Any GC politicians to vote for in New Zealand?

[quixote9]

I'm what's politely called a new New Zealander. I'm having difficulties figuring out politicians' stands on just about anything. Slogans aplenty on the hustings (Back Your Future! Let's Keep Moving! and similar meaningful stuff), but not many easily digestible summaries of where they stand on things. (No, I haven't plowed through platforms or position papers. Too lazy.)

I get the general impression our Prime Minister, who's certainly doing a way better job than National ever would, is pretty much smoothly woke when it comes to anything feminist. Is that more or less true of all the non-conservative politicos here?

speakupforwomen.nz is an excellent organization doing good work, but they're explicitly non-partisan, so it seems they can't provide that information.

Anyway, are there people here who know a bit about NZ politicians and could share?

Ooh cross post - will read this!

Why is there this conflation of trans/non binary people with intersex people? It makes no sense. They are completely different issues.

Yes, I’m not holding my breath for a reply!

The top of the position statement (not a policy) also says this:

“This is a living document. We are listening and learning. We would love to hear from you if you think we have got some of this wrong, or if we have missed important issues.“

Given that they at least make some statements indicating they’ve not been fully indoctrinated, it might be worth writing to them with our views. I’m not thrilled with what’s in their statement but there appears to at least be some room to manouvre, and who knows, maybe they really would listen?

TOP was looking promising but is still vague about its position.
I'm voting TOP because of its tax policy, water policy, universal income policy and its land use policy. Their Rainbow policy is not awful - not perfect but not awful.

Labour is woke and wishy-washy. I like Jacinda Adern and Grant Robertson very much but the rest of them don't share a critical thought among them.

Cross post and I’m inclined to agree, @Guineapigbridge.I can’t in good conscience vote for some of the other parties based on their stance on other issues they matter to me.

Seraphinite thank you for all the information you have provided on the TOP position on transgender issues. I shall read it carefully and get in touch with them re some of their statements.

I have just emailed Dr Shane Reti, the National Party Health Spokesman asking him to comment on the August Speak Up for Women Press Release, and its attendant link to this report.

speakupforwomen.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ANOTHER_UNFORTUNATE_EXPERIMENT-final-for-distrib.pdf.

speakupforwomen.nz/sufw_essays/puberty-blockers-are-dangerous-experimentation-on-children/

I'll be interested to see if i get a reply.

Re Shane Reti, I will be interested if he replies too! That's my actual MP, and much as National has put me off with their stupid flailing to find a popular position, any position!, he seems intelligent on covid and not a bad sort.

I'd be chuffed if there was a glimmering of understanding that women are people and you don't just walk all over them every chance you get. Not going to happen, it seems.

As somebody said upthread, it's nice that the thread has given us some resources!

quixote9 I did think of emailing Chris Hipkins (Minister of Everything) too as he is the temporary acting Minister of Health, but decided to leave it until after the election is over to see who gets the Health portfolio. We know the Labour Party's position anyway.

I would hope that Dr Reti takes the time to read Jan Rivers and Jill Abigail's report and respond to it. As a doctor he must know the dangers of prescribing powerful drugs to children without due cause. Though he will be up against the rest of the NZ medical establishment who appear to to see no problems with delaying puberty in healthy children (Just look at the Ministry of Health Guidelines on Transgender Health).

Anyway, to use President Trump's favourite phrase, we shall see!

An analysis of the main parties positions on issues concerning women by SUFW.

*Speak Up For Women analysed the policies that impact women from each major party. We scored each issue, based on our analysis of how the policy would progress or hinder women’s liberation. Red is bad for women, green is good^

speakupforwomen.nz/elections-2020/

I would have given Labour red rather than amber on Gender Identity Ideology, given their commitment to self id. It's interesting to see on which issues the 'no info' lands.

To date I haven't heard back from Dr Shane Reti concerning my email on Jan Rivers and Jill Abigail's report.

I finally heard back from TOP. This is what they said:

With regards to freedom of speech, we do not have an official stance or policy surrounding this issue. We certainly do believe everyone has the right to free speech but this is not our main focus this election.

Gender and self identification is something that has come up a lot lately. We have recently released this: www.top.org.nz/rainbow_position_statement

While TOP doesn’t have a detailed position on abortion, the evidence suggests that the Government’s proposals are a sensible way forward. Read our blog for more

(I wondered what abortion proposals they were referring to but it’s old stuff and the blog link was to a post from August 2019)

TOPs policy seems sensible enough but still allows for and encourages self-ID. None of the parties seem to want to address touch this issue with a shitty stick. At least TOP has tried and isn't all woke-is-me.
The parties' reluctance to address gender issues is possibly fair enough given the housing/tax/immigration/child poverty/low aspiration issues that need sorting out in this country.

I agree Guineapigbridge that TOP's policy strives to be reasonable to all concerned, but it's frustrating that no party seems willing to look sensibly at the concept of Self ID, and the danger it represents to women without ensuring proper safeguards.

If we have a Labour-Greens government they will push for Self ID to be implemented in some form or other, so we will have to see what legislation is outlined in 'the speech from the throne' at the beginning of the next session of parliament.

