PSNA Newsletter No 206 - 17 September 2025
17 Mahuru 2025 2025
17 September 2025
Newsletter No 206
Stand with Palestine in September
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 September – Disrupt complicity with genocide (BDS international initiative)
Tuesday September 23 – UN General Assembly begins general debate to sanction Israel
Items in this newsletter
Nationwide rallies/marches/vigils this week
Three things you can do now for Palestine…
Disrupt NZ government complicity with genocide
Women’s Day of Action this Saturday 20th September
“Sanctions speak louder than words” – Christian priests take action
Will the government continue appeasing the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel?
Local body elections – we need your help!
Sabra - Shatila massacre marked in Wellington
Join Steve at Parliament every Tuesday when Parliament is sitting
SodaStream struggles
Quotes of the week
A few pics from around the country this week
Muhammad Shehada invited to tour Aotearoa in November
Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!
Lots of new, interesting merchandise for sale
Nationwide events this week
Nationwide rallies/marches/MP protests/vigils this week
To view events around Aotearoa:
Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz and scroll down to to the button linking to the Facebook events page - Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or go directly to events here PSNA Facebook events page
Or Scroll down to the bottom of this Newsletter to get to the detailed list of events around the motu this week.
There are more than 30 events around the Motu this week.
Please Scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter for details.
Three things you can do now for Palestine…
Copy and paste an email to all your local body candidates. The letter and email addresses are here. Then send the responses you get to secretary@PSNA.nz. Anne will compile these into a national spreadsheet which we will promote online until the final voting day of Saturday 11 October (see item later in newsletter)
Share your local event for this weekend’s Palestine solidarity action on your social media pages. Events are here on PSNA’s Facebook events page
Read the statement and suggestions for disrupting the government’s complicity with genocide and consider what action you personally could take to challenge the government (see poster below)
STOP PRESS
This morning Environment Southland voted to exclude companies involved with illegal Israeli settlements from its procurement policies
Palestine supporters rugged up for the Environment Southland meeting this morning
This morning Environment Southland joined the growing group of local bodies to apply sanctions on Israel by agreeing by an overwhelming majority to exclude companies involved in building and maintaining illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
Well done to all those who made presentations at two earlier ES meetings and laid the groundwork for the great outcome today.
Disrupt New Zealand government complicity with genocide
Disrupt complicity – Sanctions NOW!
Read the statement and suggestions and consider what action you feel would be manageable in your area.
Women’s Day of Action this Saturday 20th September
Women have taken big hits from the coalition government over pay equity in particular and nationwide protests are being held this weekend in Auckland, Porirua, Wellington, Palmerston North, Dunedin, Hamilton, Christchurch, Nelson, Invercargill, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Whakatane.
The protests are being co-ordinated by the Council of Trade Unions and details of each protest are here: https://www.together.org.nz/women_s_day_of_action
In Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland and Ōtautahi/Christchurch local PSNA groups are co-ordinating with the local women protest organisers to support each other. Other centres might like to do the same.
Here is the event notice for Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland:
Women’s Day of Action – Saturday 20th September
Stand up for Pay Equity Rally and March
This Saturday, 20th Sept 11.30 Albert Park
followed by
Saturday’s weekly Palestine Protest gathering 2.00 pm
Sanction Israel Now
The NZ Combined Trade Unions have invited Palestinian Protest Movement to join the Women’s Day of Action Rally and March with our banners and flags with Melissa Ansell-Bridges, NZCTU Secretary addressing us at the Palestine Rally.
https://www.psna.nz/ https://www.instagram.com/psnaotearoa/
https://www.facebook.com/p/Palestine-Solidarity-Network-Aotearoa-PSNA
“Sanctions speak louder than words”
A group of Anglican priests, and one Catholic, chained themselves to the door of Nicola Willis’s office in Wellington and stayed there for 32 hours in a protest at government failure to sanction Israel for genocide.
Will the government continue appeasing the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel?
Full-page ad in Wellington’s Post newspaper on Monday this week
Local Body elections – we need your help!
