N.Z. Court Upholds Rejection of Greenpeace’s Charity Bid
May 10, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
New Zealand’s High Court has rejected the environmental activist group Greenpeace’s bid to register as a charity in the country, says the New Zealand Press Association.
The court upheld a 2010 ruling by New Zealand’s Charities Commission, which said Greenpeace’s disarmament and peace advocacy were political in nature and disqualified it from charity status. Justice Paul Heath said the organization’s efforts to spotlight such issues were “an independent object” separate from its charitable mission.
Davey Salmon, a lawyer for Greenpeace, had argued that advocacy by nonprofit groups on political issues had become more acceptable in 21st-century New Zealand.
