Shortly after protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African-American who was murdered during a police arrest, began in the United States, people in New Zealand protested to show support for similar protests in the United States and to demonstrate against perceived issues with police brutality and structural discrimination in New Zealand. Vigils and protests of thousands of participants took place in June 2020 throughout the nation.
Background
The George Floyd protests sparked a strong response among New Zealanders, in particular among the indigenous Māori people who activists say face structural discrimination similarly to African Americans in the United States. In the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings, the police conducted a trial of equipping normally unarmed police officers with firearms. The trial ended in April 2020 without incidents of officers discharging their weapon.
Reactions
Several prominent Māori and other Polynesian figures including Taika Waititi and Parris Goebel expressed solidarity with George Floyd.
Political
Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has stated that she was "horrified" by the situation around the murder of George Floyd. Ardern had been criticised by local Black Lives Matter solidarity protesters for remaining silent about Floyd's murder for a week. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand politicians James Shaw and Marama Davidson both stated they believed US President Donald Trump was racist when asked by press gallery journalist about his inflammatory tweets. Todd Muller declined to answer the question.
In a letter, Davidson requested that police commissioner Andrew Coster end the testing of armed officers. She also called for Coster to acknowledge New Zealand's challenges with racism and discrimination. On 9 June, Coster announced that the New Zealand Police would be scrapping their armed response teams after public feedback and consultation with community forum groups. However, just a day after Coster announced the Armed Response Teams would be axed, he floated the idea of arming the police with sponge bullets instead. Emilie Rākete, a spokesperson for the Arms Down campaign, responded by saying that sponge bullets are extremely dangerous, and will be used against Māori more than any other group if they are rolled out.
On 1 June, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters criticised protesters in Auckland for violating the government's COVID-19 regulations regarding limited social gatherings.
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman stated, "The disease of state-based discrimination is not constrained to American borders. We must acknowledge that here in New Zealand, at every single step of the justice system, Māori face increased discrimination. This means that Māori experience more arrests, more prosecutions, longer jail sentences, more brutality, and deaths, than Pākehā in similar circumstances."
Civil society
On 9 June 2020, the Akaroa–based bar and restaurant "Bully Hayes Restaurant" announced that it would be changing its name after several historians including Scott Hamilton criticised its namesake William "Bully" Hayes' involvement in blackbirding in the Pacific during the late 19th century.
On 10 June, Marist College in Auckland attracted publicity after teachers reportedly tore down Black Lives Matter posters. Students organised a nine minutes silence for George Floyd and started an online petition to highlight racial issues at the college, alleging that several teachers had been racist towards students. In response, Prime Minister Ardern voiced support for the students' activism. In addition, a formal complaint was lodged against Marist College. On 16 June, 30 students staged a peaceful protest against alleged "systematic racism" at the college.