Issued by: Islamic Council of New Zealand (ICONZ), Alternative Jews Voices (AJV), Palestine Forum of New Zealand (PFNZ), New Zealand Buddhist Council (NZBC), Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians (AAPI), The Council of Christians and Muslims (CCM).

Aotearoa New Zealand — We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, express our deep concern regarding the New Zealand Government’s proposed amendments to the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. These changes seek to broaden the definition of terrorist activity and expand law enforcement powers, including warrantless searches and the criminalisation of planning or preparing for acts deemed as terrorism.

While we recognize the importance of safeguarding national security, we urge the government to ensure that any legislative changes are made with full transparency, meaningful public consultation, and in strict alignment with New Zealand’s domestic and international human rights obligations.

Global precedents demonstrate the dangers of vaguely defined counter-terrorism laws. Such laws have been misused to suppress legitimate dissent, advocacy, and humanitarian work. We highlight the following examples:

• United Kingdom: The proscription of the nonviolent protest group Palestine Action under terrorism legislation has led to over 700 arrests, many for peaceful actions such as holding placards. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned this move, warning of its chilling effect on freedom of expression and assembly.
• UN Global Study: Led by Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the study found systematic abuse of counter-terrorism measures across all regions, disproportionately targeting civil society actors, especially women, minorities, and human rights defenders.
• Gaza: Human rights defenders and humanitarian advocates have been targeted under vague terrorism laws, facing surveillance, smear campaigns, and even lethal attacks for documenting war crimes and advocating for relief.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack found that an “inappropriate” level of intelligence and security resources had been directed at the Muslim community prior to the attack. This underscores the risk of discriminatory enforcement and the need for safeguards.

We emphasize that Indigenous peoples, racial, ethnic, and religious minorities are particularly vulnerable to being over-targeted by counter-terrorism strategies. Ensuring non-discrimination is essential to maintaining trust and justice in our society.

We call on the New Zealand Government to:

1. Conduct a thorough and inclusive consultation process with civil society, legal experts, and affected communities.
2. Ensure precise and narrow definitions of terrorism-related offences to prevent arbitrary enforcement.
3. Include explicit protections for freedom of speech, human rights advocacy, and peaceful protest.
4. Establish independent oversight mechanisms to monitor the application of the law and prevent abuse.

New Zealand has a proud tradition of upholding human rights and democratic values. We must not allow fear to erode the freedoms that define our society.

We stand united in urging the government to approach this process with fairness, transparency, and a firm commitment to protecting civil liberties.

List of Organizations:
Dr. Muhammad Sajjad Haider Naqvi (ICONZ) info@iconz.org
Marilyn Garson (AJV) contact@ajv.org.nz
Robert Hunt (NZBC) chair@buddhistcouncil.org.nz
Dr. Sapna Samant (AAPI) kia.ora@aotearoaprogressive.org
Irfan Qureshi (CCM) admin@theccm.org.nz
Maher Nazzal (PFNZ) palforum.nz@gmail.com

© Scoop Media