Free Speech Union welcomes ACT's professional regulator neutrality policy - and calls on every party to back it.

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 unsafe work. Increasingly, some are reaching beyond that remit to discipline members for lawful views expressed in their own time - putting careers at risk over opinions that have nothing to do with how a person does their job.

Polling the Free Speech Union commissioned from Curia Market Research this month found New Zealanders back limiting regulators to matters of competence and safety by about three to one - 54 percent in favour and 18 percent against. That support held right across the political spectrum, with Labour and Green voters in favour, as well as National, NZ First and ACT. A majority (57 percent) also said they would not stop seeing a health practitioner simply because that person had expressed a lawful view online that they personally disagreed with.

"We're pleased to see ACT take up a principle we've been making the case for over many years. No one should have to choose between their profession and the freedom to hold a lawful opinion," said Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather.

"But this shouldn't be any one party's cause. Our polling shows New Zealanders across the political spectrum agree - so this is an open invitation to every party in Parliament. We'll welcome and work with anyone ready to put it into law."

The Free Speech Union has championed this reform for years, and is supporting draft legislation - the Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill - prepared by our Council Chair, lawyer Stephen Franks. 

"Regulators were given their powers to protect the public from incompetence and misconduct - not to enforce a set of approved opinions," said Heather.

The Free Speech Union supports regulated professionals facing disciplinary action over lawful expression, and is currently assisting several individuals in exactly this position.

ENDS

Notes to editor:

Polling. Conducted by Curia Market Research. Nationwide sample of n=1,000, fielded 4–8 June 2026. Maximum margin of error ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level; sub-group margins (including results by party support) are wider. Full results and question wording available here.

The Bill. The Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill is draft legislation prepared by Franks Ogilvie, the firm of Free Speech Union Council Chair Stephen Franks. In broad terms it would: confine the disciplinary jurisdiction of professional regulators to matters of professional competence, conduct and public safety; prevent regulators from sanctioning members for lawful expression in their private capacity; require regulators to remain institutionally neutral on political and ideological questions; limit mandatory training to matters relevant to professional practice; and strengthen the courts' ability to review regulators that act beyond their statutory authority. The approach parallels Alberta's Regulated Professions Neutrality Act, which ACT's policy also cites. Stephen’s Draft Bill is available here.  

People we support. The Free Speech Union has supported a number of people facing disciplinary actions from regulators over lawful speech, one current example is Cath Simpson, a registered nurse, who is facing a disciplinary hearing in August in connection with social media posts made in a personal capacity. 

FSU Media Contact: Jillaine Heather | media@fsu.nz |