The New Zealand Free Speech Union (FSU) is an organisation that advocates for some forms of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

, though primarily focuses on the promotion of conservative politics. It was formed as the Free Speech Coalition in 2018 and relaunched as the Free Speech Union in 2021.

Goals and organisation

The Free Speech Union's stated goal is to defend and promote the free exchange of information and to educate people of the importance of free speech in New Zealand. Despite its connections to the right-wing

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is a self-described taxpayer pressure group founded in 2013 to scrutinise government spending, publicise government waste, and promote an efficient tax system. It claims to be politically independent and not align ...

, the group also claims support from both sides of the political and ideological spectrum. The group has also opposed

hate speech Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...

legislation and

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

. Since 2021, the NZ Free Speech Union is led by chief executive Jonathan Ayling, a former adviser to National Party Members of Parliament David Bennett and

Simeon Brown Simeon Peter Brown (born 8 April 1991) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party. Political career In his youth, Brown joined his local residents' association, the Clendon Resid ...

. By October 2022, the Union claimed 1,500 paid-up members and 70,000 supporters. Since 2021, the organisation has two full-time staff based in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

as well as a part-time communications specialist. Notable members and supporters of the Union have included former National Party leader

Judith Collins Judith Anne Collins (born 24 February 1959) is a New Zealand politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 14 July 2020 to 25 November 2021. She was the second female Leader of the Natio ...

ACT Party ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a Right-wing politics, right-wing, Classical liberalism, classical-liberal List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's ...

leader

David Seymour David Seymour may refer to: * David Seymour (English politician) (died 1557/58), 14th-century Member of Parliament (MP) for Wareham and Great Bedwyn *David Seymour (New Zealand politician) (born 1983), leader of the ACT Party *David Seymour (photo ...

, former Labour Party Chief of Staff

Matt McCarten Matthew McCarten (born 11 February 1959) is a New Zealand political organiser and trade unionist, of Ngāpuhi descent. McCarten was active with several trade unions including the Hotel and Hospital Workers' Union, the Unite Union, and the One Un ...

, formerly left-leaning journalist

Chris Trotter Christopher Marshall Trotter (born 1956) is a political commentator in New Zealand. He is the editor of the occasional '' Political Review'' magazine. Biography Chris Trotter has worked for unions and was on the New Zealand Council (the nationa ...

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

history professor

Paul Moon Evan Paul Moon (born 18 October 1968) is a New Zealand historian and a professor at the Auckland University of Technology. He is a writer of New Zealand history and biography, specialising in Māori people, Māori history, the Treaty of Waita ...

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

academic and Jewish community leader David Cumin, and Taxpayers' Union co-founder Jordan Williams. The FSU is the first sister group of the

Free Speech Union The Free Speech Union (FSU) is a British organisation which advocates freedom of speech. The group was established on 24 February 2020 by British columnist Toby Young. The organisation views itself as countering cancel culture by opposing hostil ...

of the UK and uses the name under license. It is a registered

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

based in

, New Zealand. Reflecting its close relationship with the Taxpayers' Union, the two organisations' offices are located next to each other.

History

The Coalition established by four people including lawyer, lobbyist, and New Zealand Taxpayers' Union founder Jordan Williams in July 2018 in response to the

Mayor of Auckland The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amalga ...

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 No ...

's decision to cancel a speaking event featuring

alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...

speakers

Lauren Southern Lauren Cherie Southern (born 16 June 1995) is a Canadian alt-right YouTuber, political activist and commentator. In 2015, Southern ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election. Southern worked for Rebel Media until M ...

and Stefan Molyneux at an

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is ...

-owned venue. The Coalition twice unsuccessfully challenged the cancellation at the High Court and the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

. For its High Court challenge, the Coalition raised NZ$150,000 from over 2,000 donors. During the 2019 Bay of Plenty local elections, the Free Speech Coalition criticised the

Rotorua Lakes District Rotorua Lakes District or Rotorua District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. It has one urban area of significant size, the city of Rotorua. The district is governed b ...

Council for investigating mayoral candidate Reynold MacPherson for

after he made comments likening Councillor

Tania Tapsell Tania Tapsell (born 22 September 1992) is a New Zealand politician. She has served on the Rotorua Lakes District Council since 2013 and was elected mayor of Rotorua at the 2022 local elections. She is the first woman of Māori descent to hold ...

to the

Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

. Coalition spokesperson Dr David Cumin emphasised that the

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (sometimes known by its acronym, NZBORA or simply BORA) is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand part of New Zealand's uncodified constitution that sets out the rights and fundamental freedoms of an ...

