Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #135, May 30 , 2006
WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND
Thursday, June 1, 7am, Outside Bell Gully, The Vero Building,48
Shortland Street, Auckland
EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST ISRAELI FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICIAL – OPPOSE
THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE. The protest is against an important
official and propagandists for the racist policies of the Israeli
government being hosted by the law firm bell Gully and the NZ Israel
Trade Association. The guest speaker is Ron Prosor, Director General of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before assuming this post, Ron Prosor
acted as Senior Deputy Director General of the Ministry and Chief of
Policy Staff to the Foreign Minister.
Thursday, June 1, unite Office 6a Western Springs Rd, Morningside,
Auckland.
WORKERS CHARTER MEETING. Could you please email your agenda suggestions
to interim chair Daph Lawless - daphlawless@randomstatic.net [4] Spread
the word! Bring your mates!
Saturday, June 3, 2pm, QEII Square, Customs Street and Queen St
intersection, Downtown,
RALLY FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN PALESTINE / ISRAEL On the First Saturday
of Every Month
Outside Downtown Shopping Centre. Come support JUSTICE and PEACE based
on:
1. End Israeli Occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
including East Jerusalem)
2. Right of Return for Refugees.
3. Sharing Jerusalem.
4. Removal of all Settlements in occupied Palestine.
5. Stop construction of Israel's annexation/apartheid wall
Tuesday, June 6, 7.30pm, St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE TASER (CATT) will be having its first public
meeting. Sir Paul Reeves will chair the meeting at the Columba Centre,
Vermont Street, Ponsonby at 7.30pm. Speakers will include Rodney
Harrison QC, John Minto from GPJA and a medical expert. Video footage
of tasers being used by police will also be shown. CATT is a coalition
which includes the Human Rights Foundation, GPJA, and peace groups. The
aim is to prevent the NZ police from conducting a “trial” of taser
use from September this year. Overseas more than 160 people have died
following being tasered. The taser works as a gun which fires two
barbed darts at a person and then gives an electric shock at 50,000
volts. It has no place in New Zealand
Wednesday, June 7, 7.30pm, St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby
UNITED NATIONS ASSOC OF NZ MEETING featuring Anthony Ravlich, Chair
Human Rights Council Inc Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, As
Important as Civil and Political Rights. Anthony has followed the
development of human rights instruments within the UN system over many
years, particularly the staggered progress of economic, social and
cultural rights and the recent Open-Ended Working Groups discussions on
whether to draft an Optional Protocol for the lesser known International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (a complaints procedure
for those suffering social injustice). 2006 is the 40th anniversary of
the adoption of that covenant along with the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and Tony will outline the need for both
covenants and the importance of government’s implementing both sets
of rights not just one or the other.
Friday, June 9, 7.30 – 9.30am, North Shore Electorate Office, Suite
3, 15 Anzac Street, Takapuna
Picket Wayne Mapp's office The EPMU, on behalf of the CTU, is
organising a demonstration outside the electorate office of Wayne Mapp
MP to protest against the grossly unfair 90 day probation Bill.
This is the Private Members Bill introduced by Mapp which if passed
into law will allow workers to be sacked for no reason in the first 90
days of their employment. It was sent to Select Committee by National,
New Zealand First, United Future and the Maori Party. This is our
chance to show the public of New Zealand what the National Party will
do to them if given the chance. We will be handing out flyers to
passers by, waving signs and making some noise. It should be lots of
fun. We need to make this as visual as possible so come down if you
can.
Monday June 12, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road Grey Lynn
GPJA FORUM: “Venezuela from the inside – revolution in progress!”
GPJA spokesperson Mike Treen has just returned from several weeks in
Venezuela and Bolivia as part of an Australasian trade union solidarity
brigade. He joined a million workers in caracas for May Day, visited
factories under workers control, and met leaders in liberated
communities where crime has been eliminated by getting rid of the
corrupt police force. Mike will tell us about what he saw and show us
some great slides and film from the trip
Friday, June 16, Ponsonby Rd, Auckland
THE POLYNESIAN PANTHER PARTY will be taking over Ponsonby Rd again this
time to celebrate the launching of their long awaited book on their 35th
anniversary Friday June 16. Entry fee to their anniversary is by
purchasing a copy...entrance is restricted for legal and security
reasons... I myself still can't enter the US of Amerika because still
listened in the top 20 known terrorists of the Pacific...For more
information and bookings contact (09) 6290826 or email
waiata@woosh.co.nz [5] ....35 years ago a group of young Polynesians
formed an organisation that later was accredited with ending the dawn
raids and settling up social change programmes that has help mould
Aotearoa as we know it today...
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNITE UNION ORGANISERS AUCKLAND AREA
Applications are invited for Union Organiser positions with the Unite
Union. The positions require the successful applicants to reside in
Auckland. These positions would suit someone who has union organising
experience, either as a union organiser or as a delegate, or a history
of community activism . The successful applicants will need to
demonstrate a commitment to the goals of trade unionism, have good
communication skills - both written and verbal, work well within a
small team as well as independently, have a drivers licence and be
prepared to work flexible hours occasionally away from home. Written
applications will close at 5pm Friday 2nd June 2006 and should include
all relevant work experience and training to be addressed to: Mike
Treen, Auckland Secretary, Unite Union, 6a Western Springs Rd,
Morningside, Auckland or email mike@unite.org.nz [6]
KEEP OUR PORT PUBLIC PETITION - DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 12 - BIG PUSH
NEEDED
The KOPP petition against the sale of the port of Lyttelton into
foreign/private ownership needs LOTS more signatures before it is
presented to the Christchurch City Council. The deadline has been
extended by 12 days (to June 12) to give supporters of the cause time
to get out to markets, shops and other gathering places and meetings
where more signatures can be gathered. Although the issue seems to have
gone quiet, please assure people that the Council has NOT changed its
mind about selling the port at all, and is still fully committed to
doing so - it is now just working to a longer time frame. So we still
have to send a strong message to STOP now.
Please get out with petition forms (downloadable from
www.keepourportpublic.org [7]) and send filled sheets back to Box 2258,
Christchurch by Monday June 12. Your efforts to protect our assets will
be greatly appreciated by present and future generations! CAFCA,
Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa, Box 2258, Christchurch,
New Zealand. cafca@chch.planet.org.nz [8]
BEST ON THE WEB
[1] http://www.gpja.org.nz/
[2] http://gpja.org.nz/mailto:simon@enzyme.org.nz
[3] http://www.gpja.org/
[4] http://gpja.org.nz/mailto:daphlawless@randomstatic.net
[5] http://gpja.org.nz/mailto:waiata@woosh.co.nz
[6] http://gpja.org.nz/mailto:mike@unite.org.nz
[7] http://www.keepourportpublic.org
[8] http://gpja.org.nz/mailto:cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
Ends