Palestine/Israel
On 19 July last year the International Court of Justice decided Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Territory was not legal and directed Israel to withdraw completely. In September last year the United Nations General Assembly gave Israel 12 months to comply. Israel has instead expanded its control. I
The ICJ also required countries to cease “aid or assistance” to Israel to maintain it’s illegal occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and any support for illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
As a candidate for the local body election I would appreciate if you can respond to these two questions
Will you support a local council motion to exclude companies from your procurement policy which are identified by the United Nations in June 2023 as involved in illegal Israeli settlements?
Will you support a local council motion to divest from Israeli government bonds and from any Israeli company or foreign companies giving “aid or assistance” to Israel’s illegal occupation or commission of war crimes in Gaza?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Na,
<your name>
<your town/city>
Sabra - Shatila massacre marked in Wellington
The anniversary of the Israeli orchestrated Sabra Shatila massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 1982 was observed in at Parliament on Tuesday.
In mid September, 43 years ago, Lebanese Phalange forces, under Israeli army direction, slaughtered up to 3,500 mostly Palestinian civilians in the two refugee camps.
That’s three times the number of Israelis killed on October 7 in 2023.
Join Steve at Parliament every Tuesday when Parliament is sitting
With so many institutions around Wellington supporting Zionism in one form or another, supporters of Palestinian rights are now regularly targeting them regularly.
One such group is Occupy Brandon Street, which is where the Israeli embassy is.
Another regular picketer is Steve.
When Parliament convenes on Tuesdays, Steve is there.
He’s issued an open invitation to join him at 10.30am on Tuesdays for a few hours.
Parliament rises this week, but will sit again from October 7, 14 and 21st, and through November 4, 11 and 18th. Mark the dates in your calendar.
SodaStream struggles
Israeli SodaStream is losing shelf space at this central North Island New World supermarket.
There’s only one SodaStream canister on display, compared with seven from its rival Oh Bubbles.
And you have to pay $52 for a SodaStream canister, while Oh Bubbles is on offer for $38.
The SodaStream packet looks the worse for wear on the top end. It is reasonable to assume that someone objecting to Israeli apartheid and genocide may have put a sticker on the box. New World staff then had to peel it off.
The resulting display is not that of a premium product.
Keep stickering!
Quotes of the week
But this strike, first and foremost, is a wake-up call to the region as a whole. The US security umbrella, for which they paid so handsomely on Trump’s last visit to the region, is worthless. The Abraham Accords are a myth too. No peace can be achieved by recognising Israel.
--David Hearst; Editor-in-Chief, Middle East Eye
________________
“Israel is a genocide society;
it is a society that decided that there is no diplomacy, there is only force…
It’s beyond Palestine: it’s Iran, it’s Syria - he has threatened to hit Hamas members in Turkey, and threats were exchanged with [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan.
The raison d’etre of this coalition is Jewish supremacy. It’s a regime of Jewish supremacy, and it wants to establish Jewish supremacy not only in Palestine, but in the entire region by means of force - also inside Israel, against the Palestinians in the West Bank, and also against the Palestinians of 1948.”
--Menachem Klein; Holocaust Scholar
A few pics from around the country this week
The big march in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
Wellington flagwaving over the Motorway at Hill Street
Wellington protest organized by Falastin Tea Collective
Muhammad Shehada invited to tour Aotearoa in November
Yousef Aljamal's friend Muhammad Shehada, and highly prominent advocate for Palestinian rights, is keen to visit Aotearoa in November for a speaking tour.
Muhammad is the expert who the global media experts call in to explain, and one of the very top commentators who understands how to handle the western audience.
https://www.newarab.com/author/67471/muhammad-shehada
If you would be interested in having him visit your centre for a speaking engagement(s), please contact secretary@psna.nz by 20 September.
Priority will be given to centres which missed out when Yousef visited back in June, but we’ll do our best to get him everywhere we can.
SodaStream campaign
STICKER! STICKER! BARCODE! BARCODE!
