Today Environment Southland became the latest in a string of New Zealand councils, including Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington, to exclude companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank from council contracts.

The move follows a campaign led by local residents and members of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), and was backed by trade unions, businesses and faith leaders. The change aligns procurement with UN Security Council Resolution 2334, co-sponsored by New Zealand in 2016, which states Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are a “flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle” to peace.

“This is an important moment for Southland and we're grateful for the councillors who acted today,” said the group. “Western governments have failed to hold Israel to account, and it’s silence that enables the atrocities we’re seeing in Gaza. Almost 9 years since we sponsored UNSC 2334, parliament is still to put that into action, while we sanctioned Russia's invasion of Ukraine within weeks.”

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice confirmed that Israel’s 57-year occupation is illegal and breaches international law on apartheid and racial segregation. UN reports document decades of land theft, land poisonings, and illegal detention without charge. Last month 200 residents of a West Bank village fled their homes under pressure from settlers.

“The situation in Palestine is doing permanent harm to the international rules-based system that New Zealand has relied on for its own security since WWII. People are horrified and disillusioned. Today's vote shows Southland can at least trust its local representatives to refuse complicity in war crimes. It's time for parliament to follow.”

Gore, Timaru and Wellington councils are now considering the proposal.

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