We're taking this fight to the institutions.

Today is the last day to make your own submission and ensure they remember that clinical safety should trump ‘cultural safety’ - the term that sounds good at first, but is being used to justify the censorship of unpopular voices. 
 
I trust like me, what matters to you when receiving healthcare is that the workforce is held to a high standard of professional capacity, not the right ideological positions.  
 
There are also 3 other pieces of work you'll be interested in:

• Our major submission on Phase 2 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This 20-page report unpacks the major effect our response had on speech rights, specifically for academics, healthcare professionals, and teachers. (Thanks to the professionals in these cohorts that supported us in writing this report). 

• We're also continuing to work closely with universities on academic freedom, following the Government's introduction of legislation we held draft that will defend free speech in our universities. Institutional neutrality means that free speech and academic freedom is for academics, not the administration or the institution of the university itself. 

• We're also working to achieve major appointments onto government boards to help us 'take the fight to the institutions'. We need capable people to work with us to take up these appointments - check out more on this below.  

How the Government's response to the pandemic silenced some voices

Suppressing legitimate questions and professional judgments ultimately undermines public trust and weakens democratic institutions. 
 
We’ve submitted on Phase 2 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and how aspects had a chilling effect on open debate, professional dissent, and academic freedom in New Zealand. 
 
Our professional memberships enabled us to get specific feedback from individuals in professions that were affected the most: healthcare professions, academics, and teachers. Their stories provide evidence of the ways many professionals were silenced, and sometimes faced severe consequences, for expressing views that differed from the Government’s.

What I found most concerning was that all of these stories included reference to the lasting effects this had on their trust and confidence in Government, professionals, and regulatory bodies.
 
Transparency matters if our democracy is to flourish.  
 
Read our submission here. 

Academic freedom legislation to set our universities straight

People have talked for years that universities are not doing their jobs. Well, we’re actually doing something about it.
 
Legislation is being introduced to Parliament to protect academic freedom because of our close involvement with the Government on this issue.  
 
John, you’ll hear some people say that the Free Speech Union is limiting the free speech of universities by working on and pushing for this legislation. But they're missing something crucial: it’s individuals that have free speech, not institutions. 
 
We’re telling universities to do their job and our message to universities is clear: Don’t take a stance on political or cultural issues so that the academics can. 
 
We’ve written today to every vice chancellor in the country to ensure they realise the importance of this legislation. We’re the biggest civil actor with the closest connection to our universities. We’re here to help; but we will hold their feet to the fire. 

Change from the inside out: Taking the fight to the institutions 

John, we must take the fight to the institutions if we want to create meaningful change. We've made a dozen applications on behalf of members for positions on governing boards and regulatory bodies to ensure individuals who value civil liberties are part of important conversations. Not all will be accepted, but even if a handful do, we see that as a success. 

We’re implementing a strategy to continue to monitor positions that become available so that we can encourage and support fitting free speech advocates to apply.  
 
If this sounds like you, why not send us your CV and let me know the sorts of roles you’d be interested in? We’re here to help and guide you through the process! 

As we often say, nothing silences like a threat to your livelihood. Every case of censorship towards an individual, especially within specific professions, points to a much larger problem of self-censorship.

After years of study and the realities of simply needing to pay the bills and put food on the table, few people want to risk losing their job or registration over an opinion. But it is tragic we are in this situation, and something must be done so that Kiwis once again are free to express their views.  
 
If we don’t, what will it mean for our democracy, and how knowledge progresses?

“The public censoring of one causes the self-censorship of many.”

-Prof. Nigel Biggar

I’m proud to oversee our professional memberships and councils that enables us to collaborate with other Kiwis who value free speech as much as we do. 

We’re stronger than ever before. We’re changing the system, not just focusing on the symptoms, and we're keeping the fight up to make sure your speech remains free. 

Stephanie Martin | Stakeholder Relationship Manager