Finally free to speak! A victory for Portia!

The District Court decision we've been waiting for is now out... 

Portia Mao won her court case! 🎉 

Portia is absolutely ecstatic and wants you to know that she cannot thank us all enough.  

If we had not all backed Portia, I believe her case could have had a very different outcome.

Portia says: 

"Thankfully, I have not faced this dark chapter alone. I am profoundly grateful to the Free Speech Union for their unwavering support, and to my counsel Callum Fredric, whose outstanding work carried me through this legal challenge. I truly don’t know how I would have managed without them."

Criticising the authoritarian government of China and its growing web of foreign interference in democracies like New Zealand shouldn't be controversial, let alone silenced by one of our very own laws.

Yet that is exactly what Portia Mao - a pro-democracy Kiwi-Chinese journalist - was silenced for doing last year under the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA).  

Gagged by an interim order from the Manukau District Court at the instigation of Morgan Xiao, an aspiring politician in East Auckland and consistent commentator in support of the Chinese government, Portia's investigations into Xiao's political speech and behaviour ran straight into the censorship machinery of, not the CCP, but an insane piece of NZ law.  

If Kiwi journalists can't call out this kind of political commentary, then who can? 

With your partnership, Portia has won her court case, overturning the original court order. 💪

Unaware at the time when the action was first being taken against her by Xiao, Portia was unable to defend herself in court! 

Apparently, the "ongoing serious emotional distress" that Mr Xiao claimed he was suffering because of Portia's online reporting warranted a swift and uncompromising disregard for due process! Without much questioning, the judge at the time complied with Xiao’s request. 

However, the ruling now from a new judge notes the "troubling" manner in which the law had been used against Portia "without notice" on the flimsiest pretext.

He also acknowledges the serious danger the HDCA could pose if weaponised in similar cases.  

Throughout this outrageous, Orwellian ordeal, we: 

✅ Operated as a critical conduit for Portia, raising funds to make sure this CCP stooge wasn’t given another inch. 

✅ Funded free speech warrior and barrister, Callum Fredric, who helped Portia win the day. 

✅ Made sure the media and public were talking about Portia’s story; we need more than one small voice to expose the dangers of foreign interference.

We can't stop here, though. We need to address the HDCA head on - an arbitrary and highly censorial law - which is proving in cases like Portia's that ill-conceived legislation will throttle free and democratic expression in NZ. 

Foreign interference from countries like China is a growing and a serious threat to our democracy. Much of this interference is happening through proxies, unofficial representatives of authoritarian regimes such as the United Front (an international "civilian" influencing network promoted by the CCP). We’re doubling down in our efforts to expose and challenge this anti-democratic suppression. 

Portia’s personal courage and sense of moral duty to defend democracy should inspire all of us to do the same.  

Free speech allows us to question, investigate and call out bad ideas. Upholding free speech, as much as any military alliance, will be our greatest protection against the threat of authoritarianism from those loyal to the CCP or anyone else.  

Thank you. I deeply believe that Portia’s case could have gone very differently if we hadn’t been involved.

Your support is having history-changing impact.

Nick Hanne | Free Speech Union