GPJA #507: Next Fri & Sat – Protest Israel’s war on Gaza

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER No. 507, July 11, 2014

WHAT’S ON IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND

Saturday, July 12, 3.30-5.30pm, 766 Sandringham Rd, Mt Roskill
Living wage seminar featuring migrant communities and MP’s.

Sunday, July 13, 10am, Kumeu Arts Centre, 300 Main Rd, Behind the Kumeu Library.
Maui’s Dolphins Defenders Rally. Time: 10 am for a 10.30 start. March to local MP John Key’s electoral office. Supported by: Maui’s & Hector’s Dolphins Defenders NZ! Our unique, endemic, gorgeous wee dolphins are under threat! Join us to celebrate our unique dolphins AND pressure John Key to save them! Assemble at Kumeu Arts Centre, slow walk to PM John Key’s electoral office – 365 Main Road, Kumeu at 10.30am. Group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1518731841601174/

www.facebook.com/events/650786461678794/?source=1

https://www.facebook.com/wwfnewzealand/app_720407071325025

Maui’s & Hectors Dolphins Education Action http://nzdolphins.wix.com/nzdolphins

Sunday, July 13, 7pm, The Vic Cinema, 48-56 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland

"Alice Walker – Beauty in Truth" is a compelling story on an extraordinary women’s journey from her birth in a shack in the cotton fields of Putnam County, Georgia to her reognition as a key writer of the 20th Century."

"She made history as the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the National Book Award in 1983 for her novel “The Color Purple.”The award-winning novel served as the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film and was adapted for the stage, opening at New York City’s Broadway Theatre in 2005, and capturing a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2006.

Doors open: 7pm for 7:30pm start. $20 per ticket or $25 which includes an ice cream or glass of wine. Tickets available through the North Shore Womens Centre on 4444618 or email us on women.ctr. Tickets also available from Auckland Womens Centre – Ph: 376 3227 ext 0 or Womens Bookshop (cash only), 105 Ponsonby Rd, Ph: 376 4339

Wednesday, July 16, 5.30pm – 7pm, Edmund Rice Centre, 123 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland

Auckland Refugee Council & The Edmund Rice Centre Invite You To Meet With Phil Glendening. Phil is an international advocate on the issues of refugees and asylum seekers, rights of indigenous peoples and climate change. He has been Director of the Edmund Rice Centre in Sydney since its inception in 1996 and is also currently President of the Refugee Council of Australia. With a background in education, law, political science, and overseas aid and development, today he is primarily involved with human rights advocacy and education, peace and reconciliation work, raising awareness of climate change on marginalised peoples. Phil is in NZ as a keynote speaker at the Advocacy in Aotearoa From Grassroots to the United Nations Conference 17th & 18th July 2014. Come and join us for a frank and open discussion of advocacy issues particularly (but not exclusively) as they affect refugees and asylum seekers. Parking available behind the Centre. RSVP: arci.exec

Wednesday, July 16, 5pm, Unitec Lecture Theatre (B510-B007), Waitakere campus, 5-7 Ratanui Street, Henderson

Selina LeDoux-Taua’aletoa on Pasifika Models. You are warmly invited to join leaders in the social practice sector for a fortnightly evening lecture. Each 45 minute session looks at multidisciplinary approaches to social justice and is followed by a Q&A and light refreshments. Joining us for the fifth lecture is Department of Social Practice lecturer, Selina LeDoux-Taua’aletoa. Selina’s presentation is based on her thesis research into Samoan multigenerational households and their place in Aotearoa. Admission: $10 (complimentary for field educators and supervisors)

July 17 & 18, St. Peter’s College Hall, 23 Mountain Road, Grafton, Auckland

Advocacy in Aotearoa – From the Grassroots to the United Nations. Event page and online registration: http://tinyurl.com/adaotearoa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/advocacyinaotearoa Hosted and sponsored by the Edmund Rice Centre. Workshops and presentations by: Child Poverty Action Group, JustSpeak, Generation Zero, Caritas, NZ Refugee Council,

Centre for NZ Progress, P3, ER Justice Trust, ER International, Justice and Peace Commission, CDA. Guest Speakers: Sue Bradford and Phil Glendenning. Focus issues are: Child Poverty, Youth Justice, Refugees and Asylum Seekers and Climate Change. We are expecting approximately 100 participants from all over New Zealand. There are scholarships/subsidies available for people that can’t afford the conference fee.

