Category: New Zealand

Richard Tankersley has finished up in his position as Human Rights Commissioner, after nearly ten years working for the Commission. Tankersley, affiliated with Kai Tahu, Kati Mamoe and Waitaha, was based in Christchurch and was appointed the part-time role in 2008. His appointment, like all positions at the Human Rights Commission, was fixed-term. In his […]

Over the past seven years, fifteen prisoners have made complaints about being sexually assaulted by their cellmates. In data released to RNZ under the Official Information Act by the Department of Corrections, 15 prisoners who were subjected to double-bunking have come forward complaining of being sexually assaulted between 2010 – 2016. Stephen Mark Gotty, a […]

Ladyhawke and Madeleine Sami have announced they will be welcoming a baby into the world this October. New Zealand songstress, Ladyhawke, shared the couple’s news on Instagram, posting a photo of her baby bump with the caption “Yep! Your eyes do not deceive you. That is indeed a messy bedroom. #ohandimpregnant #dueinoctober ????????????” The couple […]

James Laverty, also known as Miss Chocolate Box, was violently assaulted last week outside of his workplace, Family Bar. Detective Senior Sergeant Nina Pedersen of the Auckland City Police says the violent assault took place just before 1 am on Sunday 16 July and as a result, Laverty “suffered serious injuries to his jaw, cheek […]

Eighteen months on, the Department of Corrections has yet to produce the Transgender Action Plan that would ensure the safety of trans prisoners.  The Auckland Pride Board did not allow the Department to march in the February 2017 Parade due to this lack of action.  Ms Lexie Matheson, acting co-chair of the Auckland Pride Board […]

Paul Heard, who worked for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation for seven and a half years as the Community Engagement Coordinator, has left the organisation. NZAF Executive Director Jason Meyers says that “NZAF received Paul Heard’s resignation in late May. We are grateful for his service to the community […] and wish him well for […]

A Dunedin Police Officer has been revealed as the person convicted of charges relating to the harassment of a man who feared for his life. Radio New Zealand reports that over two years the Officer, Jeremy Fraser Buis, 39, carried out acts that included uploading the victim’s image to a dating website, spray-painting the victim’s […]

The Labour Party has announced that if elected, it will fund a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PReP) drug and boost funding for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. The pledge comes as the numbers of new HIV transmissions reaches a record high of 244 diagnosis in one year, continuing an upward trend since 2011. The NZAF aims to […]