Justice Watch New Zealand
Identifying and addressing matters of public concern where state authority intersects with the rights and freedoms of New Zealanders.
Open Letters & Submissions
Public Open Letter — Use of the Term "Effective" in the "Safe and Effective" Narrative
Logical, Evidential and Constitutional Concerns — Lessons Learned Phase 2 Report
27 March 2026 — Addressed to Prime Minister Luxon and Ministers
Raises logical, evidential and constitutional concerns about the use of the term 'effective' in the 'safe and effective' narrative, arguing that effectiveness had not been established at the time of rollout and that the representation was capable of misleading members of the public.
Public Open Letter — Representation of Harm and Reliability of Safety Conclusions in the COVID-19: Lessons Learned Phase 2 Report
Open Letter to the Prime Minister and Members of Cabinet
20 March 2026 — Addressed to the Prime Minister and Members of Cabinet
Challenges the COVID-19 Lessons Learned Phase 2 report on legal and evidentiary grounds, arguing that reliance on scale does not establish vaccine safety, that acknowledged harm engages non-derogable rights under the NZBORA and ICCPR, and that the State's justification threshold has not and cannot be met.
Submission on Draft Seventh Periodic Report of New Zealand — ICCPR
Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee
18 March 2026 — Submitted via the New Zealand Government consultation process
This submission addresses two issues arising from the Government's draft Seventh Periodic Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: the treatment of justified limitations on rights during the COVID-19 response, and whether access to justice in New Zealand is effective in practice as required under Article 2(3) ICCPR.
Public Open Letter to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers
Legal Failure to Apply the Justified Limitations Framework of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
17 March 2026 — Addressed to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and Cabinet Ministers
This open letter explains why the Royal Commission's Phase Two Report appears to have failed to identify the misuse of the justified limitations provisions of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and examines the sequence of rights limitations imposed during the pandemic against the statutory requirement that justification occur in a free and democratic society.
Public Open Letter to the Prime Minister
Failure of the Royal Commission Phase Two Report to Address Non-Derogable Rights
12 March 2026 — Addressed to the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon and all Ministers of the Crown
This open letter concerns the failure of the Royal Commission's Phase Two Report to engage with non-derogable rights protections — including the right to life under section 8 and protection from cruel or degrading treatment under section 9 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 — in circumstances where state-directed public health actions resulted in serious injury and death.
Public Open Letter — 11 March 2026
Evidential Foundation for the Conclusion that Comirnaty (BNT162b2) Is Considered Safe for Use in New Zealand
This open letter raises concerns regarding the evidential basis relied upon by the Royal Commission in forming conclusions about the safety of the Comirnaty vaccine, and calls for an independent scientific review.
Guides & Resources
The Criminal Equation
An analysis of the criminal process as a structured equation — illustrating why a criminal circumstance does not establish a criminal offender until the equation is lawfully completed.
Commitment to the Rule of Law
Justice Watch New Zealand Inc. is founded upon a fundamental constitutional principle: the Rule of Law. We believe that all persons are equal before the law. No office holder, institution, or arm of the State is above it.
Public power must be exercised lawfully, rationally, and in a manner consistent with the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the people of New Zealand.
We support New Zealand's democratic system of government and the constitutional choices made by the New Zealand people through Parliament. Democratic authority is strengthened — not weakened — by lawful restraint and accountability.
Constitutional and Legal Protections
New Zealanders are protected by a framework of domestic and international law designed to restrain state power and safeguard individual rights.
The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 affirms and protects fundamental civil and political rights, including the right to life, freedom from cruel or degrading treatment, the right to refuse medical treatment, protection from unreasonable search or seizure, and the right to natural justice.
New Zealand is also bound internationally by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the inherent right to life, equality before the law, and freedom from arbitrary interference.
Constitutional protections are enforceable. In Fitzgerald v R [2021] NZSC 131, the Supreme Court confirmed that serious breaches of protected rights require effective remedies. The State must remain within the limits of lawful authority, and accountability mechanisms exist where it does not.
Our Work
Justice Watch New Zealand Inc. stands for democratic government under law, equal protection of rights, and the enduring principle that the law governs the State.
We undertake research — including examination of public records, use of the Official Information Act 1982, and engagement with judicial and regulatory processes — to highlight matters of public concern. Our work includes advocacy, standing up for individuals whose rights have been affected, and promoting constructive legal and legislative reform.