Friday, July 18, 12..30-1.30pm, Embassy of Israel, 36 Brandon St (off Lambton Quay), Wellington

Rally against the ongoing assault on Palestine and the Palestinian people, including the killing of Palestinians (including 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, murdered brutally by Israeli settlers), the bombing of Gaza, the mass arrests of over 600, and the raids, attacks, tear-gassing, invasions and closure that Palestinians are being subjected to. Initiated by Students for Justice in Palestine: Victoria University of Wellington and the International Socialist Organisation, NZ. Endorsed by BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) Wellington.

Saturday, July 19, 2pm, Aotea Square

March in solidarity with Palestine -to end outside US consulate. Rally against the ongoing assault on the Palestinian people. We will be laying a pair of shoes and the name of every victim of the latest wave of escalating Israeli brutality at the entrance of the US consulate. It is a symbolic gesture that will do little to ease the hearts and minds of grieving families of sons, daughters, brothers, mothers and sisters who will never see Eid. However, let us acknowledge the dead our news channels continue to dehumanise. So PLEASE BRING SHOES to place for a few moments of silence. Please also bring placards, banners etc and share.

Why? Because Israel’s disproportionate violence is not inevitable or accidental. It has happened in a broader political context of ongoing siege, occupation, colonisation, mass-incarceration, subjugation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing in Palestine. The worlds eyes are on the region now, but a child has died on average every 3 days at the hands of Israel between 2000-2013, we demand justice, equality and freedom for ALL the victims of Israeli aggression who suffer under its weight, walls, checkpoints, settlements and watchtowers every single day.

Protests are being organized in cities around the world to respond to the ongoing assault on Palestine and the Palestinian people, including the murders of Palestinians (including 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, murdered brutally by Israeli settlers), the bombing of Gaza and the killing of over 50 Palestinians by occupation forces, the mass arrests of over 900, and the raids, attacks, tear-gassing, invasions and closure that Palestinians are being subjected to. http://samidoun.ca/2014/07/take-action-protests-around-the-world-respond-to-assault-on-palestine/

Wellington action: https://www.facebook.com/events/1445924692327106/

Important note:

Taken from a Palestinian statement:

"A key principle of our movement for freedom, justice, and equality: The struggle for our inalienable rights is one opposed to all forms of racism and bigotry, including, but not limited to, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Zionism, and other forms of bigotry directed at anyone, and in particular people of color and indigenous peoples everywhere.

We oppose the cynical and baseless use of the term anti-Semitism as a tool for stifling criticism of Israel or opposition to Zionism, as this assumes simply because someone is Jewish, they support Zionism or the colonial and apartheid policies of the state of Israel – a false generalization.

Our struggle is anchored in universal human rights and international law in opposition to military occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid, something people of conscience of all ethnicities, races, and religions can support.

Finally, we call on people around the world to join us in a morally consistent stance that opposes racism and bigotry in all forms. An ethical struggle for justice and equal rights in any context entails zero tolerance for racial discrimination and racism anywhere."

That means zero tolerance for racism and hate speech at this event 🙂

This event is endorsed by:
Palestine Human Rights Campaign;
Global Peace and Justice Auckland;
Kia ora Gaza;
Students for Justice in Palestine.

Monday, July 21, 6-7pm, Stone Lecture Theatre, Faculty of Law, Building 801, Level 3, A, 9 Eden Crescent, Auckland

Public Lecture by Professor James Anaya: "Indigenous Peoples Rights & Business Responsibilities: Lessons from Six Years as UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples". http://www.law.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/events-1/events/events-2014/2014/07/public-lecture-by-professor-james-anaya.html

Tuesday, July 29, 1.30-6pm, Graduate Women Room, Old Government House (Upstairs), Princes Street, University of Auckland

Revisiting Gender, Power and the Body Politic – Politics and International Relations Symposium, School of Social Sciences. Session 1: 1.30-3pm, ‘Intimate Justice: The Black Female Body and the Body Politic’. Dr Shatema Threadcraft, Rutgers University, New Jersey. ‘Intersectionality, power and the body politic in feminist development research’, Dr Anita Lacey, Politics and IR, University of Auckland. Chair: Dr Katherine Smits, Politics and IR, University of Auckland

