Universities are supposed to be institutions of research and learning where the status quo can be challenged and truth pursued. 

But for decades now, opposition to the core freedoms that enable us to discern fact from error have set in, ultimately undermining the ability of academics to perform their roles as 'critics and conscience' of society. This has made our universities hotbeds of orthodoxies and the temples of a new 'priestly caste'; immune from the realities, and indifferent to the voices, of everyday Kiwis. These institutions are 'upstream' of the culture-levers like media and the public service that have promoted censorship and consistently undermined free speech – challenging the very foundation of human rights in New Zealand. 

In short, universities are losing their social license. They have a vital contribution to make, but we need our leaders to bring them into line. 

Join us in signing this public letter, calling on the Government to do its job, set the rules of the game, and defend free speech. 

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Dear Ministers, 

We believe universities in New Zealand have a crucial role to play, where academics are able to be 'the critics and conscience' of our society.

Yet, increasingly, they are abandoning this work, opting for 'group-think' and the protection of 'sacred orthodoxies' instead. They threaten to silence dissenters and exclude heretics.

This is inconsistent with their role; the implications are far-reaching throughout our society, and our leaders must put an end to it.

We call on you to defend academic freedom and free speech in our universities, and to create and enforce laws that defend the right for knowledge and truth to be discovered. Defending academic freedom and free speech means that Governments must enforce 'the rules of the game'; not participate in the contest of ideas itself, but ensure that no one is excluded simply by virtue of the belief they hold. 

Without free speech and academic freedom, universities are institutions of indoctrination, not learning.  

We call on you to take action to stop the decay of these freedoms in our universities, enabling a new generation of students and scholars to dare challenge the universally accepted, consider the unthinkable, and develop new knowledge for the benefit of all Kiwis.