Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine have cemented a memorial plaque outside the East Coast Bays electorate office of Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, after months of her refusals to provide an urgently needed Palestinian family member visa category.  

In March 2024, Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine joined with 33 other groups to write to the Government asking for visas to be issued on compassionate grounds, enabling Kiwi Palestinian family members to evacuate to safety in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The groups calling for visas included two Palestinian and two Jewish organisations alongside many others, including Christian organisations: Christian World Service, Common Grace Aotearoa and the Diocese of Christchurch's Anglican Advocacy team.

To date, despite thousands of New Zealanders adding their voices to the call, the Minister has refused to create a visa pathway to help people fleeing violence in the Holy Land, or to meet with Palestinian New Zealanders affected by her decision, despite repeated requests. 

Instead, each time the Minister repeats the same answer that granting visas offers "false hope", despite evidence that families with international citizenship rights have been able to exit Israel's bombing zone in Gaza. 

Cole Yeoman, who is an Anglican kaitiaki of Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine, recently spent a month in the Holy Land.  He reports from firsthand knowledge that visas provide genuine hope for families living in fear of violence.

 “Visas are one of the few hopes these families have. By granting visas, Erica Stanford would be applying pressure on Israel to end their blockade – to allow humanitarian aid in and families seeking refuge out."

"The Minister should have established a special category resettlement pathway months ago, just as the Government did for people from Ukraine and Afghanistan."

Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine cemented the memorial plaque into the ground outside Minister Erica Standford's East Coast Bays electorate office in Auckland on Friday night, unveiling it at a prayer vigil on Saturday afternoon. It reads:

"In loving memory of 18 innocent Palestinians killed by an Israeli airstrike on 19 October 2023, whilst sheltering inside the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy."

Cole Yeoman reported that Christians for Peace in Palestine installed the plaque to keep the issue in front of the Minister, letting her know that the call will never end for her Government to respond with compassion and fairness to the plight of Palestinian families suffering in Gaza. 

"The plaque is here as a reminder of the direct human cost of her continued inaction." he said.  

On Saturday 19 October, (the anniversary of the Saint Porphyrius bombing) around fifty people gathered for a vigil outside Stanford’s office to unveil the plaque and pray for peace in Gaza. People attending the vigil recited the names of the 18 Palestinians killed the year before and as they prayed for peace they remembered too the 300 people still sheltering in the church for fear of their lives. 

New Zealander and Palestinian Christian Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab lost three of her family members in the Israeli attack on St Porphyrius church. Reflecting at one year on, she called it a year of horror that Palestinians will never forget. 

“When I found out that my family had been murdered, I was absolutely devastated. You lose part of your heart and part of your spirit. But to find out they died while seeking shelter in the home of Jesus - the Church - was a complete violation.” 

The weekend of vigil and action ended in twelve hours of continuous prayer at St David’s Anglican Church in Naenae (Wellington), with around fifty people praying and calling again for humanitarian visas to get Palestinian family members out of harm's way. Many stayed overnight in the church in solidarity with families still sheltering in the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza. 

Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab called for New Zealand Christians to step up more.  

“The very being of the church, the integrity of the Christian faith, and the credibility of the Gospel is at stake. For many years, most churches and Christian organisations have been silent on Palestine." she said.

Katrina went on to say that Zionism that legitimises the right of one people to deny the human rights of another is incompatible with the Christian faith and a grave misuse of scripture.

While another Israeli airstrike hit St Porphyrius Church in August, thankfully it failed to detonate upon impact. 

To read the 34 organisations' letter requesting compassionate grounds visas for Palestinian family members visit grantthevisas.com

To join the call for visas, you can write to the Immigration Minister (address below) to request compassionate grounds visas that will allow Palestinian whānau to evacuate to Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The Hon Erica Standford, 
Minister of Immigration
E.Stanford@ministers.govt.nz