New Zealand Defunds Ardern Initiative to Eliminate Online Extremism

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern leaves after the Friday prayers at Hagley Park outside Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 22, 2019. Jorge Silva/Reuters

A global effort against online extremism launched by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the wake of a gunman’s attack on a Christchurch mosque in 2019 is to be defunded by the government.

The taxpayer-funded Christchurch Call was set up during Ms. Ardern’s tenure in conjunction with French President Emmanuel Macron. It aimed to eliminate online extremist content by unifying content platform providers after Australian Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 people in two Christchurch mosques and live-streamed the event on Facebook.

The call was committed to by 25 governments and online service providers and has a multi-stakeholder community of 56 governments, 19 online service providers, 13 partner organisations, and more than 50 civil society organisations.

Government funding will end on June 30, where it will transition to being handled by a charitable non-governmental organisation.

Mr. Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon announced the launch of the new Christchurch Call foundation.

“This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, where leaders endorsed New Zealand and France building a resilient Secretariat ahead of the Call’s fifth anniversary in May 2024. The new foundation is the outcome of this work,” they said in a media statement.

Mr. Macron said the Call has been able to build a global community to fight against online extremism since 2019.

“Our commitment to this promise remains firm and I am confident that this new stage of the Call provides a solid basis for the future of this initiative and the new challenges we now have to tackle, including AI-generated content,” he said.

Mr. Luxon added that those directly affected by the mosque shootings were integral to its ongoing success.

“The Christchurch Call was formed in 2019, two months after the terror attacks in Christchurch. In making this announcement, I want especially to acknowledge the experiences of the Muslim community in Christchurch and thank them for their valuable ongoing involvement in the work of the Call,” he said.

Ms. Ardern will remain as an unpaid patron of the Call after acting as a special envoy from 2023. She is expected to “facilitate dialogue with leaders, deliver outreach, and advocacy to raise the profile of the Call,” said the statement.

“I'd like to thank Dame Jacinda Ardern for her advocacy and leadership of the Christchurch Call, which has curtailed violent extremism online. I wish her and the Christchurch Call well as they evolve in the next phase of their development,” Mr. Luxon said.

Ms. Ardern said it made sense for her role to change in a post to Facebook.

“The Christchurch Call represents a collective effort to try and prevent something like March 15 happening to anyone else. It was our darkest of hours, but I know from my last visit in February with those affected, that there’s still a huge desire for us to keep work like this going. And together we are. So onwards!”

People visit a memorial site for victims of Christchurch mosque shooting, in front of the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand March 18, 2019. Reuters/Jorge Silva

Political Reaction

National’s coalition partner, the ACT party, was supportive of the government’s decision to pivot away from direct involvement, saying it was “never clear” why New Zealand taxpayers needed to foot its bill.

“ACT is welcoming the prime minister’s decision to defund the Christchurch Call,” ACT Public Service spokesman Todd Stephenson said in a media release.

“The Christchurch Call had noble intentions, but history tells us we should be wary of governments and corporations colluding to decide what information people can and can’t see.

“The Christchurch Call has been supported by some of the world’s biggest companies. If they want to have a former New Zealand prime minister as special envoy, they’re welcome to pay her bills.”

Police secured the area with tape across the road from the Dean Avenue mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 17, 2019. Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images

How Does the Christchurch Call Work?

In 2021, Ms. Ardern announced the Call’s intention to create a “free, open, secure internet.”

Countries that sign the Call commit to taking measures to prevent the uploading and dissemination of terrorist and violent extremist content, while also respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Technology companies that join agree to take concrete steps to prevent the use of their platforms to upload, disseminate, or promote terrorist and violent extremist content, including investing in technology to detect and remove such content.

Several initiatives and projects have been launched to support the implementation of the Call’s commitments, including efforts to develop technology tools to detect and remove extremist content and to promote digital literacy and resilience against online radicalisation.

However, challenges remain in fully implementing the Call’s commitments. These include issues related to the definition of terrorist and violent extremist content, the balance between security and freedom of expression, and the effectiveness of measures taken.