What. A. Year.

As our team crosses the finish line to their summer break, I want to show you what you've helped us achieve in 2024. But first! We're still getting wins in the last minutes of the working year...

Government legislation on academic freedom sign of new hope for universities

Yesterday, the Government announced their plans to release legislation next year to protect academic freedom in universities.

We're proud to have worked closely with the Government in developing this, and believe it has the potential to help put universities back on a path to where they were meant to be all along: places where knowledge advances through reason and debate. 

We know for a fact that many academics feel unable to express their opinions. This goes directly against academic freedom and shows how crucial it is that change needs to come quickly. 

Diversity of opinion can only be maintained when the playing field is kept equal for all free speech.

Once the legislation comes into effect, universities will have six months to develop a free speech statement and get it approved. There will also be processes for holding universities to account through annual reports and robust complaints systems to ensure that universities meet their legal obligations under the Education and Training Act.  

__________________________________

Reflecting on a year of victories

This year, we've had more significant wins, setting important precedents with local councils, the NZ Police, Immigration NZ, universities... we've won in the court of public opinion, and in the Court of Law.

Just look at what, together, we've achieved:

Legal cases - 20+

Letters sent - 80

Media releases sent - 75

References in the media - 300+

Tours run - five

Town Hall Meetings - 17

Events held - 55 

School sessions run - 15

Students reached - 2,000

Professional memberships created - seven

And a whole lot more!

The team has challenged me to pick my top win of the year. That's tough, so I've snuck in three ;) :

In my mind, the stand-out victory is our pushback against the unlawful training the NZ Police were putting their officers through to 'recognise, report, and respond' to 'hate speech'. This was no small feat, but it was essential we pushed back before your speech was policed, literally. We did push back, and they listened. 

Close second would have to be our victories for Paul Burns and Candace Owens. Paul was arrested after engaging in debate, but we defended him, and his charges were dropped.

Then there was our fight against Immigration NZ, who barred Candace Owens from New Zealand simply because of the views she held. Well, we pushed back against that, too, and we were successful. 

I also love the fact that one of the Founding Members of our Council, Dr. Melissa Derby, has been appointed Race Relations Commissioner. In a time when dialogue on race relations is fraught, we have a leader in place who is truly dedicated to open discourse. 

But really, I can't go through all our successes here; you had to be along for the ride - and I know you were. So very simply. Thank you.

__________________________________

The Free Speech Union is nothing if not the 100,000 Kiwis that support our work, and 11,000 donors who make it possible. I hope you feel proud of what we've done together. 

This is simply just a taste of everything we've been up to - check out our annual report from earlier in the year for more!

Some of our team caught up yesterday to discuss their own highlights - listen to what they had to say here! (I thought it was a pretty fun podcast)

We have a committed Council and a thriving team, but none of this could happen without you.

If the past couple of weeks tell us anything, it's that next year is shaping up to be another big one. Together, we'll continue to keep the bullies at bay and build a culture that defends your voice.

But for now, have a great summer, and remember to exercise your free speech at the Christmas dinner table 😄. 

Merry Christmas. 

Dr. Roderick Mulgan Council Chair Free Speech Union www.fsu.nz

In just over 3 years, with your help, the Free Speech Union has become the largest organisation in the country defending civil liberties, and a national institution politicians, bureaucrats, and stakeholders have to take into account. 

We've got big plans for 2025, but it comes down to brass tacks: will we have the resources? Would you consider making a donation to our work, so we can keep taking back ground for free speech for all Kiwis next year?