Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
A: Change your Kiwisaver provider
As the ceasefire in the Middle East holds, Israeli state forces have begun mass arrests of Palestinian citizens of Israel involved in peaceful solidarity actions in support of Palestinians in Gaza, occupied Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian Territories.
Needless to say no effort is being made to track and arrest the hundreds of Jewish Israelis who chanted “Death to Arabs” through many cities across Israel during its heavy bombardment of Gaza.
We have been asked numerous times – what can New Zealanders do to help the Palestinian struggle?
One thing New Zealanders can do is to change their Kiwisaver provider.
Over the past year PSNA has contacted all 29 registered Kiwisaver providers to ask if they have any investments in the 112 companies identified by the United Nations Human Rights Council as complicit in the construction and maintenance of illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
The Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are illegal under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The UNHRC media release and link to the full report are here.
Six Kiwisaver companies have informed us they have no investments in any of these 112 companies.
AmanahNZ KiwiSaver Limited (www.amanahnz.com)
Generate Investment Management Limited (www.generatekiwisaver.co.nz)
Milford Funds Limited (www.milfordasset.com)
NZ Anglican Church Pension Board (www.christiankiwisaver.nz)
Pathfinder Asset Management (www.caresaver.co.nz)
Pie Funds Management Limited (www.junokiwisaver.co.nz)
PSNA is beginning a campaign to ask New Zealanders to shift their Kiwisaver funds to one of these six providers.
The other 25 companies cannot give the assurances we have sought and some have been quite rude about it. If any of them change their policies and abandon investment in these companies then we will add their names to the list.
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
