New Zealand’s Ethnic Communities Ministry spent $30,000 of taxpayers’ funds on a Gaza advocacy campaign that accused Israel of genocide, the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (NZTU) revealed.
NZTU made the discovery after making an Official Information Act (OIA) request about the Asturlab Cultural Centre, a Muslim charitable trust in Christchurch.
Asturlab partners with the Ethnic Communities Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Internal Affairs Ministry, the Christchurch City Council, and the New Zealand Police, among others.
It receives part of its funding from the Ethnic Communities Development Fund, which distributes $4.2 million of taxpayer money.
However, according to NZTU, Asturlab has used this money to run a nationwide advocacy campaign, using taxpayer funds to promote pro-Palestinian narratives on the conflict in Gaza.
Taxpayers Union Investigations Coordinator Rhys Hurley said, “OIA documents show $30,000 was handed to the Asturlab Cultural Centre in Christchurch to run the ‘4 for 40 Stop the Silence Campaign’ – a Gaza advocacy campaign aimed at shifting public opinion toward a ceasefire and accusing Israel of genocide.”
“How does a government body funding an explicitly political campaign support our ethnic communities?” Hurley asked.
The Jerusalem Post independently confirmed that Asturlab received the $30,000.00 for the 4 for 40 – Stop the Silence Campaign in December 2024.
New Zealand 4 for 40 campaign promotes Israel genocide narrative
The ministry’s website said the initiative is about raising awareness “about the Gaza crisis through digital platforms and community events.”
The website explains that the "4 for 40" challenge is about New Zealanders taking sustained action on critical issues by committing just 4 minutes a day for 40 days.
Asturlab seemingly used the funds to produce multiple billboards with the words “Is New Zealand complicit in genocide?”
In February 2024, it wrote on social media that it was launching a “powerful billboard initiative across the nation” to educate on the “genocide in Palestine.”
“We’ve all seen posters around town accusing Israel of such things,” Hurley added. “Not in a million years would anyone expect them to be taxpayer-funded.”
Hurley also pointed out that the 4 for 40 campaign violated the Fund’s own rules.
The Post found the ministry’s terms, which state that “Projects or events funded by the [Ethnic Communities Development] Fund must remain politically neutral.”
This means that “public funds cannot be used for political purposes.”
A separate section said, “Projects that seek to promote political objectives, including political advocacy [...], are excluded from receiving funding.” And yet – 4 for 40 was approved.
“Looking through the full list of funded projects, you see everything from swimming lessons for Pakistani women to events like Wellington’s CubaDupa festival,” Hurley said, concluding, “When the ministry has already been found to have no clear achievements, taxpayers deserve to know what exactly they’re getting for their money.”