Asia Pacific Report
The planning and policy committee of New Zealand’s largest city today voted decisively to review its procurement policies to ensure it is in step with the UN Human Rights Council which has listed companies complicit with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestine Territory.
Auckland Council is the local body governing a “super city” with a population of more than 1.8 million people — almost a third of the country’s total population.
The council’s policy, planning and development committee voted 14 to 2 with 4 abstentions to call for a review report by July about sanctioning UN-listed companies over illegal Israeli settlements.
- READ MORE: NZ’s third-largest city sanctions Israel over illegal Palestine settlements
- Other Occupied Palestine reports
“Israel has been stealing Palestinian land and moving Israeli settlers onto the land in defiance of international law,” said Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) co-chair Maher Nazzal.
“The local Palestinian community and our supporters sincerely thank the Auckland councillors who today have voted for steps to refuse to procure goods or services from any of the companies involved in building and maintaining these settlements,” he said in a statement.
“Auckland ratepayers deserve to know their rates are not being used to support Israeli war crimes, as designated by the UN General Assembly, Security Council, international conventions and the International Court of Justice.
Councillor Julie Fairey moved the resolution calling for the report “on the alignment of Auckland Council policies and practices with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334”.
She rejected the arguments of councillors who opposed it by arguing that the council should “stick to its knitting”. She responded that decisions should be made so that “the needles and the wool don’t have blood on them”.
Six local bodies have acted
The resolution was seconded by councillor Sarah Peterson-Hamlin.
Councillor Maurice Williamson voted against the resolution.
However, as a cabinet minister of the Key/English National government at the time, he stated he had supported New Zealand co-sponsorship of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in 2016, calling Israeli settlements “a flagrant breach of international law”.
Williamson then went on to attack the UN Human Rights Council, falsely claiming it was chaired by Iran, when in fact its current president is Indonesian Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro.
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s Kathy Ross presented a submission in support of the motion.
“Already six different local bodies have taken this step — it’s good to see Auckland following along the same path,” Nazzal said.
New Zealand’s third-largest city, Christchurch, voted to sanction Israel in October 2024.
A strong contingent of supporters for the Auckland resolution were present for the debate and delighted with the result.
