Maori Party welcomes move to abolish Sedition [1]
Monday, June 11, 2007 - 06:06. Updated on Monday, July 20, 2015 - 17:03.
The Maori Party has today welcomed the news that the New Zealand government has accepted the call from the MMP parties to repeal New Zealand's sedition laws.
The government, this afternoon, introduced a Bill to abolish the laws of sedition.
On 24 April 2007 the MMP parties (Greens; United Future; ACT and Maori Party) issued a joint call to the Government to push through legislation which would pick up on the recommendations of the Law Commission to scrap the charge of sedition.
"Sedition is one of those bizarre oddities of law that should really be relegated to the archives as one of our archaic crimes of the colony," said Hone Harawira, constitutional spokesperson for the Maori Party.
"Sedition was the charge laid against the prophets of peace from Parihaka: Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi; in resisting the military force and takeover which resulted in extensive land loss throughout Taranaki," said Harawira.
"Sedition was also the charge laid against Tuhoe prophet, Rua Kenana, who led a spiritual movement based on the promise of the return of the whenua and mana to Maori.
"Rua Kenana spoke out against war, and was duly arrested, along with 31 others, on the charge of sedition. During the arrest, his oldest son Toko, and his brother in law, Te Maipi, were killed by the police. A jury found Rua not guilty of sedition, but he nevertheless served nine months in Mt Eden Prison," said Harawira.
"But it appears that the charge of inciting 'rebellion or resistance' wasn't just a peculiar quirk of history," added Harawira.
"In 1995, Annette Sykes, Mike Smith, Tame Iti and Niko Tangaroa were threatened with the charge of sedition over comments made during the Asian Development Bank conference in Auckland.
"Even more odd is the fact that over the last year the sedition charge was applied again in three different incidents."
"It is really great to see the Government taking the action today, in introducing a bill which will abolish the country's sedition laws," said Harawira.
"I had a Bill all ready to go, which sought to amend the Crimes Act 1961 to repeal offences related to sedition. I take great pride in today's announcement, in knowing that the unity of our four political parties has been effective in enabling a cross-parliamentary approach to repeal the crime of sedition."
"Democracy should be about justice for all and opportunities for freedom of expression," said Harawira.
"We will be looking forward to the debate in the House, to stand up for these rights, and to put an end to any further form of political censorship or archaic offences". Pacific Media Watch, 10/06/07.