In 2021, Stuff and 1 News both reported that Auckland Transport was investigating a social media post by Rainbow to the Rainbow Auckland Networking Group.
The post was promoting a petition to ban gay conversion therapy, and Rainbow’s reply reportedly said, “be careful ... there’s some elements of the trans agenda being sneakily promoted through this campaign”. Rainbow’s reported comment prompted complaints about transphobia by co-workers at Auckland Transport, 1 News said at the time.
Pacheco is a professor of economics and director of the NZ Policy Research Institute at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
“She has extensive experience leading large-scale, multi-institutional funded projects, including work for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministry for Women, Ministry of Education and the Human Rights Commission,” Goldsmith said.
New Human Rights Commissioner Derby is a senior lecturer at Waikato University, teaching early literacy and human development.
Her primary area of research is early literacy and in particular exploring the role of whānau in fostering foundational preliteracy skills.
Goldsmith had earlier expressed a desire to make changes in the commission, which the Act party campaigned to abolish before the last election.
He thanked Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo, who has taken on the roles of acting chief commissioner and acting race relations commissioner over much of the past year.
- RNZ
