This year, the movement for Palestinian rights in Aotearoa leveled-up pressure to sanction the Israeli Government due to their ongoing genocide of Palestinian people. In total, over 90,000 individual actions were taken on OurActionStation in solidarity with Palestine.
Efforts to Boycott, Divest from and Sanction Israel are a way to hold an apartheid state accountable for its serial violations of international law. However, the movement is about so much more. It’s about people coming together and stepping in where governments fail to acknowledge that Palestinians deserve the same human rights as everyone else. The core demand of the Palestinian-led movement is to apply economic, diplomatic and cultural pressure on Israel until Palestinians are: equal under law to Israeli citizens, free from living under military occupation, and able to return to their homeland. Organisers of September's March for Humanity in Tāmaki and their call to Sanction Israel Now received a record number of endorsements. They were proudly supported by everyone from the Iwi Chairs forum, to Toitū Te Tiriti, to major trade unions and major NGOs.
At the same time, powerful new campaigns have emerged such as the Swap Out Sodastream campaign, which calls on Aotearoa New Zealand-based stocklisters to swap out SodaStream for more ethical alternatives, and end all future contracts with them. SodaStream is one of the largest food and beverage manufacturers in Israel and is deeply implicated in the economic oppression of Palestinian people.
We’ve seen the effects of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement worldwide and watched consensus on it grow. In a November 2025 survey of our community, over 82.46% said they support sanctions against Israel, followed by 12.6% who were unsure/ on the fence. As a fragile ceasefire continues to be broken in Gaza, and Israeli settlers continue displacing Palestinians in the West Bank, the need for accountability and fundamental rights for Palestinians remains critical. This is critical not just for Palestine, but for everyone concerned with having a functioning system of human rights globally.