SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Holocaust denial may become illegal in NZ

by Leave a Comment

POSTING racist or xenophobic messages on the internet and Holocaust denial could be illegal if New Zealand signs up to a international cyber-crime agreement.

Justice Minister Simon Power and Police Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced a three-year plan to crack down on international organised crime. One proposal involves the Government signing the Council of Europe Crime Convention, also known as the Budapest Convention.

A protocol of the convention requires nations to make “the dissemination of racist and xenophobic material through computer systems” a crime. It also makes denial or justification of the Holocaust and other verified genocides illegal.

Almost 30 nations have ratified the convention. However, a number – including US, Ireland and Britain – have refused to sign the protocol.

The organised crime plan proposes to review New Zealand law “with a view to adopting” the convention. A Justice Ministry report notes many laws already conform to the convention.

Source: The Dominion Post Wednesday, Augustr 24, 2011, p. A9.

Donate Telecom’s aborted rugby world cup abstinence campaign to Family Planning

by Leave a Comment

In its media release today, Family First NZ, a registered charity with the Charities Commission, is calling on Telecom NZ to donate its aborted “corny” rugby world cup promo abstinence campaign – to the New Zealand Family Planning Association Inc. (FPA) to be used in its nationwide school sex education programmes.  The FPA was registered as a charity with the Charities Commission on 13 September 2007 (Charity Ref. No. CC11104). Its stated mission is “To promote a positive view of sexuality and to enable people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.”

The Family First Media Release states:

Make It Family Friendly, Telecom

Family First is welcoming Telecom’s decision to cancel its rugby world cup campaign.
 
“The campaign was always destined to fail because it was corny and not family-friendly,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
 
“The All Blacks fan club is made up of children and families, and any campaign needs to involve all ages and be family friendly.”
 
“The best thing to do with this campaign is to give it to the Family Planning Association and ask them to use it in schools with the sex ed programmes.”
 
Family First is encouraging Telecom to find a family friendly campaign that all of the kiwi family can participate in.

ENDS

Rev. Jonathan Kirkpatrick pleads guilty to AUT fraud – NZ Herald

by Leave a Comment

A former AUT staff member has admitted defrauding the university of more than half a million dollars. Jonathan Kirkpatrick, 53, resigned as chief executive of the university’s Business Innovation Centre after an internal investigation found “accounting discrepencies” involving $665,000. He pleaded guilty to seven fraud related charges when he appeared in the Auckland District Court this morning. He’ll be sentenced on October 6.

His offending involved more than $665,000 taken from AUT between 2002 and May this year. Kirkpatrick is the former Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin and ex-partner of former Labour MP Tim Barnett. Kirkpatrick has a high profile as a gay-rights advocate within the church. His relationship with Mr Barnett, the former Christchurch Central MP, lasted 18 years.

After the Herald broke the news of the police investigation, AUT moved quickly to file legal action against Kirkpatrick in the High Court at Auckland.

 

Priest pleads guilty to AUT fraud. By Hayden Donnell.Wednesday 17 August 2011
See: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10745640&ref=rss [Read more…]

Former Anglican dean admits fraud – Otago Daily Times

by Leave a Comment

The former dean of Dunedin’s Anglican cathedral has admitted seven fraud charges involving $665,000 missing from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Kirkpatrick is the former partner of former Labour MP Tim Barnett.

In 1996 he was made the 10th Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin, working with the country’s first female bishop, Penny Jamieson.

 Wednesday, 17 Aug 2011 Otago Daily Times

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/173920/former-anglican-dean-admits-fraud

Jonathan Kirkpatrick pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Auckland District Court today and was remanded for sentence on October 6. [Read more…]

Media Matters in NZ Inc. calls for BSA to be disbanded for penalizing complainant

by Leave a Comment

Media Matters in New Zealand Inc. – a registered charity with the Charities Commission – in its press release issued on Sunday, has called for the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) to be disbanded. The charity was registered with the Commission on 30 June 2008 (Reg. No. CC4277)

see: http://www.viewers.org.nz/Press_Release_20110814.html

BSA fines complainant Donald MacDonald

Press Statement: Media Matters in NZ | Sunday, 14 August 2011

It appears from its decision in respect of a complaint from one of our members, Donald MacDonald, a retired scientist, about news accuracy, which has resulted in its effectively fining Mr MacDonald for having the temerity to complain, that the Broadcasting Standards Authority has relinquished any claim to credibility as a monitor of standards in NZ Broadcasting.

Instead of having on the broadcasters for their persistent breaches of acceptable standards, especially in respect of sex violence and bad language, all of which it continues to allow to be thrust daily into the faces of the young and vulnerable in our society, the BSA has decided to go after complainants instead.

The sum of $50 (see attached BSA decision 2011-020) may seem small but Mr MacDonald is an elderly beneficiary who cannot afford any sort of financial impediment.  Instead of penalizing him financially, they should be pinning a medal on his chest for the many times he has complained in a valiant if vain attempt to make the BSA live up to its responsibilities. [Read more…]