Is Christchurch the Capital of Hate-Crime?

Opinion Piece

28th November 2022

Has Christchurch learnt nothing since the horrors of the Christchurch Mosque Massacre on 15th March 2019? This city saw religious and racial discrimination play out in the most publicly brutal manner...yet today, religious and racial discrimination is still very much alive and well in this city.

Freedoms New Zealand suddenly received word on Friday that the venue for our public roadshow tonight had been cancelled. Cancel culture struck again. This is hate, pure and simple.

The email from The Aurora Centre at Burnside High School read:

“We will not be proceeding with the hire of the Aurora centre on 28th November. Subsequent to the signed hire agreement being sent back to you by our venue team, the hire has come to the attention of Senior management and the Board of Trustees. The school's Senior Management and Board of Trustees will be cancelling hire of the venue in respect of clause 11.6 in the signed venue licence agreement.”

Never one to back down from standing up to bullies and what is right our Freedoms NZ team gave the operations manager for The Aurora Centre a phone call and recorded the conversation. The conversation transcript excerpt goes as follows:

Freedoms NZ: “I’m just wanting to understand what’s happening Richard”

The Aurora Centre: “Well, the management team have overriddden the booking”

Freedoms NZ: “Do you know why that is?”

The Aurora Centre: “Because we’ve...ummm....urrrrr....our understanding is there’s reasonably strong links with Brian Tamaki” (Faint voice in background “and Destiny Church”)

Freedoms NZ: “and???...is that someone in the background saying Destiny Church?”

The Aurora Centre: “Yes”

Freedoms NZ: “What is the issue?”

The Aurora Centre: “I need to refer you to the management that’s made this decision, sorry. It’s above me. If I can use this number and get her to phone you back.”

Freedoms NZ: “Well, I’m just wanting to understand, are we being discriminated against...for religious beliefs...or for our race...or what is it?

The Aurora Centre: “It all comes down to ethos of Burnside High School.”

Freedoms NZ: “Which is....?”

The Aurora Centre: “Accepting of everybody with race, creed or whatever else, and I’ll hand you other to my Principal that has made the decision.”

We are still waiting to hear back from the said Principal.

The hypocrisy is The Aurora Centre are actually going against their very own ethos. They are NOT accepting of everybody regardless of race or creed or whatever else.

Is it because we’re a political party that is aligned to people in the freedom community? It can’t be....another new political party recently hired the Aurora Centre for their public meeting without any hassle. That party would probably say it also aligns with freedoms and rights issues.

Is it because people involved in Freedoms NZ have personal religious beliefs or are considered controversial? Quite possibly. Yet, a more controversial church books The Aurora Centre every Sunday. Thanks to David Farrier that church has controversially been in the news a lot in recent times. So, is this religious discrimination towards only some faiths, similar to what the mosque shooter did when he targeted the Islamic faith?

Is this racial discrimination? We do have to wonder. These other political parties with European leaders or controversial churches with European leaders are deemed acceptable venue hirers to the Burnside High School Board.

Burnside High School is one of the largest secondary schools in this nation. Is this how our educational institutions should be behaving? What has happened to freedom of thought and freedom of speech...is that not taught or encouraged anymore? On a Monday night, when no students are even present at school, apparently, a political meeting by Freedoms NZ is not acceptable at their venue. They have one rule for some and another rule for others.

Supposedly The Aurora Centre prides itself on being professional...(in their words from their website)...”after school hours, the centre is run as a professional venue, hosting many touring acts and community events.” We’d hardly call this professional behaviour. Quite frankly it’s hate! It’s discrimination.

Which begs the question, would the senior management and board of Burnside High School be liable under Kiri Allan’s proposed Hate Speech laws that are ‘supposedly’ designed to protect us ALL from hate due to our race or religious beliefs? And could the Burnside High School board be the first in line to be charged under this Hate Speech law? Or does Kiri’s Hate Speech law only protect those who agree with their government-mandated narrative?

Regardless, we are not deterred. Tonight’s Freedoms New Zealand meeting is still going ahead. Fortunately at a much bigger venue, at a much fairer price, and without the bigotry. Join us tonight as the Freedoms NZ team address current issues facing Christchurch.

FREEDOMS NZ ROADSHOW:

7pm Monday 28th November 2022

8061/81 Bickerton Street, Wainoni, Christchurch