UN Periodic Review 32nd Session - New Zealand

I wrote the UN Human Rights Council's 32nd Session Periodic Review into New Zealand. This blog post is a copy of my paper (with a couple of edits) to the UNHRC offered on Thursday 21 June Southern Hemisphere Winter Solstice.

Coincidentally the New Zealand Prime Minister's daughter Neve Te Aroha Ardern-Gayford was born at 4.45pm on the day of the Solstice.

Also at that moment in geopolitics the United States Authorities announced their resignation from the UN Human Rights Council.

My paper concentrates on one matter, the public right to know what is being done in our name. Through my efforts in the democracy I comprehend that it is futile to flail in the branches, rather it is effective to strike at the root of any problem.

The problem of New Zealand's complicity in criminal behaviour is effectively covered-up by the Government's ability to hide behind Sec 6 of the Official Information Act (OIA 1982) Grounds for Withholding Information. I explain my experience and the results of various OIA requests refused under Sec 6. I've offered some of these to NZ's Parliament select commitees, particularly in many papers I have placed before the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade (FADT) for it's treaty examinations and legislative suggestions.

The UN brief for the Periodic Review is Domestic matters. The OIA is domestic legislation and has implications for access to official information of both a domestic and foreign nature. The mere fact the UNHRC is investigating NZ involves a foreign relationship.

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21 June 2018

Greg Rzesniowiecki

gregfullmoon013@gmail.com

To: UN Human Rights Council

Subject: UN Periodic review 32^nd Session New Zealand – Greg Rzesniowiecki

Greetings and happy Solstice,

Introduction – New Zealand in the world of nations.

Politics and geopolitics are fascinating subjects which engage my interest - as sustainability, equity and social wellbeing rely on peaceful relations between people and nations.

It is evident the unsustainability of life in a war zone. The cost is immeasurable and we have many wars.

Where geopolitics is based in neorealism power is the major determinant of policy settings.

Where power is the major determinant, rights based law is shredded.

New Zealanders value human, ecological, and social rights and have repeatedly acted to protect these. The NZ Government asked the people about their values in 2015. It was a component of the Flag Referendum process. New Zealanders were also asked, “what they stand for?” The people offered 10,292 flag designs. They offered 43,000 individual contributions of what they stood for.

Image is word cloud of most frequent values expressed with largest word representing its popularity.

It is evident that the people of this nation want a political economy that is based in freedom, egalitarianism and with a mind to wise tradition.

Where New Zealand is in alliance with nations who use power in a self interested manner, New Zealand's Government finds itself torn between the will of the people and the oppressive foreign power or hegemony.

This is repeatedly bourne out in NZ's relations with the US and the powers that drive that nation's foreign policy, particularly in respect to NZ's anti nuclear legislation and in respect to differences over weapons of mass destruction as the justification for the criminal war on Iraq from 2003 to present.

The fact that then NZ Government elected initially not to participate in the Iraq carnage in March 2003 is telling irrespective of the pressure brought to bear by domestic and foreign interests with converging desires to maintain New Zealand an active participant in the War Pig party.

New Zealand as home on our home planet Earth

I am an immigrant from Australia residing in Aotearoa New Zealand since November 1995. I've found the country and its people to be very welcoming and friendly. Generally I find that most people are friendly, social, and interested in a quality life for themselves, their families and broader communities.

Earth is a generic name for one who provisions Earthlings through her glorious abundance - the cornucopia.

Has the UN thought of renaming the Earth through a global competition with the winning entry voted on by the UN General Assembly? I recommend you consider that project. The UN could commission Sir John Key ex New Zealand Prime Minister to run the promotion for the Global planet naming referendum, or maybe current PM Jacinda Ardern might be a better role model as top mum.

Earth – mother, home and sustainer: myth and reality converge

We refer to Earth as the mother. Coincidentally Russia refers to herself as Mother Russia. The Germans view their land as Fatherland.

In Aotearoa the indigenous Maori refer to Earth as Papatuanuku or Earth Mother who balanced Sky Father Rangi.

Orthodox Christian Mother Russia places the Christ mother and vessel of the father's seed in the archetype of the Black Madonna (in the soil).

(Screen capture from https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/b/black-madonnas-origin-history-controversy.php )

Can we stretch the envelope and offer that the Orthodox personification is accurate where the ancients knew the Earth was a feminine entity?

The woman shaman worked mysteriously, perhaps in the dark of night singularly or in groups for important ritual occasions. Occult is hidden, esoteric is full of hidden meaning available to the seer.

For most of their time presumably wise women tended to their charges, family and village. Some undertook the shelter and security of monastic life in order to study the arts.

In fact most people wish to live caring and modestly prosperous lives – surely this is the societal middle class objective?

Belief, reality and implications

Some folk who have religious belief hold to a supernatural world inhabited by spiritual beings. Amongst the layers of reality and perception we see the pattern emerge – most people whether theist or otherwise, whether Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindi and whatever other cult or faith based system abhor violence.

