We have fantastic news to share with you. And it's not just one victory either. It's a whopping three victories. 

1. Minister amends Immigration decision, allows Candance Owens access to New Zealand

Two weeks ago, our team came out in force when we heard Candace Owens was denied entry into NZ.

The ‘provocative’ American speaker (we’ll let you decide whether that’s the right term for her or not) was barred simply because, get this, the Australians had decided they didn’t want her.

When did we out source our immigration decisions to Australia?

You and I both know it was simply not right, and set a very dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Candace's views.

Well, thanks to the pressure thousands of you put on the Associate Minister of Immigration, and the appeal our legal team submitted, we’re pleased to say that she has been granted a ‘special direction’, and will be given a work visa. 💪🎉

Without a doubt, this is the only right call, and Chris Penk deserves credit for setting his officials (who were the ones who made the decision) straight.

But it is also sad that this whole fight was ever needed. What about the people who face similar censorship that aren’t able to call the Free Speech Union in? 

If it shows one thing, it’s that an outfit dedicated to keeping officials honest, and speech free, is still desperately needed. And that’s a sad state of affairs.

We’ll keep working to do ourselves out of a job. 

2. Gun licence revoked: Police urged to ‘respond to crime, not speech’

Do you remember a story we told you about Gareth*, the man who had police turn up on his doorstep over some comments he made online under an anonymous account? 

The officers seemed to think it was their duty to police Gareth's thoughts and speech, because, surely there aren't actual crimes to focus on, right? 

Consequently, Gareth's gun licence was revoked. Not only that, Police turned up at his house a second time, trying to force their way in, and then reported him to Oranga Tamariki because the kids were upset. No kidding!

Thankfully Oranga Tamariki promptly closed the file shortly after, saying they had no concerns, and rightly so. Read more of Gareth's story here.

Gareth is a hard-working family man (with triplet daughters) and was caught up in a storm over a few comments on social media. Can you imagine the stress he's been under after two visits from the Police? 

Our team provided both legal support and pastoral care to Gareth, and wrote a submission to the Fire Arms Safety Authority containing references from our team and Gareth's friends and family. Revoking his licence over a handful of comments was a poor precedent to set, and it needed to be challenged. 

We recently had the excellent news that Gareth's gun licence has been reinstated (even though he doesn’t even have any guns).

This is the right outcome for Gareth. In fact, it's the right outcome for all of us, really. 

The Police should be policing crime, not thought, and we've made sure they know it. Again, where would Gareth be without you, me, and the thousands of others who, through the Free Speech Union, keep the pressure on? 

*Name changed for privacy. 

3. Conflict at Taupo District Council resolved: a victory for free speech

You may have seen in the media recently a great result with Taupo District Council!

Last year an event with Julian Batchelor was cancelled at a Taupo public venue, so we lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal; the Council doesn't get to dictate which views are and aren't platformed at a ratepayer funded venue.

Well, Taupo District Council came to the party. I sat down with them last month, and we were able to resolve the issue together in good faith, without taking the complaint any further. 

There are two fantastic outcomes: 

✅The Council has invited us to come and run training on free speech for staff and councillors. 💪

✅The Council has invited us to help draft a free speech policy. 🎉

We're proud to have come to this agreement with the Council, preventing more costs to local ratepayers and highlighting the importance of open debate and free speech within local government. 

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Once again, I question what kind of situation we'd all be in if it weren't for our team or the tens of thousands of supporters behind us. 

Every act of censorship sets the precedent for the next. We must continue to be principled defenders of free speech; together, we're making a huge difference.

Thank you!

Jonathan Ayling Chief Executive Free Speech Union www.fsu.nz