(Stickering the barcode makes it difficult to scan these products for sale)
With the huge effort leading up to the National Day of Action there was less activity on SodaStream this week but get yourselves geared up for action in the next few weeks and remember when you take action, tell us your stories and send us your pics and videos for the PSNA Newsletter at sodastreamboycott@psna.nz
Remember the Noel Leeming stores are our first selected focus for the PSNA Swap out of Sodastream campaign.
Keep up with the campaign here:
https://www.instagram.com/stories/psna_otautahi/
https://www.instagram.com/psnaotearoa/
Websites: Check out the link to the campaign on https://www.psna.nz/bds
And at
https://bdsaotearoa.nz/economic-boycott/soda-stream
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMYbiKoTll4/
Petition:
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/swap-out-sodastream
Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!
Remember possible action for local groups
For groups affiliated to PSNA we suggest the following actions could be taken at any time in support of this campaign
Asking your local backpacker accommodation to display the poster and draw it to the attention of any Israeli soldiers here on “rest and recreation” from the genocide.
Pasting the hotline poster (use the version in this newsletter which includes a contact email) around the vicinity of backpacker venues in your local area. This is already happening in some areas.
Hand out flyers to people in the vicinity of your local backpackers
Contact us on the hotline if you come across Israeli soldiers
Important stories from last week
Apologies but this week’s stories were lost in cyberspace…
Recognition of Palestine as a State – Advocacy Group Urges New Zealand Government to Listen to large Majority of Citizens here
New Zealand PM Luxon Labelled as Weak and Cowardly After Delaying Decision on Palestine here
Germany's Israel Obsession (Antony Loewenstein Documentary) 2025 here (Antony Loewenstein video documentary) and an interview on ABC about the documentary is here
Editor’s picks
Must see Must see: ABC TV Four Corners, “Gaza doctors under attack” here
Gaza’s Last Functioning Children’s Hospital here
Hamas to Trump: We Are Ready to Release All Israeli Captives in Comprehensive Ceasefire Deal here
The Voice of Hind Rajab review: Devastating film will break you here
Israel says it is opening “gates of Hell” as it demolishes high-rise in Gaza City, Hamas posts new video of Israeli captives as it calls on Trump to force a deal here
LEAKED: Israel Is Considered a "Genocidal, Apartheid Country" Abroad, According to Israel’s Own Research here
Ban Israel from the World Soccer Cup here
Other stories
Netanyahu eyes West Bank annexation as Palestine recognition grows, Trump holds final say here
Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems closes UK facility targeted by Palestine Action here
UN General Assembly moves to Geneva after US bars Palestinian delegation here
Tell the Italian, Spanish, and Irish football federations: demand Israel’s suspension from UEFA here
Exclusive: The 100-Word Ceasefire “Proposal” Trump Sent Hamas here
Kiwi on flotilla mission to Gaza here
Why Netanyahu Seeks to Confront Hezbollah After Gaza - Expansion and Occupation Over Peace here
Little hope of end to Gaza genocide on 700th day of war as ceasefire efforts falter here
They’re someone’s children here
How to stop Israel from starving Gaza here
Scotland makes a stand here
Annexation of the West Bank has always been Israel's plan here
Google’s $45 Million Contract With Netanyahu's Office to Spread Israeli Propaganda here
Merchandise for sale - please check with your local branch and/or contact us Merchandise@PSNA.nz
If your local branch does not have what you are after we are ready to mail to you any of our t-shirts, long ($35) and short ($30) sleeved, hoodies ($45) bumper stickers ($3), Tino/Palestine pins ($3) flags large & medium ($10 or $7) and other items plus postage.
See more on the PSNA website here.
Reminder: Annual Dates for Palestine Solidarity
28 Mar – 4 Apr Israel Apartheid Week
30 Mar Land Day Palestine
5 Apr Palestinian Childs Day
9 Apr Deir Yassin massacre - Irgun Terrorism - 107-120 Palestinian men, women and children massacred
17 Apr Palestinian Prisoners Day
11 May World Kufiya Day
15 May Nakba Day – marking the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine in 1948
5 Jun Nakba Day - Start of 1967 War - Land Grab – Invasion of Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza, Egypt and Syria - 5 June 1967 – 10 June 1967
20 Jun Attack on Gaza - 6–21 May 2021 (2 weeks and 1 day)
16-18 Sep 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres
28 Sep Second Intifada - 28 Sept 2000 – 8 Feb 2005
2 Nov Balfour Declaration
29 Nov United Nations - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
8 Dec "First Intifada - 8 Dec 1987 – 13 Sept 1993
Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign?