There are the deep occult and esoteric traditions such as the Kabbalah that came from the Jewish mystical and alchemical discoveries. All are valid as perspectives and if knowledge from these pursuits arises the findings can only be reflections of the shared reality.

Balancing is always required in the mundane world of duality as well as the world of metaphysics. In both worlds there are causative principles.

Some cults might have egotistical objects.

The Bohemian Grove cult has met in the heart of the US Californian Redwood country for over a century. The cult has been performing a ritual during their 2 week hedonistic fraternity gathering - yes only males, where they cremate Care.

They appear to worship an owl who might have the name Moloch. The ritual is attended by over 2000 men including US Presidents and Secretaries, Military Generals, Business leaders, entrepreneurs and the culturally creative. In recent decades the Grove might be losing it's appeal under the light of public scrutiny.

Are they renouncing 'care” for themselves, or on behalf of the World of people?

Care is a feminine quality associated with the role of mother and nurture.

What do they say to their wives and partners about the Cremation of Care, or don't they care either?

Where mythical archetypes bend the world to their image

These are also the leaders of business, finance, politics and science and all prominently placed in the leading roles in the US Enterprise. It perhaps is no accident that the result of their lack of care is well documented in their plaything 'the global economy.'

(From: https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/the-consequences-of-a-leaderless-economy)

Our Global economy, everyone's global economy.

The Cremation of Care corresponds with the attitude of the Privileged Class in relation to the poor in most periods of documented human history.

An example of lack of elite care for the plight of others is the US and Margaret Albright in respect to the 500,000 Iraqi children officially killed by US led sanctions between the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Operation Enduring Freedom – nice names they give these horrific adventures which call for the sacrifice of other people's blood and guts.

Is the Bohemian Grove ritual, the foundational ethos or principle advanced by those who worship in the cult of neo-liberalism or plutocratic capitalism? We do not care as long as we profit – business is business. Is the decline in the Bohemian Grove cult an indication of the turnaround in business thinking?

Is Bohemian Grove losing market share to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)? CFR has been the go to think tank and club for US capitalists. Where the CFR leads US domestic and foreign policy and the US leads global foreign policy then CFR and it's think tank prodigies Asia Foundation, Trilateral Commission, have an enormous impact on global affairs.

However, has the CFR suffered a coup and it's plans been upended?

Or furthered through capricious acts?

The CFR at the centre of the power hegemony has been joined with the NeoCon Zionists.

The NeoCons in the Project For New American Century think tank wrote the Rebuilding America's Defenses report. The CFR Zionist union is concrete. The Rebuilding America's Defenses report called for a New Pearl Harbour to enable or bolster the call to boost US military programs in 4 key areas as identified in the report. Absent the New Pearl Harbour catalysing event the military upgrade would be intolerably lengthy and thus fail the PNAC cult's desires for US military pre-eminence.

New Zealand - sovereign independent nation or slave to empire?

I have write extensively about the 9/11 false flag production in my papers to the NZ Parliament's Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade select committee consideration of NZ's Intelligence and Security legislation passed early 2017 with the National Government led Parliament's almost unanimous support.

Since November 2014 I have provided my thoughts and suggestions to the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade (FADT) select committee consideration of a number of bills; Countering Foreign Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill 2014, NZ Korea Free Trade Agreement treaty examination, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty and legislation examinations, Maritime Crimes Amendment Bill 2016, Intelligence and Security Bill 2016/17, Comprehensive and Progressive agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (CPTPP) treaty examination 2018.

In addition I've made representation to a few more NZ Parliament select committees including in respect to the following bills; NZ Flag Bill 2015, LGA 2002 Amendment Bill (No2) 2016 (Note LGA is Local Government Act) and recently the Child Poverty Reduction Bill 2018.

I have also offered evidence, thoughts and suggestions to government in respect to processes they undertake to inform and engage the democracy in important matters. On the question of climate change, I offered in relation to the Government's public consultation on NZ's Independent Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the Paris Climate Accord UNFCCC in May of 2015. I also offered in relation to the consideration of New Zealand’s priorities in the international climate change negotiations.

From 2013 I have been active in the campaign to disperse awareness of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) including its implications for NZ's local government sector, regulated through the Local Government Act of 2002.

That might contextualise my interest in the above mentioned LGA Amendment Bill (No2) 2016, which proposed further Central Government constraint through forced amalgamation ballots and encouragement of Public Private Partnerships for the funding of infrastructure as opposed to using its powers to assist local government attain low interest government bonds for the development of productive or necessary infrastructure and public assets.

The duty of government

GENEVA (15 March 2018) – Alfred de Zayas the UN’s first Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, shared his seventh and final thematic report to the Human Rights Council at an event on the margins of the Council’s 37th session.

We suggest that the UNHR Council considers formally supporting the 23 principles offered by Alfred de Zayas in his paper to the UNHRC (A/HRC/37/63) in which he "highlights the urgent need to apply human rights principles systematically and uniformly to all entities and endeavours."

