New chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow’s pro-Israel Facebook posts, ‘transphobia’ accusations

Newly appointed chief Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow has previously made pro-Israel posts on his personal Facebook page and was once accused of being "transphobic", prompting an investigation by his then-employer Auckland Transport.

But Rainbow, who takes up the role later this year, said his views on Israel weren't "particularly relevant", and his focus was on human rights in this country.

An Auckland Transport investigation also cleared him over 2021 accusations of transphobia, he said.

"You don't get to my age without having some opinions, okay? But I intend to be absolutely professional in this role and to encourage dialogue and discussion around the critical issues that New Zealand is facing with regard to human rights."

Rainbow had been vetted and had his full confidence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said.

Rainbow will head the new Human Rights Commission leadership team, which will also include Dr Gail Pacheco as equal employment opportunities commissioner and Dr Melissa Derby as race relations commissioner.

"If we were going to expect every candidate never to have said anything controversial, then that would've been a very short list, and so we accept that," Goldsmith said.

"I think he'll be a very articulate defender of human rights."

One of Rainbow's comments on his Facebook page, that New Zealand seemed likely to appoint a "strong supporter of Israel" as foreign minister - "such a contrast to the malevolent [Murray] McCully with his odious anti-Israeli antics" - dated to 2017.

But others were made after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led assault that killed about 1200 people in Israel and led to around 250 more being abducted and taken into Gaza.

A military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed more than 40,000 civilians and combatants in Gaza, sparked a humanitarian crisis and led to ongoing international pressure for a ceasefire, including from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

"The situation of Palestinians will be immeasurably worse after October 7th, not only because of the loss of life and destruction in Gaza but because the two-state solution is dead," Rainbow wrote in November 2023.

"Israel can not afford a client state of Iran, intent on its destruction, on its borders, and this is what Hamas have shown will happen if a Palestinian state were to be created."

Asked if some people might feel excluded from the aim of the commission because of what he had posted online, Rainbow said he was "open to talking to anybody ... about any issue".

"I think one of the things that is desperately needed in New Zealand at the moment is more honest dialogue about the issues we're facing."

In a free society, we had to accept there was "no one set of correct views", but a range of views, and we were privileged to be free to express and debate those views with others who might not share them "in order to reach the truth", he said.

"That's the whole basis of our free society, and I'm going to be absolutely committed to upholding that ... clearly I'm not going to disavow the views that I formed over 60 years, but I am utterly committed to honest, open dialogue about the key challenges that we face."

Goldsmith had not spoken to him about his posts as a panel that did not include the minister had interviewed him for the role, Rainbow said.

In announcing Rainbow's appointment on Friday, Goldsmith said the former Wellington City councillor and LGBTQ rights champion's career "has encompassed a range of roles including managing government relations for the largest infrastructure project in New Zealand, lecturing at Victoria University, as director of urban strategy at Wellington City Council, and national manager of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust".

In 2021 Rainbow also faced allegations of transphobia, including from a colleague at Auckland Transport - where he was then head of community engagement - over a comment he made on a Rainbow Auckland Networking Group Facebook post asking people to sign a petition to ban gay conversion therapy.

"Be careful", Rainbow wrote, "there's some elements of the trans agenda being sneakily promoted through this campaign".

He had been "completely exonerated" by the Auckland Transport investigation, Rainbow said on Saturday.

"Gay people like me have a wide range of views and opinions, and we do need to be free to express these ... even though that was done very clumsily. There is a right for people to express views and opinions, and not to be bullied and harassed as a result."

Asked if his 2021 comment was transphobic, Rainbow said: "It was a reflection of the fact we need more dialogue, more discussion around the issues".

"This is one of [the issues] where I want to see more dialogue so we can try and find some way forward on what are highly contentious issues ... this [human rights] role is at the edge of the culture wars, and I'm very mindful of that."

The 2021 incident had shown him "how destructive social media can be in ... dividing and polarising people".

"I don't ever wish to contribute to that again ... the big challenge of this role is to do precisely the opposite ... remind New Zealanders about what we have in common, not to divide and polarise.

"My absolute commitment in this role will be to talk to all people, all parties around issues like the issue of transgender rights."

This story was originally published by the NZ Herald.