Ardern seeks cross-party support but Collins cautious
There is much work to do.
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has asked for cross-party consensus to make the changes called for by the Royal Commission report.
The Government yesterday committed to implementing “in principle” all 44 recommendations and set out a shortlist it would seek to change quickly. These included establishing a Ministry of Ethnic Communities, training police to deal with hate crime, strengthening counterterrorism legislation and outlawing hate speech that incited “racial or religious disharmony.”
Cabinet agreed Andrew Little would be the minister accountable for implementing the recommendations because of his GCSB and SIS portfolios and his previous experience as Justice Minister.
Ardern acknowledged that the public consultation needed to implement some of the recommendations, especially around firearms, hate speech and beefing up security agencies, could result in minority groups being further marginalised.
But she hoped the conversation “doesn’t cause further harm”.
“Every political party, I would hope in this Parliament, wants New Zealand to be a safe place. I would also hope that every political party in this Parliament wants New Zealand to be an inclusive place.
“We . . . also must be careful in having it that we do not alienate, we do not stigmatise, we do not stereotype and that is the challenge that lies in front of all of us.
“There is much work to do.” National leader Judith Collins said the information in the report needed to be “absorbed and considered” but signalled her party could oppose some of the firearms recommendations if the regulations burdened “lawabiding citizens”.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, Collins said there would need to be a very compelling reason “to move hate speech from the Human Rights Act into the Crimes Act”.