Award-winning New Zealand filmmakers support Amnesty International’s Film Festival

 

“What do I do for a living? I live for a living.” – Peter Karena

Acclaimed New Zealand filmmakers Tom and Barbara Sumner Burstyn will attend the Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand screening of their award-winning documentary This Way of Life, at the University of Auckland on Wednesday 27 October. Winner of Best Documentary and Best Director at the 2010 Qantas Film & Television Awards and recently selected for the Oscar qualifying theatrical showcase at Docu Weeks 2010, the film is being screened as part of the Amnesty International Mini Film Festival, ‘Rights, Camera, Action’.

Set against the isolated beaches and mountains of a remote part of the North Island, This Way of Life is an intimate portrait of Peter and Colleen Karena, their six children; and their relationship with each other, nature and horses. In spite of the challenges they face, the Karenas never lose sight of the magic in the everyday. They unite their philosophy with their circumstances, turning hardship into a meaningful and satisfying life.

The Karena family’s choice to live outside of the norm portrays the very different ways people choose to live their lives. “Evicted from land that they have such a strong spiritual connection with touches on some very real indigenous rights issues that we in New Zealand have in our own backyard,” said Amanda Brydon, an Amnesty International intern who is helping organise the film festival.

Following the screening the Burstyns will speak about the film and their journey with the Karenas. Amnesty International Government Relations Manager Chris Kerr will also lead a discussion on the importance of indigenous rights and Amnesty International’s work in this area in New Zealand.

The ‘Rights, Camera, Action’ Film Festival runs from 27-29 October at the University of Auckland, followed by a full day of repeat screenings on 30 October at Waiheke Island’s Artworks Community Theatre. The other films included in the festival are the Ayfer Ergün documentary Against My Will and the exclusive New Zealand premiere of the documentary This Prison Where I Live. Entry to any of the films is by donation, with a recommended koha/donation of $10 (which includes a raffle ticket to Amnesty’s “Action Raffle”).

The interns at Amnesty International are organising the film festival as part of their team challenge to raise awareness of Amnesty’s work around the world. Come along to the festival to show your support for human rights and join in solidarity with human rights defenders wherever they may be.

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CHINA, KOREA AND AUSTRALIA HELP DRIVE VISITOR ARRIVALS TO NEW RECORD TOTAL

Continued growth in visitor arrivals from China, Korea and Australia has set a solid platform for New Zealand’s tourism industry as it heads towards the peak summer season.

The three markets contributed an extra 3,495 visitors over the same month in 2009.  That growth helped push total visitor arrivals for September to 174,200, the highest visitor total ever for the month.

Total arrivals across all markets for the year to September were up +1 percent on the same month in 2009, while over the full year growth is up +3.8 percent.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the increase in visitor arrivals from China and Korea has been driven by robust economic growth in the region.

“The Chinese and Korean economies have gone from strength to strength this year and we are expecting that to translate into continued growth in visitor arrivals during the peak New Zealand holiday season.

“Arrivals from Australia were up slightly in September, setting the stage for a positive full calendar year result from the Australian market. We have a lot ofmarketing activity planned with our airline, trade and regional tourism organisation partners in Australia in coming months which aims to drive more growth over an extended summer period.”

Japan was the only major Asian tourism market to suffer a decline in numbers during September vs prior September, but remains positive +10.3% full year on full year to 87,873.

“The rebound period following last year’s global Swine Flu outbreak is coming to an end and we are optimistic that we will see moderate growth in Japanese visitor numbers this summer,” Kevin Bowler says.

“Tourism New Zealand has launched a massive sales promotion with Japan ’s largest travel agent, JTB, and Air New Zealand has announced an additional 14 charter flights between Japan and New Zealand during the peak season. Indications from travel agents are that forward bookings from Japan are currently ahead of the same period last year.”

Visitor arrivals from New Zealand ’s key western markets remained steady or declined slightly, with the exception of Canada and Germany , which recorded moderate increases in arrivals to New Zealand .

