This home is Occupied.

In Glen Innes, elderly Niki has been threatened with eviction from the home she has lived in for decades. Her state home has been sold to a redevelopment company that is trying to make megabucks by gentrifying her neighbourhood.


Niki is refusing to leave her home. And why should she leave? Why should she give into the government's plans to profit by tearing up her community, accepting a precarious new existence that could see her shifted out south?

The developers are going to obtain a possession order this Tuesday, the 24th of January. We need to stop them from evicting her, and this means protecting her house through a mass peaceful sit-in.

This is about saving Niki's home, but it's also about something much bigger. While our rents climb and climb and climb, state housing is being eaten away at. If we don't stand up to this, we will be dragged further towards this new reality where housing is not a right but an expensive, temporary privilege. This affects all of us.

If we stop her eviction, we will ignite hope across Glen Innes and the country that state housing tenants have a right to their homes, and that we can defend them together.

If you are reading this, I am asking you to come to 14 Taniwha Street at 9am on Tuesday. If you can't, come later on the day, or Monday, or whenever you can. We need you.

By Sam Vincent.

This is a community not a Monopoly board- Defend Niki from eviction.

The Nats may still be in power … but yesterday in Glen Innes it was the people who owned the streets. Hundreds of protestors waving banners with ‘Stop the Evictions’ and chanting ‘Stop the War on the Poor!!” marched through the suburb to protest the eviction notice served on Niki Rauti, who is being forced to leave her state home of over 30 years. Two marches, one coming from Tamaki Road and the other leaving from outside the library on Line Road, converged outside Niki’s Taniwha Street home to lend their support and express their anger at the dismantling of state housing under National. Unions, local residents and housing groups were among those united in opposition to the relocation plan.

Shouts of ‘shame!!!’ went upas Niki apologised for not being on the protest for fear they would ‘change the locks’ on her house in her absence.
Speakers emphasised this was just the beginning; some protestors remained to occupy the property, and a telephone contact list was established to summon support at short notice should any attempt be made to physically remove Niki from her home.

In October the Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC) handed Niki a 90-day eviction notice to leave her two-bedroom home. The TRC, a housing development company jointly owned by the Government and Auckland Council, has targeted 2800 state houses to be replaced with new homes over the next 15 years. The government says the move will help ease the housing crisis, but the Tamaki Housing Group  argues that the land is being given to developers who are land banking on empty homes while homelessness increases. It says many of the new homes are being sold for over $800,000 and that house prices in the area have increased from $400,000 to $960,000 since the redevelopment began.

The whole scheme smacks of the social cleansing that is happening throughout Auckland, as rising house prices and spiralling rents edge working class families out of their communities to make way for the wealthy. It’s also symptomatic of an ever increasing social divide, in everything from wages to education. Just two days ago, Oxfam released research showing the richest 1 per cent of Kiwis have 20 per cent of the wealth in New Zealand, with 90 per cent of the population owning less than half of the country's wealth. Meanwhile ordinary Kiwis – from the elderly and vulnerable like Niki to nurses, teachers and retail workers – are struggling to survive on benefits and low wages that are eaten up by rocketing rents.

The march may have been focused on No 14 Taniwha Street, but its importance goes far beyond the situation in Tamaki. It’s about working people, ordinary Kiwi families drawing a line in the sand and saying ‘enough’. The housing crisis won’t be solved by shifting people like Niki from ‘prime real estate’ and sowing insecurity and instability among established communities. What is needed is a massive state house building programme combined with a minimum wage that is a living wage. Unions Auckland Housing Committee Chair Joe Carolan commented after the march: "We need rent controls and decent, healthy affordable accommodation for workers. The main way we can control rents is to flood the market with 100,000 new state houses. We also need an empty house tax of $3,000 a week, to force the owners of Auckland's 33,000 ghost houses to immediately help shelter our people living in cars, garages or the streets."

A sign outside Niki’s home reading ‘This is a community not a Monopoly board’ really summed up what 2017 is shaping up to be about:. People before profit.
Bring it on.

Maria Hoyle, Socialist Aotearoa 

"Her eviction will be theirs"- Defend Niki from the National Government

The social movement of 2017 hit the streets of Glen Innes in strength yesterday to defend Ioela Niki Rauti from eviction at the hands of the State. Activists from many campaign groups united pledging material and physical solidarity to stop the ethnic and social cleansing of working class Glen Innes, built on Maori land to provide "homes for heroes" after the suffering of two world wars and the Depression.