Session 2: 3.30-5pm: ‘Julia Gillard and the Gender Wars’, Professor Linda Trimble, University of Alberta, Canada. ‘”Now you see it, now you don’t?” Gender and the Chilean presidential election campaigns of Michele Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei’. Dr Jane Christie and A/P Jennifer Curtin, Politics and IR, University of Auckland. Chair: Dr Valentina Cardo, Media, Film and Television, University of Auckland. ALL WELCOME. Refreshments provided. For further information and to RSVP for catering purposes contact Jennifer Curtin on j.curtin

Wednesday, July 30, 7.30pm, St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St, Ponsonby, Auckland

CPAG’s Annual General Meeting Followed by: Election Year Political Forum. Come along, meet the CPAG team, chat to fellow supporters, learn more about what we’re doing and grill some MPs on child poverty! Light refreshments provided, limited space available so please RSVP.

Thursday, July 31, 6pm to 7.30pm, Room 1, Conference Centre, 30 The Terrace, Wellington

West Papua: human rights and media freedom. You are invited to a public meeting with Victor Mambor, Alliance of Independent Journalists in Papua, Editor of Tabloid Jubi, Human rights defender. Victor is a leading human rights defender in Indonesian occupied West Papua. He is Editor of the Jayapura-based newspaper and website Tabloid Jubi, Chairperson of West Papua’s Alliance of Independent Journalists, and a contributor to Al Jazeera. Victor is a prominent advocate for freedom of the press and open access for international journalists and UN monitors to Papua. His outspokenness is courageous given that journalism is a risky profession in West Papua – AJI documented 20 cases of violence and intimidation against journalists in 2013. Victor also supports grassroots journalism and devotes his skills and experience to the training of NGO activists in media and communication skills. Organised by Peace Movement Aotearoa and Va’aomanu Pasifika, please RSVP to pma tel 04 382 8129 or at https://www.facebook.com/events/309949635847814/ Links: On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/309949635847814/ A4 Poster – http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/papua-wgtn-31july14.pdf

Friday, August 1, 6.30-8.30pm, Saturday 2 August, 9am-5pm, Faculty of Law, The University of Auckland, Level 2 (Friday) and Level 3 (Saturday), 9 Eden Crescent, Auckland

The latest from on the ground in West Papua. The urgent need to improve media and international NGO access to West Papua. New Zealand’s historical and current complicity with Indonesia, including providing police and military training and condoning environmental exploitation. Support for West Papua in Melanesia and Indonesia’s attempts to undermine this support through the Melanesian Spearhead Group. Is West Papua the new East Timor? Political panel with representatives from major parties. Find the event on maire .

Friday, August 1, Saturday August 2, SkyCity Cinema, Auckland
HOT AIR is the story of twenty years of political struggle between politicians, scientists and activists wanting to reduce New Zealand’s emissions, and corporate leaders and their lobbyists working to protect profits and commercial advantage. HOT AIR, a new documentary by Alister Barry & Abi King-Jones, will be screening in the upcoming New Zealand International Film Festival in Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch, Hamilton & Palmerston North. In 2013 Alister Barry won the Bruce Jesson Foundation’s Senior Journalism Award to assist in completion of the film. See http://www.hotairfilm.co.nz for session dates & times. Auckland Screening Times: Friday 1 August 1:00 p.m. SKY CITY CINEMA; Saturday 2 August 3:30 p.m. SKY CITY CINEMA.

Monday, August 4

Peace Movement Aotearoa – WW1 anniversary: Peace vigils on 4 August. Links:

• On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement-aotearoa/ww1-anniversary-peace-vigils-4-august-2014/700099006704138
• Formatted for printing – http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/ww1vigils.pdf
• World War One web page – http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/ww1.htm

Monday, 4 August, is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, "the war to end all wars". Peace Movement Aotearoa, in association with Quakers, is coordinating nation-wide candle-lit vigils on 4 August, in conjunction with pacifist and peace groups in other parts of the world who will be holding vigils to mark the anniversary and to highlight our mutual belief that conflict must be resolved peacefully rather than by war.
The three themes for the vigils in Aotearoa New Zealand are remembrance, ending war, and promoting peace. The vigils are at 6pm on Monday, 4 August, at local war memorials or other suitable locations, and will all have the same messages based on the three themes above.
The details for each vigil will be added to the World War One web page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/ww1.htm as soon as they are confirmed
If you are interested in helping to organise the vigil in your area, or have ideas for messages on banners and placards, please contact Peace Movement Aotearoa email pma or tel 04 382 8129 as soon as possible. Thank you.