The UK ’s slower than average economic recovery and higher seat prices compared to last year saw it suffer the greatest decline in visitor arrivals to New Zealand in September, dropping by 1,962 visitors, or 18.6 per cent.

International Visitor Arrivals September 2010:

• Australia                                  96,074             up 1.2%
• USA                                          9,658               down 3.8%
• UK                                            8,580               down 18.6%
• China                                       7,480               up 17.9%
• Japan                                       5,500               down 12.1%
• South Korea                            4,290               up 40.9%
• Germany                                  3,344               up 2.7%
• Canada                                    2,112               up 2.6%     

International Visitor Arrivals Full Year to September 2010:

·          Australia                                  1,121,761        up 7.3%

·          USA                                          192,154           down 2.8%

·          UK                                            243,031           down 6.4%

·          China                                       115,396           up 11.1%

·          Japan                                       87,873             up 10.3%

·          South Korea                             63,797             up 15.9%

·          Germany                                  65,105             up 2.4%

·          Canada                                    48,497             down 2.7%

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Tourism New Zealand Supports Kiwi Scenery in The Hobbit

Tourism New Zealand would be deeply disappointed if The Hobbit was to be filmed outside of New Zealand .

Tourism New Zealand General Manager Public Affairs Suzanne Carter says high profile productions such as The Hobbit have the potential to greatly raise the profile of New Zealand overseas.

“The Lord of the Rings films presented New Zealand to the world in a truly spectacular way. From a tourism perspective the flow on effects of these films reach communities across the country with visitors coming to enjoy our unique scenery and lifestyle and using our tourism services as they travel. People are still travelling to New Zealand today because of the exposure gained through the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”

“We would be deeply disappointed if The Hobbit was filmed outside of New Zealand ,” she said.

The Hobbit is a prequel to Peter Jackson’s highly successful trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, which premiered in New Zealand in 2001, 2002 and 2003. All three Lord of the Rings films were filmed in New Zealand 

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Statement on behalf of SPADA, Actors’ Equity and CTU for Hobbits movie

The Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA), Actors’ Equity, and Council of Trade Unions representatives met today, in a meeting facilitated by Minister for Economic Development Gerry Brownlee.




It was a useful and productive discussion.



The parties have agreed to work together to update the conditions of engagement for performers in the New Zealand screen production industry.



The parties believe this process will help to ensure New Zealand remains an attractive screen production environment.

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CPP-NPA as terrorist entities - New Zealand designated

New Zealand has designated a further seven international terrorist groups under the Terrorism Suppression Act, Prime Minister John Key announced today.

The entities are: Indian Mujahideen, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the military wing of Hamas (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades), the Real Irish Republican Army, the Continuity Irish Republican Army, the New Peoples Army/Communist Party of the Philippines, and Hizbollah's military wing (The Islamic Resistance).

"These designations help implement our international obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, which is aimed at preventing the activities of terrorists," says Mr Key.

"All seven of the entities have carried out various terrorist acts, including the indiscriminate killing of civilians.



"As a result of the designations, any assets held by the groups and found in New Zealand either now or in future will be frozen, and it will be a criminal offence to deal with property, or make property or financial services available, to the entities.

"Other support such as fundraising, and recruiting or harbouring terrorists is a criminal offence in New Zealand, regardless of whether a group is designated as a terrorist entity or not.

"These designations are not a response to domestic terrorist threats in New Zealand. They form part of the Government's support for the building of an international bulwark against terrorist activities, wherever they might occur.

"The Government is determined that New Zealand not be used to support terrorist activities," says Mr Key.

To date New Zealand has designated under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 nearly 500 terrorist groups and individuals listed by the UN, and four other terrorist entities not already listed by the UN. These are: Al-Shabaab (Somalia), ETA (Spain), FARC (Colombia) and PKK (Turkey).

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Fiji: Former PM’s rights to free speech and assembly violated

Amnesty International is today calling on the government of Fiji to drop Public Emergency Regulations (PER)-related charges against the country’s former prime minister after he was accused of failing to seek permission to hold a public meeting.

