right to silence anyone who holds a different view. They very cunningly picture those who oppose their view as driven by phobia.

What is needed are more people committed to addressing a particular issue, such as William Wilberforce did with slavery. People who are passionate and determined about something they commit themselves to, believing that it is non-negotiable and recognising that if they present the truth then the truth will speak for itself. What is hard to fathom is that so many are blind to the truth.

Those in the pro-life movement are committed to upholding the sanctity of life. They see it as a God-given gift to be valued and upheld. They believe that we denigrate and disrespect it at our peril. In bold terms, they regard the taking of human life as murder, which has disastrous effects on both the perpetrator and society.

Even if upholding the sanctity of life is not the issue we are personally dedicated to uphold, we must affirm our support for those, particularly young people committed to doing so.

One thing we can do, however, is refuse to use weasel words like abortion, fetus and unborn that are intended to lull people into a false acceptance of murder, the killing of a child conceived in the image of God.

Source: Challenge Weekly, 23 July 2012, p. 2.

http://www.challengeweekly.co.nz/editorial.html