"clearly stated everyone had the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form." In June 2021, the FSU filed two successful legal challenges on behalf of the "gender-critical" group "Speak Up For Women" to speak on public premises. In addition, the Union mobilised opposition to the Sixth Labour Government's proposed hate speech laws in 2021. 80% of the 18,000 submissions on the hate speech legislation endorsed the FSU's submission opposing the law. As a result, the proposed legislation was shelved. In November 2021, the Free Speech Union supported

Otago Regional Council Otago Regional Council (ORC) is the regional council for Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. The council's principal office is Regional House on Stafford Street in Dunedin with 250-275 staff, with smaller offices in Queenstown and Alexand ...

councillor

Michael Laws Michael Laws (born 1957) is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer. Laws was a Member of Parliament for six years, starting in 1990, initially for the National Party. In Parliament he voted against his party on multiple occasions an ...

, who was the subject of a code of conduct investigation over his criticism of Council staff in the ''

Otago Daily Times The ''Otago Daily Times'' (ODT) is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand. The ''ODT'' is one of the country's four main daily newspapers, serving the southern South Island with a circulation of around 26,000 and a c ...

'' newspaper. The Union's Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling urged Council chief executive Sarah Gardner to withdraw her complaint and called for the council's code of conduct to be amended, claiming that it was being used as a "gagging order" to silence elected councillors who were representing ratepayers. The Union also offered its support to Laws. Laws was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by the investigation. In November 2021, the Free Speech Union expressed support for seven

academics (the so-called "Listener Seven") who had been censured by the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

for writing a controversial letter in the ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

'' in July 2021 disputing the scientific legitimacy of

Mātauranga Māori Mātauranga (literally ''Māori knowledge'') is a modern term for the traditional knowledge of the Māori people of New Zealand. Māori traditional knowledge is multi-disciplinary and holistic, and there is considerable overlap between concepts. ...

(indigenous

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

knowledge). The Royal Society also launched an investigation of three of the "Listener Seven," who were Fellows of the Royal Society. In response, Ayling urged other academics to defend science at their "own peril" and accused the Royal Society of "abandoning its own heritage and tradition of academic freedom." In response, the Free Speech Union created an academic freedom fund in December 2021 to support two of the academics under investigation including

Garth Cooper Garth James Smith Cooper is a New Zealand academic biochemist, and as of 2021 is a full professor at the University of Auckland. Early life Cooper is of Pākehā (European) and Ngāti Māhanga Māori descent. He speaks English, but not Māori ...

. On 15 August 2022, the Free Speech Union released its first ''Annual Universities Ranking Report,'' which graded New Zealand universities based on whether they encouraged free speech and freedom of expression on their campus. The only university to receive a "fail grade" was

, which the organisation alleged consistently opposed free speech and did not fulfill its role as a "critic and conscience" of society. On 18 August 2022, the Free Speech Union held a public speaking event at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

's Dunedin campus featuring former broadcaster Peter Williams, Dunedin City councillor

Lee Vandervis Lee Vandervis (born 1955) is a local-body politician who was first elected to the Dunedin City Council in the 2004 local elections. Vandervis has run for mayor in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022; finishing second in 2007 and 2019 ...

, and National Party Member of Parliament

Michael Woodhouse Michael Allan Woodhouse (born 1965) is a National member of the New Zealand Parliament. Early years Woodhouse was born and raised in South Dunedin, the fifth of nine children. He attended St Patrick's, St Edmund's and St Pauls High School, now ...

. MPs from the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

and

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

parties declined to participate at the FSU-sponsored event. In mid February 2023, the Free Speech Union warned that it would take legal action against the

Council over plans to progress a submissions policy that would ban offensive and threatening submissions. Ayling claimed that the policy infringed on free speech.

Mayor of Rotorua The Mayor of Rotorua officiates over the Rotorua Lakes district of New Zealand, which is administered by the Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC), whose seat is in Rotorua. An elected borough council first came together in February 1923; prior to that, t ...

responded that the council would respond appropriately and disputed assertions that the submissions policy infringed on free speech. In early March 2023, the Free Speech Union defended Avondale Library's decision to host a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

storytime on free speech grounds, likening it to their earlier defence of Bethlehem College in

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

's decision to teach the traditional view of marriage in 2022. The reading session organised by "Pride Fest Out West" had been picketed by protesters who claimed that the event promoted

child grooming Child grooming is befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a minor under the age of consent, and sometimes the child's family, to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. Child grooming is also regularly ...

References

External links

New Zealand Free Speech Union
(official website) 2021 establishments in New Zealand Freedom of speech Organizations established in 2021 Non-profit organisations based in New Zealand Civil liberties advocacy groups Trade unions in New Zealand

Goals and organisation

History

References

Further reading

External links