We will need some serious money to make our campaign as effective as possible. For example, we will need somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to bring speakers to New Zealand over the next year and organise large public meetings to help spread the message.
You can help. Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign? In other words, can you afford to make an automatic payment of $5 per month to support the Palestinian struggle? (If you can afford more that would be great!)
Our account details are:
Account name: Palestine Solidarity Network
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00
We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)
Nationwide Rally list to 21 September 2025
To view events around Aotearoa:
Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz. Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”. Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or events are on the PSNA Facebook events page here
Or Scroll down to the bottom of this Newsletter for the detailed list of events for this week.
There are more than 30 events around the Motu this week.
Nationwide Rally list to 21 September 2024
To view events around Aotearoa:
Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz. Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”. Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or events are on the PSNA Facebook events page here
Or Scroll down to the bottom of this Newsletter for the detailed list of events for this week.
There are more than 30 events around the Motu this week.
North Island
Rawene
Saturday September 20
No Event this weekend
Kerikeri - Rally
First Saturday of the Month
October 5
Whangarei
Saturday September 20
No event in Whangarei this Saturday
Auckland – Stand for Palestine
Monday – Friday
3:00 – 4:00 pm at the US Consulate - 23 Customs Street East
4:00 – 5:00 pm at Te Komititanga Britomart Square
Auckland – Picket Fijian Consulate
Wednesday September 17
12 Noon
Tulja Centre, 190 Stoddard Road, Mount Roskill
Waiheke – Market Stall – hosted by Stand With Palestine Waiheke!
Every Saturday
8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ostend Market, Waiheke Island
Auckland – Banners around Tamaki Makaurau
Saturday September 20
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Join the team – text Rhona on 021 035 8617
Auckland - Rally to Tell Peters to Sanction Israel Now!
Saturday September 20
2:00 pm
Te Komititanga Britomart Square, Auckland
Thames – Vigil to Stop the war on Children
(Hosted by Voices for Palestine - Hauraki)
First Saturday of the month Saturday 5 October
Tauranga – Flag Wave – Sanction Israel Now!
Sunday 21 September
11:00 am
Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui
Hamilton – Sanction Israel Now!
Every Saturday
1:00 pm
Flynn Park, Cnr Wairere Drive & Naylor, Hamilton
Raglan – Silent Vigil for Palestine
Hosted by Whaingaroa Palestine Solidarity
No event notified for this weekend
Cambridge - Rally for Palestine
Every Saturday
11:00 am
Cambridge Town Hall
Rotorua Sanction Israel Now!
Every Thursday
4:30 pm
National MP Todd McClay’s Office - Cnr Amohau and Ranolf St lights, Rotorua
Gisborne
Saturday September 20
No Rally notified for this weekend
Napier – Sanction Israel Now!
Every Saturday
11:30 am
Marine Parade Soundshell Roundabout
Hastings – Rally for Palestine
Every Sunday
1:30 – 3:00 pm
Hastings Town Clock – Hastings CBD
Palmerston North - Sanction Israel Now!
Every Sunday
2:00 pm
The Square, Palmerston North
Ngāmotu-New Plymouth – Flags on the Bridge
(Hosted by Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki)
Saturday September 20
Paynters Ave Bridge, Ngāmotu New Plymouth
Whanganui - Sanction Israel Now!