Mahendra Chaudhry, also the current general secretary of the National Farmers Union, was detained on 1 October 2010 with five of his associates in the town of Rakiraki, in the western part of Fiji’s main island. When Mahendra Chaudhry was arrested, he was talking to a group of farmers gathered outside one of their homes.

“Mahendra Chaudhry’s arrest is just the most recent and high profile example of the way in which the PER is used to violate Fijians' human rights,” says Patrick Holmes, Chief Executive Officer of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. “The government’s continued use of the PER acts as a clear deterrent to Fijians seeking to speak and meet freely.”


Under the PER, people are required to get prior permission from the government for public meetings of three or more people. The PER also gives extensive powers to the authorities to detain, fine and imprison those who speak out against the government. Further, the PER exempts government officials from criminal or civil liability.

Mahendra Chaudhry appeared in court on 4 October and was granted bail. He is due to appear in court again today.


Since its promulgation in April 2009, the PER has been used to hold dozens of people in short term detention merely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.


Journalists, opposition politicians and government critics have been subjected to threats, intimidation and violence by security forces since the abrogation of the country’s constitution and the imposition of emergency rule in April 2009.

The PER is being used to deny the Fijian people their right to express their views freely in public about matters that impact on their lives, Amnesty International says.


Those who express any views that are interpreted as anti-government are dealt with harshly by the authorities.


“Mahendra Chaudhry’s arrest and charges under the PER are a violation of his rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, and are symptomatic of the human rights violations that Fiji’s citizens continue to be subjected to,” says Holmes. “The PER should be immediately repealed.”

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Oil-smeared’ people walked through central Wellington yesterday to protest Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee’s reckless determination to dig and drill for more dirty fossil fuels while ignoring the impacts on climate change.

On the eve of the close of submissions on the Review of the Crown Minerals Act(1) Greenpeace supporters delivered its submission in dramatic style covering themselves in fake oil (molasses and water) to mimic the impact of a crude oil spill on New Zealand shores.

The Greenpeace submission, along with an ongoing petition which has more than 18,000 signatures, calls for the Government to stop the development of new oil and coal reserves and to start investing in building a clean economy.

“By declaring open season on our oil reserves, the Government is playing Russian roulette with our pristine coastlines, our international reputation and the climate,” says Greenpeace Climate Campaigner Nathan Argent.

“The climate crisis is close to tipping point and it is irresponsible to be prospecting for new reserves of fossil fuels. New Zealand should be on the side of pioneering real progress towards a clean and sustainable energy future rather than being shackled to Gerry Brownlee’s 19th century way of doing business.

“The fact that many of the reserves are in extreme areas - like up to 3000 metres under the Raukumara Basin off the spectacular East Cape of the North Island – will push the technology to the limits and it would be near impossible to prevent a catastrophe if something went wrong.”

As the fossil fuel era ends the clean technology industry is experiencing rapid global growth. Investment in clean energy has eclipsed that of fossil fuels for the second year running by attracting US$140bn compared with US$110bn for gas, coal and nuclear power.

Argent says the Minister for Energy and Resources has prioritised investment in fossil fuels by spending over $20 million of taxpayer’s money prospecting on behalf of overseas oil companies, whilst spending just one per cent of this figure on investment in biofuels projects.

“If the Government is genuinely trying to achieve sustainable, economic prosperity and energy security, it should build on our position as a global leader in clean renewable energy and provide greater support and investment in companies like Wellington based HTS 110 who are designing world class, super efficient systems for transmitting renewable energy.

“Most importantly, in backing clean energy innovation we’ll stand a good chance of making the sort of cuts to our emissions that are essential if the world is to avoid a state of runaway climate change,” concluded Argent.

Mike Smith Maori activist representative of the Tuanuku Climate Change Network joined the protest said drilling off the East Coast of New Zealand “was environmental insanity”.

The Greenpeace petition demanding the end to the development of new oil and coal reserves and investment in building a clean economy can still be signed at: http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/oil




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