ANFS Calls For National Day Of Action

Aotearoa NZ is Not for Sale - Response to Passing of Legislation Allowing the Partial Selling of Major SOEs

The National led government has arrogantly dismissed the loud and growing public opposition to the bill, treating the people of New Zealand with contempt. The ANFS coalition calls upon all concerned New Zealanders to join in a National Day of Action on Saturday July 14 to show the Government that the people of Aotearoa NZ will not be ignored.

The legislation to sell off 49% of major SOEs passed in Parliament yesterday by a wafer-thin majority of just one vote after being rammed through under urgency, five weeks before the reporting date allowed by Parliament. What Parliament does, the streets can undo. Rushing such controversial legislation has undermined due parliamentary process as well as potential Treaty claims, and denied groups and individuals who oppose the bill the right to have their voices be heard and validated with any meaning. We will make it clear to potential buyers that if they purchase shares, they do so against the wishes of most of the population.

Aotearoa NZ Is Not For Sale continues to reject the claim by the National Government that they have a mandate to do this. Over 75% of people in New Zealand strongly oppose the plans in media polls, and of the 1,448 submissions presented on the issue, 1,421 were against it. “The Prime Minister’s dismissal of people’s valid concerns on the partial sale of these SOEs is frankly offensive”, says ANFS spokesperson Miriam Pierard. “He claims with superiority that the public does not understand the issue, but his own vague explanations of what the selling of these assets really means brings no light to the matter. We already own these assets, which have been built up by generations of New Zealanders. If we want to keep any decision-making power over them then we now have to buy shares in them. The average New Zealander cannot afford to do this when an elite of only 10% of New Zealanders invest in the share market, and why should they have to?” As one submitter stated, “We are robbing the future by selling off something paid for in the past”.

Protesters gathered in Auckland outside Mercury Energy offices and in Wellington outside Parliament yesterday to protest the passing of the bill and condemn the dismissal of their concerns by the National Government. The Aotearoa is Not For Sale coalition continues to help opposition groups gather signatures for the referendum, and is organising a National Day of Action across the country on July 14. The ANFS coalition calls upon all concerned New Zealanders to join in this National Day of Action on Saturday July 14 to show the Government that the people of Aotearoa NZ will not be ignored. Already endorsed by Labour, Mana, the Council of Trade Unions, We Are the University, Unite Union and Socialist Aoteaora, support for this protest is rapidly growing.

Saturday July 14 will see a march and people's festival with stalls and music happening in Auckland from 2pm, meeting at Britomart and marching with defiance up Queen Street to reclaim our streets once more. We will bring the march to Myers Park to enjoy festivities into the late afternoon. We warmly call upon all other areas of Aotearoa New Zealand to organise actions on this day as well, and coordinate with the Auckland group to gain support, inspiration and information. This is the winter of our dissent.

We will not be divided like our assets. We will be united, we will not be silenced, we will resist this together.

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