Every Saturday
11:00 am
Riverside Market, Whanganui
Martinborough – Vigil for Palestine
Every Wednesday
11:00 am
Memorial gate - Martinborough Square, at the end of SH53
Masterton - Gathering for Gaza
Every Sunday
9:30 am
Town Hall Lawn, Masterton
Wellington – Flags on the Bridge
(hosted by the Falastin Tea Collective)
Every Friday
7:15 – 8:15 am
Hill Street bridge Overbridge, Wellington
Wellington – Rally at Wellington Hospital
(hosted by Aotearoa Healthcare workers for Palestine)
First Friday of the month
Friday October 4
Wellington - March the Golden Mile for Palestine
Saturday September 20
1:00 pm
Meet corner of Hunter Street and Lambton Quay, Wellington
Wellington - The Doctor's Wife
With Q&A by Director Paula Whetu-Jones & Dr Alan & Hazel Kerr
Wednesday 1st October
6:30pm
Venue: The Roxy, Miramar
Entry by Koha
Tix booked through: https://whitioraproductions.com/the-doctors-wife
South Island
Nelson Whakatū - Letter writing, Petition signing, Korero & Coffee
Co-hosted with Nelson Green Party
Saturday September 20
11am-12.30pm
New venue: WAA Club, 183 Bridge St, Nelson
Picton / Blenheim - Sanction Israel Now!
Every Saturday
10:30 – 12:00 am
Blenheim Railway Station
Greymouth - Te Tai Poutini - West Coast
Saturday 20 September
Palestine Support information stall at the Women's Day of Action for Pay Equity Community Fun Day
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Dixon Park, Greymouth
Christchurch – Flags for Palestine
Every Friday
4:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Christchurch – Sanction Israel Now!
Saturday September 20
12:30 pm - Flag Waving before the rally - Durham Street side of the bridge
1:00 pm
Bridge of Remembrance, Christchurch
Timaru
Saturday September 20
No Event this weekend
Dunedin – Join the call for Sanctions on Israel
Saturday September 20
1:00 pm - Otago Museum Reserve
2:00 pm - Octagon
Invercargill – Picket @ Penny Simmonds MPs office
(hosted by Invercargill Stands With Palestine)
Thursdays September 18 & 25
Sundays September 21 & 28
12.15pm - 1 pm
22 Kelvin St, Invercargill
More ways you can get involved
Forward this Newsletter – If you know people who may be interested in this movement, please forward this Newsletter to them.
Join in local activities in your area - Contact Secretary@PSNA.nz if you would like to know where and how to get Flags and Banners
Help set up a Students for Justice in Palestine groups on your campus
Tell Your MP your opinions on Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.
Write Letters to Newspapers – Call Talkback Radio
Keep in touch with the campaign on social media
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network website: https://www.PSNA.nz
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/671376706283605/
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network email: Secretary@PSNA.nz
The Palestine Human Rights Campaign produces the In Occupied Palestine newsletter. It is a regular daily newsletter on the daily situation in Palestine, compiled by Leslie Bravery and emailed to subscribers. If you would also like to become a subscriber, please contact Leslie at “lesliebravery @ icloud .com” (remove the spaces to use as an email address) for further information.
Keep Updated on our Facebook pages and websites (listed below)
Human rights for Uyghur refugees - In line with our support for human rights for the people of Palestine we have added our name to the petition in support of human rights for Uyghur refugees so they can be included in the government’s refugee quota. PSNA members who wish to also sign this petition can do so here - https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/open-letter-let-s-show-compassion-to-the-uyghur-community
PSNA Groups
PSNA National Committee
Website: www.PSNA.nz
Chair - John Minto: Chair@PSNA.nz
Secretary - Neil Scott: Secretary@PSNA.nz
Regional Groups
Bay of Islands PSN Bay of Islands (Email)
Whangarei PSN Whangarei (Facebook)
Auckland PSN Auckland – Tamaki Makaurau (Website)
Hamilton Palestine Human Rights Campaign Waikato (Facebook)
Tauranga Tauranga Moana 4 Palestine (Facebook)
Napier/Hastings Aotearoa Standing with Palestine (Facebook)
Palmerston North PSN Palmerston North (Email)
New Plymouth PSN Taranaki (Facebook)
Wellington PSN Wellington (Email)
Nelson Te Tau Ihu (Nelson) Palestine (Facebook)
Christchurch PSN Christchurch (Facebook)
Dunedin Dunedin for Justice in Palestine (Facebook)
Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)