AN INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN INITIATIVE
Raising a collective indigenous voice in support of Israel, locally and internationally,
through education and cultural engagement
DIRECTORS
Hon Alfred Ngaro
Alfred was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2020 and the first Cook Islander elected to Parliament in New Zealand. As an MP, Alfred re-established the Parliamentary Friends of Israel Group. He served as a cabinet minister and was an active advocate on social issues.
Dr Sheree Trotter
Sheree holds a PhD in History from the University of Auckland. In 2012 she co-founded the Holocaust and Antisemitism Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a researcher and writer whose areas of special interest include NZ, Jewish and Māori history.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
To be announced
Powhiri For Israeli Ambassador
A special event organized by a Māori tribe in the north of Aotearoa New Zealand to welcome the new Israeli Ambassador also provided an opportunity to mark Earth Day. The two indigenous peoples exchanged trees native to their lands as a mark of the deepening friendship between the northern iwi Ngapuhi and Israel.
Hon Alfred Ngaro on Zionism
Hon Alfred Ngaro presents the case Zionism for the film series I Am A Zionist. Alfred recorded this video on the grounds of Parliament while serving in New Zealand’s fifth National Government.
Jews, Israel and Indigeneity
On 23 May 2021, during the most recent Israel-Gaza conflict, a solidarity rally was held in central Auckland. Dr Sheree Trotter was among those who spoke to the gathering of around 500. She addressed the often heard argument that Jews are foreigners to the land of Israel, mostly colonisers from Europe.
Sam Mangai addresses BDS
BDS purports to act in the name of human rights. But while Christian and other minorities suffer true atrocities and even genocide in neighbouring Middle Eastern states, BDS targets only Israel – the one state in the region where those minorities are truly safe.
Eric George on BDS
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) targets only Israel – the single liberal western-style democracy in the Middle East. It attempts to harm Israel by isolating it economically, culturally and politically, with the ultimate goal of replacing Israel with a Palestinian State.
Watch indigenous academic Eric George address BDS.