NZ – A Cautionary Tale

It is for freedom’s sake that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves

Be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

That stern warning from Paul was written nearly 2000 years ago, yet here we are again, with Nations born from a Judeo-Christian tradition, going down the path to subservience to the State.

Today, I want to discuss the situation in New Zealand, and explain why it’s a caution to us all.

First and foremost, on the two biggest freedom issues of our time, firearms and the COVID-19 crisis, the left has held up New Zealand, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern specifically, as the shining example.

Let’s begin with some facts.  The left is holding them up as a shining example of how to beat COVID-19, because their number are low.  If we’re being realistic, the first fact to point out is that their population is around 5 million, which about half that of the State of Michigan.  In fact, 23 states have populations larger that New Zealand.

The fact that New Zealand is small string of islands thousands of miles away from anything of any importance also helps.  

Politically, New Zealand has always been exceedingly liberal.  The first liberal party victory was in 1891, and they were the first organized political party on the islands.  They were the first nation to grant women the right to vote in 1893.  During the Great Depression, New Zealand, much like the US, created a massive welfare system.

Jacinda Ardern is the country’s third female Prime Minister.

In the immediate aftermath of the ChristChurch massacre in 2019, a ban on semi-automatic rifles and any magazine over 10 rounds was passed 119-1.

New Zealand gun law requires people to have a lawful, proper, and sufficient purpose to use, carry, or discharge a firearm, and the burden of proof is on the PERSON, not the STATE.  The problem with that is that “sufficient purpose” is subjective. What is sufficient to me, mostly likely isn’t to Nanny Jacinda.

When the ban went into effect, the American firearm lobby and firearm rights supporters all warned the New Zealanders that in giving up gun rights, they were putting themselves at risk of a government trampling their rights.  We were all told that it was none of our business and that the State would protect them.  

Yes, but who will protect you from the State, we asked.  “Don’t be absurd”, they said.

Under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act of 1990, it states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form”.

In the aftermath of the ChristChurch shooting, the country’s Chief Censor (side note – if your country has a chief censor, you don’t have free speech) decreed, without legislation, that mere possession of the shooter’s manifesto, freely available on the internet, would be a 10 year felony, and anyone caught sharing the document would face a 14 year felony.

Does that sound like they honor their freedom of expression?

Several people posted videos of the New Zealand Police Service at their front door demanding that they stop talking about the shooting online or face criminal charges for “hate speech”.

Here we are in 2020.  

All new arrivals into New Zealand are sent to “hotels” for “voluntary isolation”.  These voluntary isolation centers have 1.8 meter (6 foot) fences around them, and are guarded and locked.  The facilities are “managed” by Air Commodore Darryn Webb.  Air Commodore….That’s a one-star general, so the military is running the camps.  

On July 10, 2020, CNN ran a story discussing a man who had escaped from one of the camps.  He was one of several who cut the fences and left.  The story pointed out that the man had already tested NEGATIVE for coronavirus twice, but was still forced to remain in the camp, and now faces charges for escaping from the “voluntary isolation” camp.  If you can be charged for escaping it, it isn’t voluntary.

Currently, in the Auckland area, travel is heavily restricted and there are police checkpoints for you to explain your need to travel.  Keep in mind that there are currently just 69 active cases in the entire nation.  You must carry documents to explain your need to travel.

So, allegedly free nation New Zealand currently polices speech, has internal travel checkpoints requiring you to prove a need to be out of your house, and literal concentration camps, all of which came to be after requiring the citizens to largely disarm themselves.

Can’t get any worse than that, right?

Jacinda Ardern said “Oy, mate! Hold me Foster’s….”

Elections were scheduled for September 19, but Ardern has postponed them until at least October 17th.  When Donald Trump merely suggested postponing them, in jest, he was vilified by the media as threatening democracy and a dictator.  When Ardern announced ACTUALLY postponing them, she was called a leader and smart by the very same media.

The left loves dictators, so long as they are THEIR dictators.  Look at the outpourings of love and respect when murderous Fidel Castro died.  Or Hugo Chavez.

They promise them freedom,

But they themselves are slaves of corruption

2 Peter 2:19a

New Zealand is a warning to us all.  Do not surrender your freedoms, because they won’t be coming back any time soon.

For those who live in Michigan, Governor Whitmer is no different than Jacinda.  Both women have gotten a taste of the raw power of ruling by emergency decree.  You don’t have to go through the troublesome process of getting people to agree with you, you just scream emergency, and order whatever you chose.  

Here in Michigan, Gov. Whitmer is using COVID 19 to push a racial justice platform that she could never get authorized via the legislature.  She changed medical licensing requirements with an executive order.  She is using emergency powers to create new programs that technically violate the civil rights act, as she is directing benefits (free masks/medical screenings) to people based upon race.

Lt. Gov. Gilchrest went on TV last week and claimed that “black people aren’t able to work from home”, despite me personally knowing at least 20 who did.  Imagine if Donald Trump made that same statement….it’s honestly racist at it’s core to honestly believe that black people couldn’t possibly get a position where they could work at home, but I digress.

The point is, Jacinda Ardern is an example of the danger of letting a committed liberal retain emergency powers, and Governor Whitmer is following the same path.

At some point, we MUST say enough is enough and do whatever is required to set this nation back on the path the Founders anticipated. Fortunately, they left us a blueprint called The Constitution of the United States.

Rescue those being led away to death,

Hold back those staggering towards slaughter

Proverbs 24:11

I don’t know about you, but Proverbs 24:11 seems pretty clear to me.

Heed the warning that is New Zealand.  It can happen in a democracy with alleged free speech and a right to bear arms.