Source: Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand
A real say in the decisions that shape our lives
With the general election approaching, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand has launched More Voices, a national campaign asking how people can have greater influence over decisions that affect their lives, their whānau and their communities. Amnesty will hear directly from communities and use what it learns to develop proposals for more open and accountable government decision-making.
The campaign begins as voters prepare for the general election on Saturday 7 November. Enrolment closes at midnight on Sunday 25 October. Amnesty says the election is an immediate chance for people to express their right to participate, but having a voice cannot begin and end at the ballot box. All people should be able to influence laws and public decisions before they are settled.
More Voices responds to concerns about rushed lawmaking and processes that limit scrutiny or leave people living with the consequences of decisions without a meaningful seat at the table. Amnesty says the problem is not confined to one party or one term of government.
“How government makes decisions can be as important as the decisions themselves. When people affected by a law are shut out, scrutiny is limited and change is rushed through with urgency, the risk to their rights grows,” says Jacqui Dillon, Executive Director of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand.
More Voices brings Amnesty’s “Is it human? Is it right?” lens to government decision-making, asking whether the people affected are heard and their rights protected before decisions are made. For Amnesty, participation must give people a genuine chance to shape a decision while there is still room to change it. Asking for views after the direction has been set is not meaningful influence. The consequences of those decisions are felt in everyday life, by people, whānau and communities.
More Voices asks questions like: “What would make it easier for you to have a real say in the decisions that affect your life, your whānau and the people around you?”
More Voices is ultimately about people feeling heard, valued and able to influence decisions that affect their lives and the lives of people they care about. Amnesty will bring together the recurring themes in the responses and use those findings to shape the next stage of the campaign. That work will include ideas for improving participation, transparency and accountability in central and local government decision making.
“In Aotearoa, this work must begin with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and affirming tino rangatiratanga. Decision making is better when it’s grounded in respectful relationships and Te Tiriti is the starting point for right and just relationships in Aotearoa,” Dillon says.
More Voices will launch in public through a series of open long-table conversations during September and October with the first event this Friday 25 September at Freyburg Place in central Auckland. Anyone can take a seat and join the discussion.
The long tables are the public starting point for More Voices. The wider campaign will continue through the election and beyond, combining community listening, stories from people affected by public decisions, practical participation tools and advocacy for better decision-making.
Amnesty has also published two free resources: a guide to engaging with decision-makers and a guide to effective lobbying. They are designed to help people raise an issue with local candidates and elected representatives.
People can take part in the campaign and download resources at https://www.morevoices.nz/.