The Government wants to introduce harsher penalties for hate speech including up to three years’ jail time and fines of up to $50,000, as part of its response to the royal commission of inquiry into the mosque attacks.
The National Party and Act New Zealand have come out against the plans — released last Friday — calling the changes "cancel culture on steroids".
Ms Ardern said yesterday the proposal was about strengthening what laws the country already had in place.
"We already have provisions to deal with what ... I’d call it extreme speech.
"The debate is whether or not in the aftermath of what we’ve experienced on March 15 we need to include the likes of religion, and that is something the royal commission did recommend we extend to.
"So I would reach out to those across all sides of the House and ... I’d be very interested in what their view is and what they would see as being a way to make sure that we are bringing in those who were at the most extreme end of an experience."
The opposition parties argue putting political opinion into the legislation created concerns, and there needed to be clarity over who would decide what the threshold for that was.
Ms Ardern said bipartisan support was crucial for a legislation like this.
"What I would just encourage is for them to debate what’s in front of them and just acknowledge why we’re doing this."
Ms Collins said the proposed legislation was an attempt to control New Zealanders.
"They have gone full throttle far left and woke.
"If New Zealand is to have an informed discussion about Labour’s hate speech laws, the Prime Minister needs to ensure she is giving accurate information to the media — this morning on The AM Show she did not."
"She knows very well that incitement to violence is already covered in law and to use it to create a feeling of necessity around the speech restrictions she is advocating for is pretty cynical."
She said the proposed laws were bizarre and unncessary.
A petition launched by Act to stop the laws reached 20,000 signatures yesterday.
“Tens of thousands of Kiwis have exercised their right to free speech, standing up to Jacinda Ardern and her divisive hate-speech laws," Act leader David Seymour said
“These laws will create a divided society and will put an already growing cancel culture on steroids.
“Both Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have fumbled their way through interviews when asked about how the laws will work in practice.
“While Faafoi seemed to have no idea, the Prime Minister made four claims that the Act party and the media have since proved to be wrong.
"The Government doesn’t even know what problem it’s trying to solve," Mr Seymour said.
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Mr Seymour continues with his misinformation campaign.
His assertion that the proposed law is bizarre and unnecessary do not hold water. The Commission of Inquiry into the Mosque shootings recommended the change.
There is nothing divisive about the proposals, Mr Seymour is just making this up and claiming it is so does not make it true.
Neither Faafoi nor Ardern have fumbled anything, rather those interviewing them appear to have taken meaning from the discussion document that appears to exist only in their heads.
Seymour claims to have proved the Prime Minister wrong on four points, yet he does not mention what these are. And, a simple reading of the discussion document against his press release proves him wrong on at least 7 points.
Seymour claims that the Govt doesn't even know what the problem is that they're trying to solve. This is one of the 7 points he is wrong on. The Commission of inquiry sets out quite plainly what the problem is.
And again crusher is tagging along trying to be relevant. Calling the proposals "left and woke". If anything the proposal are more reflective of fascist type laws and the "woke" argument is the refuge of those who have nothing to offer.
How can the police manage this when Ardern and Faafoi cant even answer questions on what the laws will mean or how they are implemented. Typical Labour Government of all ideas and no execution.
Collins and many other ignorant people bandy the word woke around like it's a bad thing.
Read a dictionary Judith rather than pandering to the ignorant amongst us.
There is nothing wrong with being aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, which is what woke means. It's how you act upon this awareness that highlights your political leanings, not the awareness itself.
Being woke is something to be proud of.
She is a wolf in sheeps clothing. This Labour/Green government is steadily dismantling NZ society, the only good thing is that while they are strong on ideology their delivery is very poor. Hopefully by the next election more people will see the error of their ways and we have an opposition that is capable of fixing things. I pity the future generations who will be paying for all this governments follies.
No she's not. But it does describe Crusher, although she would be better described as a weasel, not a wolf.
The Labour Party has sufficient numbers to govern alone, so it is a bit of a stretch to call it a Labour/Green Govt. The Greens, having a couple of cooperation agreement Ministers outside Cabinet, does not make it a coalition government. Irrespective, they are not dismantling NZ society; state one instance of anything they have dismantled?
Which of the Opposition parties are capable of fixing things? Certainly not National, they can't even fix themselves! ACT, that's laughable. If National get back half of the voters that defected to ACT at the last election then Act will lose half of its members. Besides, none of them - including Seymour - have shown any ability to talk sense, let alone govern.
Save your pity for the current generation just entering the workforce. They'll be working hard to pay off National's crippling debt from their sinking like a rock economy. At least Labour's borrowing has been to keep the economy turning over during a crisis such as the world has not seen since the Great Depression, if not earlier.
So who gets to define what constitutes "hate speech" hmmm......
Parliament, then the courts.
There are current laws against hate speech, they've been on the law books for years. This new proposal is to discuss expanding the scope.
The govt huh, the leftist govt that is full of virtue eh.....
It is generally accepted as that which incites hostility toward people based on religion, gender and similar.