Did you hear the one about Calls to Prayer and other tales …

The New Zealand Herald recently published this article:

In the article, the Kilbirnie Mosque confirms it plans to broadcast the call to prayer three times a year – on the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks, once during the Festival of Eid al-Adha, and once during the Festival of Eid al-Fitr. The Herald says,

At each broadcast, the call would last about a minute and a half to two minutes,” the council document confirms. Councillors will discuss the request this Thursday at an Environment and Infrastructure Committee meeting.

Better Wellington has not taken a position on this matter. In our view, the council should be focusing on ensuring the city’s infrastructure and services are in top-notch order to allow for commercial businesses to operate profitably. We think the council has an obligation to keep rates demands to a minimum, and not get involved in cultural issues. A single line in our recent flyer sent some city councillors apoplectic.

So we thought we’d have one final say on this and detail the events, for the record.

The Call to Prayer policy was advanced by councillors who were elected on a political party ticket. Proposed by Labour Party councillor Rebecca Matthews on behalf of Mayor Tory Whanau and Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon (both Green Party members). Here’s what the Council voted on 14 March 2024.

Note the wording: “… broadcasted calls to prayer in the City”.

Here’s how we stated it in our flyer:

After a media furore and much criticism on social media soon after, the Mayor and supporting councillors backtracked, saying it would be for special occasions only, such as the commemoration of the 15 March 2019 mosque shooting in Christchurch. (Which does raise questions: Why now after more than five years? Why not in year one anniversary? Just saying.)

Councillor Ben McNulty, a Labour Party affiliated councillor, called us “racist” for that statement.

It is a typical political approach – the modus operandi – of some politicians (mainly those with a more-government-less-freedom’ viewpoint) to accuse people of spreading “racist disinformation” and making ad hominem attacks. It’s how these people suppress debate. No-one wants to be thought of as being racist. It stops people questioning particular viewpoints.

We’ve come to expect it. How can it be both racist and disinformation when it was taken from the very wording for which Ben McNulty voted in favour?

And one has to wonder how the Postal Workers’ Union got involved? It’s probably not a totally outlandish claim to say that, perhaps, the Labour Party city councillors contacted the Labour Party to get the Labour Party affiliated Postal Workers Union to try and stop delivery of our flyer. We wouldn’t consider that a big leap.

Wellington posties (the good ones who understand the importance of free speech) contacted Better Wellington to say they were called to a meeting by Postal Union organiser John Maynard (pictured) instructing them to “not deliver”.

According to the posties, the delivery boycott allegedly didn’t come from posties who were “concerned for their safety” but from Maynard himself. (And we say probably via the Labour Party.) You’ve got to hand it to Maynard. He’s watching as his small union crumbles before his eyes and is doing his best to stay relevant.

While we commend New Zealand Post, which fully understands it is a commercial business to deliver envelopes, parcels and other circulars to make a profit to pay its workers (including those in the union who didn’t deliver our flyer), you’d have to ask whether they have the right systems in place to ensure their employees are actually doing what they’re employed to do. Instead of relying on union members to tick an honesty box!

It appears that the eastern suburbs of Wellington have pretty good posties who delivered our flyer. The northern suburbs (parts of Churton Park, Newlands, Johnsonville, Khandallah and Ngaio) were very hit and miss. Perhaps someone will find a pile of our flyers thrown away somewhere?  Regardless, here’s the response back from NZ Post:

Perhaps New Zealand Post needs to find another way to ensure its business model is protected rather than taking the word of free-speech hating posties that they’re doing their best to ensure the mail gets through!

The key policy of Better Wellington is PARTY POLITICS DOESN’T BELONG AROUND THE COUNCIL TABLE. This has served as a perfect example and highlights just how necessary it is to eliminate party politics from local government. We urge all Wellington residents next year to ensure that only independent candidates are voted to the city council.

You cannot serve both Wellington City and a political party at the same time. Look at where that is getting the city.

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