New Human Rights Commissioner to be 'very careful' in commentary - Justice Minister

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he expects the new Human Rights Commissioner to be "very careful" in his public commentary, following concern about his previously expressed views.

The appointment of Stephen Rainbow has prompted concern from some quarters - including Labour and the Greens - given his staunch pro-Israel views and previous comments about "a trans agenda".

Speaking to RNZ at Parliament on Tuesday, Goldsmith said he had no regrets over the appointment. He declined to be drawn into "parleying every statement [Rainbow's] made through his history", he said.

"People express all sorts of views before they take up these roles," he said. "But I have every confidence that he will go about his work in a very open and inclusive way.

"If we were to expect that all candidates would never have said anything controversial in their lives, we'd have a very short list."

Asked whether he expected Rainbow to now dial back his commentary, Goldsmith said: "Oh, yes. As Human Rights Commissioner, he'll be very careful how he manages these things, I'm sure."

New race relations commissioner Melissa Derby has also come in for some criticism for sharing a tweet last year which said the "trans movement" could not be tolerated in civil society.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ both commissioners were "great appointments" who would now take on the responsibility of advocating for all New Zealanders.

"None of us in New Zealand are perfect... People may regret comments that they've made in the past, but the bottom line is: these are two good hires."

Luxon also pointed to recent comments from the acting chief commissioner Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo on TVNZ's Q+A programme over the wekend.

During the interview, Sumeo acknowledged she had some differences with the new commissioners, but called them "amazing people" who cared about New Zealand.

Opposition reaction

Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said he was concerned Rainbow had demonstrated "a certain lack of judgement around some critical areas around race and gender".

He said he hoped the new commissioner would not undermine the Human Rights Commission's critical role.

"What are the values underpinning those kind of posts and comments that he's made and which he's endorsed?" Webb said.

"Trans rights are a real issue in New Zealand today, and we need someone who will be a defender of them, not say there's some sort of trans agenda out there."

Webb has himself courted controversy on the Israel-Gaza conflict, creating a video this month featuring pro-Palestine protesters chanting at the prime minister: "How many kids did you kill today?".

"As with everyone, we don't always express things perfectly, and I accept that was the case there," Webb said.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the government seemed intent on neutering the Human Rights Commission through their appointments.

"Everybody is entitled to change their opinions. I certainly hope that [these commissioners] have."

Green MP Kahurangi Carter told RNZ Rainbow's posts were worrisome and she would be watching his conduct closely.

"He needs to be politically neutral and be able to work with all parties to uphold human rights for everyone," she said.

Carter said the Greens would stay connected with the local trans and Palestinian communities to ensure their voices were heard.

Rainbow's views

Speaking on Morning Report on Monday, Rainbow said he was "utterly committed" to working for all New Zealanders, including trans people.

He said social media had become increasingly polarised, and he was saddened "a throwaway comment" he made several years ago had attracted such attention.

But his own social media history demonstrates a record of frequent provocative rhetoric.

As recently as November last year, Rainbow bemoaned "a civilisation in self-inflicted and terminal decline", referencing images of the queer and trans community supporting Palestine.

He also heaped praise on British Conservative MP Suella Braverman for leading "the popular revolt against woke elites and their rejection of western cultural values".

In a separate post, Rainbow criticised the "highly selective" Human Rights Commission for giving trans activist Shaneel Lal a platform, posting on Facebook that Lal's "divisive antics" were undoing support for gay people and same-sex marriage.

In May this year, he took aim at Ireland's "grotesque and talentless entrant" in the Eurovision Song Contest, accusing performer Bambie Thug of helping vilify the Israeli competitior.

Bambie Thug had earlier suggested Israel should be excluded from the competition as Russia was in 2022.

Across several Facebook posts, Rainbow also attacked the current iteration of the Greens, calling them the "nasty party" and "experts at hypocritical virtue-signalling".

"NZ's Greens have become the cheerleaders for the murderous misogynistic homophobic death cult Hamas", he posted.

In 2021, Rainbow cautioned Aucklanders against signing a petition to ban conversion therapy: "Be careful...there's some elements of the trans agenda being sneakily promoted through this campaign," he commented in a Facebook group for Auckland's queer community.