"Sometimes we need to put our bodies on the gears of the machine to stop injustice. There will be resistance to this eviction and solidarity with Ioela Niki Rauti. Her speech was the highlight of the Unite Union Conference before Christmas, and I was glad to see many of our activists and members supporting her yesterday. Other Unions like First Union and the Nurses joined the fight in numbers - it is time the CTU lent it's organisational support to end the Housing crisis this year." said Unions Auckland Housing Committee chair Joe Carolan.

"We need rent controls and decent, healthy affordable accommodation for workers. The main way we can control rents is to flood the market with 100,000 new state houses. We also need an empty house tax of $3,000 a week, to force the owners of Auckland's 33,000 ghost houses to immediately help shelter our people living in cars, garages or the streets."
"This government, and any other, can be beaten by the People Power we saw on Taniwha Street yesterday. We beat them on the TPPA, on Zero Hours contracts- this year is the year the Housing Crisis explodes for Bill English. The downfall of the National government has begun with our solidarity with Niki - her eviction will be theirs".

Joe Carolan is standing as a Socialist candidate for the Mt Albert by election, standing on a platform of rent controls, an empty house tax, and the building of 100,000 new healthy state homes. People Before Profit - #SocialistNZ

Its Official. The "Mad Butchers'" gone Mad!

From working class roots in Wellington. He left school at 15 in 1959.His first job was a newspaper "boy" and then he scored an apprenticeship to become a "Butcher" in Seatoun.

He opened his first Butcher shop in the working class suburb of Mangere. He got his name from a guy in the local pub who called him “the fucking Mad butcher” and the legend was born.


How the fuck can someone with working-class roots turn into such a c%$t! (Pardoned me).
Well, I suppose it has taken him 72 years to get to this point and a few million dollars has probably helped?


This incident involving a young wahine out with her whanau on Waiheke island over the new year’s period seems to have captured attention on Social Media and LSM, with the exception of Mihi Forbes who broke this story on RNZ hours before LSM did last night.

Within a few short hours of the young woman’s Facebook post of a short video release. The Herald & TVNZ rushed to the “White Ole Rich Pricks” defense and gave him National coverage to tell his version of what happened! Oh! He says, “it was a misunderstanding. “She misinterpreted what I really meant?" Obviously? “It was just a bit of Banter?” Oh and the drinking shit too thrown in for good measure! WTF!
His PR spin doctors must have been a bit pissed too!

What part of "Waiheke is a white man's Island and she should not be there” is to be misunderstood or misinterpreted as anything other than institutionalised, indoctrinated white man’s racism?
To make things much worse and is concerning is the speed of LSM coming out in support of him and delivering his Lame-Arse excuse in National Media.

As a descendant of Paoa-Hura from Waiheke I’d like to correct the ole prick. It’s not a “white man’s island.” Much of Waiheke has been bought up by “Rich White Men” that part is true. For holiday homes and/or to make mega-bucks by speculating in the housing bubble.

I wonder if he would have said that to Serena Williams the other day when she had visited Waiheke island. You know, if they had bumped into each other? Probably not? He probably would have drooled all over her like a creepy uncle and welcomed her with an impromptu “White Man’s Haka!”

No excuses, no PR spin. He should be sanctioned severely by the Human Rights Commission, the public & national media. But, I won’t be holding my breath. His spin doctors will continue with the lame arse excuses. He’ll probably now, offer sponsorship of some kind to projects or a “Women’s” sports team or individual. Then the nation will put him back up on the mantelpiece of NZ hero’s?

He should lose his title of “Sir”? If not. From this point forward be known as “Sir Dickhead - of White Man’s Island” from the colony in the South Pacific, New Zealand, the Land of the Old White Prick!

Denny Thompson SA

Anticapitalists Against Trump- NZ socialists speak

AntiCapitalists against Trump- Michael Treen Nadia Filistin Line Lux and Joe Carolan discuss the Trump Presidential victory and what it means for politics in America and elsewhere, on this month's Workers Voice radio show.    http://www.planetaudio.org.nz/workersvoice/player

Ngati Paoa Waka mutiny against US Warship visit

US Election - How it happened & what it means - 30 November - AKL

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13:07

NZ Fabian Society

​​ NZ Fabian Banner US Election - How it happened & what it means - 30 November We will announce the details very soon but meantime, book this space. We are in the midst of organising a panel of 5-

Ngati Paoa - Waka Kotuiti 2 NZ-US Navy & Chilean Death & Destruction Ships & 75th NZ Navy Celebration

A local iwi in Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland NZ, Ngati Paoa is currently rehearsing their part on the waters of Tamaki Makaurau, Okahu Bay of their involvement in NZ Navy's 75th year of celebration.

