John Minto

Minto is a long-time member of the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) and also a national vice chairperson[3] of QPEC, Quality Public Education Coalition (Inc) and co-vice-president of the Mana Movement.

[11] In 2021, Minto organised a series of events around New Zealand, including in New Plymouth, Dunedin, and Invercargill, to mark the 40th anniversary of the protests against the 1981 Springbok Tour.

[24] By 2021, Minto had become the Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), which staged protests in response to the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis and has called for the closure of the Israeli Embassy in Wellington.

[26] As Chair of the PSNA, Minto opposed the New Zealand Government's decision to join the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as an observer on 24 June 2022.

He claimed that IHRA was a partisan organisation seeking to deflect criticism of Israeli policies and actions towards the Palestinians with what he regarded as "false smears" of antisemitism.

[28] In early May 2024, Minto took part in a flash mob protest outside Foreign Minister Winston Peters' residence demanding that New Zealand reinstate funding for UNRWA and severe diplomatic relations with Israel.

[29] In mid-October 2024, Minto along with University of Canterbury postcolonial studies lecturer Josephine Varghese successfully petitioned the Christchurch City Council to pass a resolution to amend its procurement policy to exclude companies involved in building and maintaining Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territories.

Similar criticism was echoed by Foreign Minister Winston Peters and ACT MP Simon Court, who said the hotline would promote totalitarianism and intimidatory behaviour against Israeli and Jews.

[32][33] In response to criticism, Minto denied that the hotline campaign was anti-semitic but said that it was meant to "send the message to Israeli soldiers that New Zealand society does not support their actions.