Mahvash Ikram
One of New Zealand’s leading criminal defence barristers, Ron Mansfield KC, has warned that New Zealand’s civil liberties are on a “slippery slope” and the country is not immune from the global rise in extremist rhetoric and the steady erosion of fundamental human rights.
Speaking at a farewell dinner hosted by The Law Association for retiring District Court Judges Mary Beth Sharp and Nicola Mathers in Auckland, Mansfield said freedom of expression and the right to protest are not abstract constitutional right. Rather, they are daily responsibilities that require defending, even if the causes were unpopular.
He urged lawyers to push back against legislative and cultural shifts that weaken those protections.
For example, Mansfield said while the recent smashing of a window at the home of Foreign Minister Winston Peters was an isolated act of aggression, it could be used to justify new limits on the legitimate right to protest, such as banning protests outside politician’s homes.
He warned that the pressures eroding democratic norms overseas were “already in our backyard,” adding that the legal community must act as a bulwark against complacency.
“If we do not challenge every step down that slope, we will find ourselves at the bottom before we realise we were even falling.”
Fear and reaction
Judge Nicola Mathers and Judge Mary Beth Sharp
Mansfield drew parallels between overseas trends and development and what he sees emerging in New Zealand, pointing to a global erosion of rights and civility.
Citing the latest Global Peace Index, he noted that the number of state-based conflicts (56 in 2024) had reached its highest level since World War II and said the same forces of fear and reaction that fuel instability abroad were already shaping lawmaking in this country.
“We just have to look to the United States to see how rights are being taken away from us,” he said. “And we needn’t think that it’s not going to come here. We’ve already had the gang-patch legislation and, despite our views on gangs, it’s a slippery slope to the destruction of the Bill of Rights that the men and women in this room have fought for, for years….
“We look to America and we are shocked and think it could not happen here, but it is.”
Mansfield drew on global examples to illustrate the growing influence of extremist rhetoric. Referencing the recent death of Charlie Kirk, he described the deceased American political activist as “a misogynistic, racist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-immigration and avid supporter of the right to arm,” and noted the irony that his social media following had surged since his death. But it was sad that Kirk had died as a result of being shot, Mansfield said.
The episode illustrated how intolerance amplifies online and how quickly hateful ideas can normalise violence and division.
No floral aprons
Ron Mansfield KC and Raynor Asher KC
Mansfield said the values needed to resist those pressures – courage, empathy and fairness – were the same qualities embodied by Judges Sharp and Mathers.
He described them as powerful figures who commanded their courtrooms with authority, humour and humanity.
“Both judges have tremendous senses of humour. Both are very humane and know what the word ‘compassion’ means,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you’re soft or a pushover. Everybody knows where they stand in your court.”
Mansfield said both women had spent their careers advocating for equality and the advancement of women and minorities and their approach to judging had set a professional standard that balanced strength with kindness.
“They embody the strength, courage and compassion that we will all need in the years to come,” he said.
“They will not replace their gown with a floral apron. Both women are likely to take up the fight and continue their work for women’s rights, minorities and equality.”
Mansfield said their legacy lay not only in the judgments they delivered but in the humanity they brought to the profession.
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