Articles by Free Speech Union

The Free Speech Union has criticised Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown after an email emerged in which he allegedly warned the editor of Ponsonby News that "your paper will die" if it continued publishing criticism of him. The Union argues the message amounts to an attempt to intimidate a community newspaper and says elected officials should respond to criticism through public debate rather than private pressure, describing the incident as a threat to…

The Free Speech Union says renewed calls for hate speech laws represent a return to a debate New Zealand has already had and one where the evidence, experience, and the public ultimately rejected censorship as the answer. “Chief Executive Jillaine Heather says there is no denying that words can be cruel, hateful or simply offensive. People can be insulted, humiliated, intimidated, and hurt by what others say. · “But acknowledging that reality…

The Free Speech Union has criticised the decision by New Zealand Police and the Firearms Safety Authority to revoke Brian Tamaki's firearms licence following recent public comments. While reiterating its opposition to those comments, the organisation argues that if criminal laws have been broken, the matter should be determined by the courts rather than through administrative action. The Free Speech Union condemns the actions of the NZ Police…

A peer-reviewed paper by a Māori clinical psychologist has been removed from her profession's journal on the grounds that keeping it accessible could harm Māori. It was not retracted for error, fraud or misconduct, which are ordinarily the only reasons for such an action. The Free Speech Union is calling on the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists to explain the decision. · The paper was submitted in 2024, peer reviewed, and published…

The Free Speech Union is warning that the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is becoming a one-stop shop for identity verification, content regulation, and online access control, despite no law yet having been passed requiring age verification for social media users. DIA Should Not Become New Zealand’s Online Gatekeeper · For Immediate Release · The warning follows comments from Secretary for Internal Affairs Paul James defending the…

The Free Speech Union has welcomed ACT's commitment to stop professional regulators policing the lawful opinions of the people they license, and is calling on every party in Parliament to support the same principle - pointing to new polling that shows strong, cross-party public backing. Professional regulators were set up to ensure consumer protection and competence. Guarding against bad medical practice, dodgy legal advice, dishonesty, and…

New Zealanders overwhelmingly believe professional regulators should stay out of practitioners’ politics, according to new polling released today by the Free Speech Union. The Curia poll of 1,000 voters found 54% believe regulators such as the Medical and Nursing Councils should only discipline doctors and nurses for incompetence or negligence. Only 18% believe regulators should also discipline practitioners for views expressed on social media…

This morning the Children's Commissioner and a cross-sector coalition called on the Government to build an independent online-safety regulator. They are too late to ask. The Government is already building one, and it has not waited for a law. Budget 2026 allocated $30.7 million to the Department of Internal Affairs over four years to "develop policy and possible regulatory options to improve children's online safety, subject to future policy…

The Free Speech Union is writing to the Chair of the University of Otago Council this week, asking what steps the Council will take after a recent community email from Vice-Chancellor Hon Grant Robertson took an institutional position on a contested political issue. In an email to the Otago community, the Vice-Chancellor described the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill as "unnecessary and disturbing" at a personal level.…

The Free Speech Union is calling on Parliament to narrow the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill, warning it hands police open-ended discretion to move people on, and prosecute them, for peaceful conduct in a public place. The Bill lets an officer order anyone aged 14 or over to leave a public place for 24 hours on grounds as vague as “disorderly” or “disruptive” behaviour, or for begging. Whatever you think about begging, the Free…