I would hope that the issues you have outlined get priority too.

Another good article by Ani O'Brien, directed specifically to the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this time. I've just emailed the PM about women's rights in NZAoteatoa, including the link to Ani's article. I should add that apparently the Opposition Leader Judith Collins agreed with the PM over installing gender neutral toilets in schools, which is instructive.

medium.com/@aniobrien/a-few-questions-prime-minister-1799b26fcc9

Still haven't received a reply from Dr Shane Reti's office regarding my email.

TLDR

Just a heads up to those in New Zealand incase you weren't aware. I believe a consultation on surrogacy law is planned, I can't remember where I saw it.
This from your Law Commission may give some clues.

www.nzlii.org/nz/other/nzlc/pp/PP54/PP54-4_.html

If you read Surrogacy: A Human Rights Abuse by Renate Klein she describes the whitewash that was the Australian review of surrogacy law. Despite many objections the preferred liberalisation was steamrollered through. It was very reminiscent of what is going on here with our current Law Commission review of surrogacy law so I think I can safely predict what is planned for your laws in New Zealand.

If this is something you care about you need to get up to speed fast.

Judith Collins as I understood it agreed that there should be one gender neural toilet within a school to account for situations where a school pupil identified as being of the opposite gender. Jacinda Ardern’s promise was the more open ended ‘every child should be able to go to a bathroom they feel comfortable going in’.

Labour launched its rainbow policy tonight - and I am so angry. They made no public mention of self ID but when a 1NewsNZ journalist asked Tamati Coffey directly he confirmed they intend to amend the BirthsDeaths and Marriages Act to make it easier for people to change their sex on their birth certificates. It is so underhand of them to leave it out of the policy launch.

twitter.com/andrewmacfnz/status/1313000165687525377?s=20

He also linked to this interview with Ardern gayexpress.co.nz/2020/10/exclusive-jacinda-ardern-commits-to-banning-conversion-therapy-in-new-zealand/

The rainbow community over-representing in mental health statistics also raises the amendment to the Births, Deaths & Marriage act, known as the gender self I.D bill, which would allow an easier, less intrusive process for people to change their gender on the likes of birth certificates and drivers licenses. During Ardern’s time as PM, the bill was raised and then shelved. She tells us it will return and explains the delay.

“When it was debated in the last parliament, there was a question mark around whether the legislation faced the risk of being challenged because it had not gone through a select committee process. That could cause a long debate, legal uncertainty and ultimately quite a distressing situation. So we went back and established a working group with representatives from the community including the likes of Georgina Beyer, to help us get it right. So our focus is to continue the work that will help strengthen the legislation and then reintroduce the bill in parliament.”
An issue that has held back this bill and the rights of trans people in general, seem to fall around the concept that the bill could provide a window for predatory males masquerading as trans women to access women’s only spaces. Ardern acknowledges this and is clear how she sees things moving forward.

“There are parts of what is fundamentally ‘that’ debate that have been clouded by singular examples in some cases, rather than coming back to the principle itself. My view is that this idea that long fought for rights are somehow undermined by giving others rights, is not true. As long as we can have these debates with members of the community sitting around the table, then working through the legislative framework to get it right, is worth the time. And is ultimately how we will bring everyone together.”

I think her emphasis on having members of the community like Georgina Beyer but not mention GC groups is a very clear indication of what is to come.

"My view is that this idea that long fought for rights are somehow undermined by giving others rights, is not true. As long as we can have these debates with members of the community sitting around the table, then" everything will work out and be wine and roses.

I'm sure. No more flashers, voyeurs, rapists. All you have to do is talk around a table.

Providing an open door for sex crimes won't affect women at all because men have never been known to take advantage of any situation. And to anyone who says otherwise with evidence, a bald evidence-free assertion that it "is not true."

God give me strength. Also /endless screaming/

It’s utterly depressing.

Likewise I think it is obvious that the proposed ban on conversion therapy bill will be a classic Trojan horse (Ray Blanchard has discussed This) that will be used to ban therapy that helps gender dysphoric children and youths become comfortable with their anatomical sex.

yourfaceisiaforeignfood I completely agree with you on the conversion therapy bill, and It's something I especially wanted to mention in the email I sent to the Prime Minister on the 4th October.

Extract

With regard to children who present as transgender, that is another worrying trend which has not been properly discussed here, indeed it has been uncritically accepted by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to the detriment of New Zealand children's health. I am astonished frankly that doctors here think it acceptable to prescribe puberty blockers and cross sex hormones to children - thus rendering them sterile, and with a lifetime of medical intervention before them. Preventing children from going through puberty is a form of child abuse, and should not be allowed. Careful, sensitive counselling, and a wait and see approach used to be the norm for children who had body issues, and it should never have been abandoned, or described as 'conversion therapy' as some would like.

Tamati Coffey made it quite plain last night on the news, that any therapy that helps children and youths as you put it, become comfortable with their anatomical sex, will be banned. So what are rights of parents in all this?

The Prime Minister, and Taati Coffey, need to be challenged on these policies, especially if Labour and the Greens are able to form a government after the 19th October.

Tamati Coffey, not Taati!