August 5,6,7, 8.30am-4.30pm, WINZ, 93 Mascott Ave, Mangere

AAP Impact. Learn your rights from trained advocates.

Wednesday, August 6, 7.30pm, Ponsonby Primary School, Curran St, Auckland.

‘Tick for Kids’ – Auckland Central Candidates forum. Come hear Auckland Central candidates from across the political spectrum answer the important questions on children’s rights to quality education, health,ousing and income. Jacinda Ardern (Labour) and Denise Roche (Green Party) Miriam Pierard (Internet Mana) confirmed. National and New Zealand First speakers tbc. Special guest speaker Peter O’Connor, Associate Professor Critical Studies in Education from University of Auckland.

Tuesday, August 12

Saturday, August 30, 3pm, Britomart Transport Centre, Queen St, Auckland in Auckland
A30. MARCH TO BRING DOWN THIS ROTTEN GOVERNMENT. Its time to mobilise and bring down John Key’s National Party Government. Increase the protests, strengthen the campaigns, register the working class and poor to get them out. Lets organise a national day of Action on Saturday August 30th. Spread this event like wildfire.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Auckland regugee council volunteer needed.
The Auckland Refugee Council Inc. is looking for a Volunteer to assist our Hostel Manager/Social Worker. We welcome applications for the above vacancy, particularly people from a refugee background. We have attached Background Information and a Job Description. Please distribute this to your networks or people that may be interested. CV’s and cover letters should be forwarded to Jenny Bielby at arci.hostel . The closing date for all applications is the 21st July 2014. Kind regards, Administrator, Auckland Refugee Council Inc., Tel: 09 378 7434, PO Box 78 024, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245. www.aucklandrefugeecouncil.org

FREE WEBINAR: 10 SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES FOR NGOS

Through a partnership with the Public Interest Registry – the nonprofit responsible for managing the .ORG domain and the soon-to-be launched .NGO and .ONG domains, Nonprofit Tech for Good will be presenting a free webinar series for NGOs worldwide starting in July. Entitled 10 Social Media Best Practices for NGOs, the webinar will train NGOs, nonprofits, and charities on how they can better utilize social media to showcase their programs and fundraise online. The 90-minute webinar will:

• Highlight the shift from to broadcast to social communications and fundraising.
• Demonstrate the top three best practices for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• Discuss how to tell your nonprofit’s story through video, images, and infographics.
• Explain how to create an editorial calendar for social media communications.
• Present a system for tracking and reporting your success.

The webinar is being offered three times to accommodate NGOs in multiple time zones and the content of each webinar will be tailored to fit the region it is being presented for. Register below for the webinar that best suits your time zone. Webinars will be capped at 1,000 attendees, so to ensure that as many NGOs as possible can attend, please only register for one webinar:

• July 17: 9am EDT (New York), 2pm BST (London), 4pm EAT (Nairobi)
• August 21: 9am SGT (Singapore), 11am AEST (Sydney), 1pm NZST (Wellington)
• September 18: 9am AKDT (Anchorage), 10am PDT (Vancouver), 1pm EDT (New York)

Services Offered by Nonprofit Tech for Good

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We are seeking passionate community volunteers to work alongside the Project Coordinator on daily food rescue runs. Our drivers pick up fresh produce and bread on a daily basis, from designated companies who are contracted to Fair Food, which is then sorted into appropriate boxes in the back of our Fair Food van. They then distribute the food to Community organisations on a scheduled run, which varies daily. Fair Food operates between 9am – 3pm (times may vary), Monday to Friday. We have a volunteer training day on Mondays for 1 person at a time – meeting in Henderson at 8.30am. Please note: There is heavy lifting involved as well as climbing up and down ladders There is a considerable amount of time spent in the van. Full Driver’s License preferred. All applicants will be police checked and asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. If you are interested in being a part of our team and meet the above criteria – we look forward to hearing from you. Contact Travena on info

JOIN THIS YEAR’S AUSTRALIAN SOLIDARITY DELEGATION TO VENEZUELA DECEMBER 2 – 13, 2014
Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network. Registrations are now open for the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s 2014 solidarity tour to revolutionary Venezuela.
http://links.org.au/node/3700