A Self proclaimed, leader, Hau Rawiri decided to welcome into the Hauraki Gulf, Waitemata Harbour, the USS Sampson & The Chilean Ship the Esmeralda. The latter ship was used by Augusto Pinochet in his reign of terror he imposed upon the people of Chile in the 1970's assisted by the US. 

Both of these ships of death and destruction are not worthy of any kind of celebration or warrant the honour to be welcomed by the waka Kotuiti 2 of Ngati Paoa.

The people of Ngati Paoa were not involved in the decision making to be involved in anyway. 

This has been disturbing news for many of the elders of Ngati Paoa as the history for Ngai Paoa & the NZ Navy in the firth of Thames is one of death and destruction.

At the turn of the 19th century the British Navy had relentlessly bombed villages & Paa along the seabird coast, Pukorokoro/Miranda (not far from Kaiaua-100kms south east from Auckland Central) and killed many of our ancestors. 

"Rangipo pa invasion."

Which is what most of their tupuna did in 1863 when 850 British Bluejackets landed on the western Firth of Thames, after Governor Grey ordered the invasion of the Waikato. They came in warships, shelled pa's and villages and swept ashore. Then the Crown took the land and gave some to the soldiers. The Ngati Whanaunga village of Pukorokoro was renamed Miranda after one of the warships.”

Geoff Cumming Herald Article, 2012.

No apology from the Crown have been made or offered to the people of Ngati Paoa to this day.

The native American Indian in Standing Rock Dakota in the US are been persecuted and denied "Mana Motuhake" and the right to step foot on their own whenua/land right now! 

Does that sound familiar? Many Maaori agree and together, stand in solidarity with the Indigenous Sioux Indian people and supporters against the XL Oil Pipeline and the mighty Militarised Police & National Guard. It has been many months of protesting and legal battles in this period for them all and it looks like it is becoming a war of attrition? Who know what the new President Elect will do?

Many people of Ngati Paoa are opposed to the decision made by Hau Rawiri to lead the War Convoy by escorting the NZ & US, Chilean Navy’s weapons of mass destruction and death into Tamaki Makaurau, Waitemata Harbour in the waka Kotuiti 2. 

We should all be with the people at “Standing Rock” & the Sioux, Native American Indian & protestors, not celebrating the US and NZ Navy’s War Machines especially with the current Settlement negotiations that Ngati Paoa and the Crown are in currently.

It’s a sad time for our Tupuna. 

Comrade Takere

        

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Event in Nelson and other updates

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11:13

Palestine Solidarity Net.

Kia ora, A new Palestine Solidarity group in Nelson is hosting a talk with Marama Davidson on December 4 th . This is also a fundraiser. Pass this on to anyone you know in Nelson who might be

Justice for International Indian Students in New Zealand.

Deportation is a word that sends shivers up most ordinary people’s spines. Having invested all they own and can find financially, emotionally and socially, being deported out of a country that they want to make home temporarily or long term is every migrant’s worst night mare. Social stigma attached to deportation is so overpowering that most people fail to consider that the deportees may be innocent and being victimised.

The issue of deportation orders being handed out to International Indian students in New Zealand has taken over much of the media and political arena to some extent in the last few months. Hundreds of students mainly from Hyderabad and Punjab are affected by the unfair deportations. Unfair because India based unscrupulous immigration agents acting on students’ behalf submitted fraudulent financial documents as evidence for living expenses to Immigration New Zealand. The agents have been committing this fraud together with corrupt Indian bank officials. The students had no knowledge of this fraud. This fraudulent activity has been revealed in an investigation report publicised in June 2016 by Immigration New Zealand’s Mumbai Area Office. How is it fair to punish the students for something they have not done?

Some responsibility must also be taken by the Private Training Establishments (PTE) in this entire mess. Since receiving deportation orders the affected students have been almost abandoned by the PTEs and been referred back to India based agents who are nowhere to be found. Many have been stopped from attending classes. New Zealand Qualification Authority’s code requires all PTEs to comply with Pastoral Care of International Students whereby the PTEs are responsible for the students’ mental health and wellbeing.

However, the largest, the most critical and the most influential responsibility sits with the New Zealand Government. Let us start with the National government list MPs of Indian origin. New Zealand has 2 at present that conform to this category. When requested to intervene on behalf of the affected students, both MPs have been repeating standardised statements handed down from the bosses - the matter is in the hand of Minister of Immigration and it would not be appropriate for them to comment etc. One of the MPs went as far as comparing the students with fridges imported to New Zealand from China that are returned to China if they are found to be faulty on arrival in New Zealand.

