Is a Dissident Kiwi Tech Disrupter being targeted by the NZ Government and de-banked?
Dissident Kiwi Tech Disrupter, Suzie Dawson, is having her KiwiBank account she has used for 25 years closed despite being a citizen, an NZ business owner, an NZ Tax Resident and Tax-payer who provides jobs for other Kiwis and despite owning a successful multinational group of internet companies and despite the Banking Ombudsman confirmed to be investigating her complaint.
Suzie Dawson left New Zealand in 2015 and in 2016 sought asylum, as this Huffington Post column detailed…
Meet Suzie Dawson, the NZ journalist seeking asylum in Moscow
Sometimes survival can look like keeping your head down. Others it requires jeopardising your own security in support of a bigger cause. Suzie Dawson didn’t set out to be an activist, but her involvement with the Occupy movement at the start of the decade led her to nut out and articulate her political perspective, and to the realisation that if walking your own talk makes you an activist, she fit the descriptor. The path also led her to begin an impressive career as a citizen journalist, highlighting abuses of power on the part of the NZ government that led to their targetting of her through surveillance, intimidation and direct threats on her life.
Suzie left New Zealand in January 2015 to live in exile in Berlin, and currently resides in Moscow, where she is seeking asylum with her young family. She explained to me how this unimaginable scenario became all too real for Impolitikal.
…Suzie left NZ after intense scrutiny from Intelligence Agencies for her roles in the #GCSB Mass Surveillance protests, as well as being a co-creator of the viral hashtag #TPPANoWay, and an activist, journalist and/or promoter of other major events across the 2010s including #NZ4Gaza, Aotearoa is Not For Sale and the Moment of Truth event featuring Kim Dotcom, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.
Suzie’s journalism and activism was shared many times by WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, among others. In 2018 she founded #Unity4J, a large international movement in support of the WikiLeaks publisher.
Suzie is on record as early as 2012 reporting on Thompson Clark Investigations Limited (TCIL) being involved in targeting activists – which she was very much vindicated about in the 2018 State Services Commission Report.
I worked directly with Suzie in 2012-2014 and she was tenacious and impactful. As well as being an activist, she also wrote articles highly critical of the entire Dirty Politics cabal – particularly Judith Collins and John Key. She feared with some justification of being on an ‘Enemies List of the State’ and felt following in the footsteps of other whistleblowers and at-risk activists was the smartest move for her and her young family. Ultimately, she sought, as Snowden had, asylum in Russia and remains there.
She was elected Leader in Exile of the Internet Party in 2017.
She now runs a successful global Internet Business, retains her citizenship and continues to use her KiwiBank account set up here and managed for her personal and business matters.
Until this month.
On March 20th, KiwiBank have contacted her and threatened to cut off her account, despite all the due diligence paperwork long since having been filled outand in order, despite her being a citizen, despite the Banking Ombudsman launching an official investigation in support of her complaints, despite fulfilling every requirement, despite everything, KiwiBank are threatening to de-bank her.
Why does any of this matter?
You can’t live in the modern world without a Bank Account. And once one bank puts a Scarlet Letter on your chest, it can be close to impossible to get another one.
De-banking someone is an extreme event that removes a persons ability to participate in the world, and seeing as KiwiBank is a State owned Bank, they have a greater obligation to Suzie because she’s a citizen.
Suzie says that KiwiBank have been aggressive with her since the National Party came to power and wonders if there has been some behind the scenes pressure to punish her for her previous activism against National’s mass surveillance legislation. Indeed, it emerges that Kiwibank had also tried to pull the same stunt against Suzie during the term of the prior National Government – well before Suzie ever went to Russia – but backed down when confronted by lawyers.
The Ombudsman has launched an investigation against KiwiBank, but they are still threatening to cut her Bank Accounts off this month.
It reeks of a political hit job on dissidents.
I had a similar experience occur against me when the Police breached my Civil Rights by illegally gaining my bank records because they believed I was the Dirty Politics hacker, RawShark!
I took them to the Human Rights Review Tribunal and the Police were forced to settle.
For activists prepared to speak truth to power there is always a price to pay, and if you land on a State Enemies list, you can pay that price in the most unique and damaging ways.
De-banking a Dissident Kiwi Tech Disrupter like Suzie is a means of strangling off activism and it weaponises a service like banking that should be accessible.
The complaint against KiwiBank from the Ombudsman continues.
TDB will follow the case.
Keep your social credit scores up eh?
Why doesn’t this article relate whatever justification Kiwibank are claiming for their action?
I look forward to further coverage, particularly about what’s a “Dissident Kiwi Tech Disrupter”, and the Kiwibank connection.
If you bank with a State owned bank, then you may come in for State owned interference, if you are an activist. If the State has used the legally dubious entities that are the secret services in NZ, to harass and interfere and spy on activists, then of course the State may use the State owned bank to the same ends.
I suggest that if the State is cutting off services to this person, then the State should not morally expect to ask this person for taxes. Whoever the MP is in charge of Kiwibank, expect to hear timely vigorous conspicuous silence about all of this, just like the cone of silence over Potaka, or on discussing covid.
It would be good if the msm like TVNZ Q&A, took this up and got an interview with the decision makers at Kiwibank, to give some of that sunlight disinfectant, but alas TVNZ is also state owned. And think what you like about Moscow, but Moscow is treating this person better than this country is. Better psych testing during inductions to the secret services, to get rid of the proud boy element, and ongoing monitoring, would be more than sensible.
Well put.
Last year a local socialist group in Otautahi set up a fund to support the PFLP
https://www.pflpsolidarityaotearoa.net/
At some time Kiwi Bank said they were closing the bank account as the PFLP was a terrorist organisation. When they were challenged they eventually said that it was on a list of United States terrorist groups. After going to the Banking Ombudsman Kiwibank were forced to back track.
CHALLENGE EVERY time. I bank with Kiwi bank and encourage others because the profits don’t fill the pockets of those in Australia and other places.
This is disgusting to do this to a kiwi citizen with children who may one day return to NZ
Are they planning to keep any funds Suzie still has in her bank account or are they wulling to transfer them to another bank/account within NZ?
So many questions unanswered…. what can we do to help?
Has noone seen the irony of seeking asylum under V Putin?
Comments are closed.