De Zayas states “What we see is a financial system rigged in favour of powerful individuals and corporations, unequal participation in governments and international organisations, and communities suffering from a reduction of social services, imposed austerity, privatization of public utilities, the misplaced priorities of political leaders and a general absence of genuine representation,” - UN Human Rights High Commission press release. Image of front matter;

From the media release;

In his full report* – based on six years of work on the mandate – the Independent Expert identifies 23 principles of international order which should guide all individuals and institutions to achieve a more just and inclusive world. Among them, he highlights the supremacy of the UN Charter over all other treaties, the validity of the human rights treaty regime over commercial and other interests, and the inviolability of State sovereignty. “Moreover, any and all exercise of power, especially economic power, must be subject to some democratic controls,” said de Zayas.

On the nature of the global order and how it is directed

Alfred de Zayas' purpose promoting a democratic and equitable international order is undermined by the actions of those who would hack elections for sectarian ends. Global news media are reporting the Facebook Cambridge Analytics scandal through 2018.

Some investigative journalists highlighted the concern late last year, notably Dr. Nafeez Ahmed who offered this prophetic advice in December 2017;

What do NATO, private military contractors, aerospace firms, wine merchants, the NSA, Trump, British property tycoons, Russian oligarchs, and Big Oil have in common? The world’s largest social network.

Imagine a world in which everybody gave away their freedom, willingly, in return for belonging to a toxic network which, rather than enriching their lives, profited from eroding civil discourse, polarizing communities, and manipulating their minds.

Wouldn’t you wonder what was wrong with these people? You would.

And yet that is the world you are about to inhabit, right now.

Unless you do something about it.

Many individuals and organisations use facebook for it's benefit as a connector, however, where we connect with community building, commerce, social enterprise, family, causes and movement in the democracy, Facebook will be mining our data for end user utility and profit. In the case of Cambridge Analytica through unethical and likely unlawful means.

It is only through exposure of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that he will be reviewing the way his operation does business. It is notable that when Facebook commenced operation Zuckerberg committed to the principle that people who joined would control their data. Here it is demonstated that trust is built on a track record, not on blind faith that a person will honour their word.

The CPTPP E-Commerce chapter becomes crucial to the question, “who directs and benefits from one's data?”

The owners of the data and large E-Commerce corporations are excited about CPTPP's E-Commerce Chapter and seeks to spread it to NAFTA and around the World. What is good for them is not necessarily good for democracy and ordinary people's interests.

Requirements of a functioning democracy

Everyone says that transparency and open access to government information is critical to the maintenance of a well functioning democracy. We need to instrumentalise that to ensure public trust in government processes and decision making.

We have seen repeated instances where governments; local, central, NZ, and global claim privilege for the information they hold in order to stop the public from knowing what is being done in our name, and often without our consent.

Trans Pacific Partnership both as TPP and CPTPP iterations were negotiated in secrecy which was only penetrated by leaks. Where has the NZ democracy sanctioned the government to reach agreements to alter NZ legislation then return to NZ with an Agreement and claim it's in the National Interest to Sign and Ratify it. Commercial privilege is claimed. Where has the NZ democracy said yes to Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in trade treaties?

Open Government - Shine light into the workings of Government

The one vehicle which provides a window into NZ Government action is the Official Information Act (OIA) 1982.

Minister for Justice Andrew Little took a question from National MP Brett Hudson 7 December 2017, who asked about Little's proposed review and/or reform of the OIA, Hudson's question, What reform is he planning to make to the Official Information Act 1982?

The NZ Government now confirms that there will be no public consultation on any OIA reform proposals.

The NZ Law Commission 2010 issues paper, The Public's Right to Know (IP18) discussed areas of possible reform relating to New Zealand’s official information legislation. It sought public comment on preliminary proposals. This Issues Paper is part of the Commission’s Review of the Official Information Act 1982 and Parts 1-6 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987;

The The key principle of the Official Information Act 1982 and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 is that official information should be made available unless in the particular case there is good reason for withholding it.

What is needed – please help

Recommendations and conclusion

The people need the withholding of information to be subject to public interest. Section 6 of the New Zealand OIA particularly must be amended. The image below is my comment on the Open Government Partnership to reform official information laws, my comment relating to Sec 6.

(From: https://www.opengovpartnership.nz/what-is-an-open-government-partnership-action/reform-official-information-laws-and-refocus-the-open-data-and-information-programme-to-publish-social-environmental-and-budget-expenditure-data )

In fact all the suggestions developed by the Open Government Partnership workshops and the public on the OIA Act ought be considered to assist New Zealand's Government to be institutionally uncorruptable in their affairs both domestically and internationally. Where true open government is enabled then the war party will find it increasingly difficult to do their corrupting work.

I'm more than happy to assist the UN's investigations in any way I am able.

Ends.