The students and their supporters formed a delegation consisting of representatives of the affected students, The Catholic Church in NZ, The Anglican Church in NZ, Secretary of NZ Council of Trade Unions, leading human rights lawyers and members of civil society. This delegation requested in person meeting with the Minister of immigration. After consistently making contact with the Minister’s office for two weeks the delegation’s request was rejected on the basis that the Minister does not deal with individual cases. One has to wonder at the ability of NZ government officials to grasp basic information. Hundreds of students are affected by unfair deportations and the delegation had clearly stated in their request that the aim of the meeting was to seek amnesty for all affected.

Further to this some cabinet ministers and MPs have been claiming in media interviews that many students facing deportation have been involved in criminal activity in New Zealand. This a very careless and irresponsible statement as this manufacture’s public’s consent to label all student facing deportation as criminals. On one hand the government is unwilling to meet the delegation as ‘it would not be appropriate to discuss individual cases while they are being investigated.’ And yet on the other hand the government is happy to label ordinary people as criminals without providing any evidence. Where is justice?

Help has also been sought from the Indian Government by requesting the Indian High Commissioner in New Zealand to intervene. Several tweets have been sent to Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister. Neither have helped in any way.

The actions taken in support of the affected students by Migrant Workers Association along with other supporting organisations (NZ Council of Trade Unions, Unite Union, Socialist Aotearoa, First Union, The Catholic Church, The Anglican Church, The Labour Party of NZ, The Green Party of NZ, The Communist League, Racial Equity Aotearoa, Panthak Vichar Manch, Azad Rang Manch, Radio Inqilaab) have consisted of public meetings, a petition, 5 protests in six weeks, extensive media interviews and many awareness raising sessions. This has now truly turned into a campaign that is gathering strength very fast. The evidence lies in the fact that the Prime Minister of New Zealand and many of his MPs are consistently being asked by media and the public about the student deportations and what the solution is. 2017 is a general election year in New Zealand and before that one of the Auckland constituencies with a large Indian population will have a by-election in December this year. Immigration is one of the main points for most political parties in the upcoming elections but even more so for the governing National party.

Most international students are given entry into New Zealand to study not so useful courses. As a vast majority has to work to live, they end up in jobs that pay very little and mostly well below the legal minimum. New Zealand is effectively bringing in cheap labour under the guise of export education. This government has to stop treating people like commodities and it has to provide meaningful opportunities for all in New Zealand. Like most capitalist countries New Zealand also suffers from concentration of wealth in the hands of few. The ordinary people need to understand this phenomena and hold the government accountable, and not the migrants, for speeding up the killing of an already dying economy.

While the students and their supporters have been successful in building a strong campaign, the journey is not over until the demands have been met.

Student demands are very simple and straightforward:

1. Cancellation of deportation orders
2. Permission to stay in New Zealand to complete education
3. Permission to apply for one year open term work visa upon completion of education

Anu Kaloti

Migrant Workers Association

migrantworkersnz@gmail.com

+64212065640

Tell Bill English - Justice for Indian Students

International Indian students facing deportation from New Zealand continue to fight for justice with a protest planned outside a meeting on Monday evening being attended by National MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar and Minister of Finance Bill English.

The students and their supporters are particularly incensed at the failure of several National MP’s of Indian ethnic origin who claim to represent the Indian community but have been conspicuously silent on this issue

They students say they are victims of unscrupulous India-based immigration agents who have used fake financial documents to get them into the country on student visas. These students had no idea that fake documents were used by their agents. Deporting them for something which they have not done is unfair.

The students held a peaceful protest on 3 Sep outside the offices of National Party list MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar. A petition by the name of ‘Justice for Indian Students in NZ’ will be delivered to the Minister of Immigration and the Prime Minister. There has also been support from the wider community through public meetings.

Earlier this week the issue was raised during question time in Parliament by the Labour Party, The Green Party and New Zealand First.

Representatives from the Catholic Church in Aotearoa, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, the Council of Trade Unions and other members of civil society including Dr Rodney Harrison QC have been requesting to see the Minister of Immigration on behalf of the students for over a week now. The Minister continues to ignore their request.

Despite such outcry from all quarters, the government has not made any efforts to deliver justice to the Indian students. Instead the government continues to portray the Indian students facing deportation as criminals. The students’ future is in the hands of the New Zealand government.

To further the cause of delivering justice for the Indian students facing deportation, a protest has been organised for 6.30pm on Monday 26 Sep outside Lynfield Community Church, 35 The Avenue, Lynfield, Auckland.

Let’s gather Monday 26 Sep at 6.30pm outside Lynfield Community Church, 35 The Avenue, Lynfield, Auckland