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Free Speech Union - Latest News [Page 1]
Labour’s “Digital Duty Of Care” Sets No Limit On What The State Can Do To Adult Speech Online
Monday, 19 October 2026, 2:06 pm | Free Speech Union
“Take away the talk about big tech and this is a plan for government to decide which lawful speech is too harmful for adults,” says Free Speech Union Executive Director Jillaine Heather. More >>
Free Speech Union: No 10-Year Jail Term For Staying Silent
Monday, 19 October 2026, 12:57 pm | Free Speech Union
"An innocent person may struggle to provide an accurate account under pressure, while someone responsible for the offending may be encouraged to shift blame onto another person. Neither outcome serves the interests of justice,” said Samira Taghavi. More >>
Free Speech Union Welcomes Media Council Ruling: No Right Not To Be Offended
Monday, 19 October 2026, 12:47 pm | Free Speech Union
“You don’t have to like what Mr Peters said. But when a senior politician uses language like that, the public is entitled to know, and with an election weeks away that matters more than ever," says FSU Executive Director Jillaine Heather. More >>
Free Palestine Party Comments Should Be Answered, Not Prosecuted
Friday, 16 October 2026, 11:47 am | Free Speech Union
“If police believe anyone was incited to violence, the Crimes Act covers that & they should use it. What police & politicians shouldn’t do is reach for the hate speech provisions in sections 61 & 131 of the Human Rights Act," says Dr David Cumin. More >>
Tamaki Charge Uses Hate Speech Laws To Bring Blasphemy In By The Back Door
Thursday, 15 October 2026, 3:00 pm | Free Speech Union
Tamaki is scheduled to appear in the Manukau District Court on Monday, 19 October, facing three criminal charges of inciting racial disharmony under section 131 of the Human Rights Act 1993. More >>
Kiwibank's Buck Takedowns Show Why New Zealand Needs A Parody Law
Friday, 9 October 2026, 9:50 am | Free Speech Union
Kiwibank owns the copyright in Buck, not in sheep. New Zealand has more than 20 million of them, and most have no connection to the bank, says Free Speech Union Executive Director Jillaine Heather. More >>
Don’t Just Tell Me, Show Me
Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 9:36 am | Free Speech Union
An apology for not listening was finalised without the majority of its members seeing it, and a Māori psychologist who questioned its foundations had her work deleted. More >>
BSA Repeal Bill Is The Right Call, But Nothing Is Settled Yet
Wednesday, 23 September 2026, 10:53 am | Free Speech Union
The Bill has been introduced, not enacted. Whether it gets there will depend on the outcome of the election. More >>
Massey Complaint Shows Academic Freedom Policy Doesn’t Protect Academic Freedom
Tuesday, 22 September 2026, 2:04 pm | Free Speech Union
The complaint illustrates how bad policy can be used against academics by members of the public to challenge the very rights it’s meant to protect. More >>
Free Speech Union: Robust Questions Are Vital To A Democracy, But Organisers Can Set The Rules
Friday, 11 September 2026, 2:07 pm | Free Speech Union
Mike Bennett says he was removed and later arrested after challenging an answer ACT candidate Paul Henry gave at a Dunedin Q&A on Thursday night. Henry disputes this, saying Bennett was yelling interjections and accusing him of lying. More >>
Labour Widens The Online Safety Regulator’s Mandate Before The Bill Has Even Had A First Reading
Wednesday, 9 September 2026, 3:27 pm | Free Speech Union
“There are legitimate conversations to have about child safety and AI usage, yet before the Online Safety Bill has even had its first reading, Labour is proposing widening the regulator’s mandate far beyond anything to do with children.” More >>
Free Speech Union: A Regulator Has No Business Policing A Member’s Conscience
Friday, 4 September 2026, 5:06 pm | Free Speech Union
At the core of Janet's case is a question about the power of regulators in New Zealand, and whether they should be able to take away someone's livelihood by enforcing ideological content. More >>
Failed In Australia. Now National Wants A Censor To Enforce It.
Monday, 24 August 2026, 6:00 pm | Free Speech Union
Three months into Australia's ban, its own regulator found 81.5 percent of under-16s were still using an age-restricted platform, down from 85.9 percent. More >>
Open Justice Does Not Bend For Police
Monday, 24 August 2026, 5:14 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union opposes the continued name suppression of a second Auckland police officer who today pleaded guilty to possessing an objectionable publication. More >>
Courts Tell Counsel Which Pronouns To Use
Friday, 21 August 2026, 11:33 am | Free Speech Union
"People disagree about pronouns because they disagree about sex and gender," says Jillaine Heather, Executive Director of the Free Speech Union. More >>
Andrew Doyle, The Comedian Behind Titania McGrath, Tours New Zealand In September
Tuesday, 18 August 2026, 2:34 pm | Free Speech Union
Free Speech Union tour visits Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, 12 to 16 September. Tickets $10. More >>
Douglas Brown Elected To InternetNZ Board
Friday, 14 August 2026, 7:58 am | Free Speech Union
“Internet is where NZers now speak, argue, organise & do business. Who governs it & on what principles, matters. Having two people on that board who understand what is at stake for open speech is a good thing for the country,” says Jillaine ... More >>
Suppression Becomes Routine When Nobody Contests It, Says Free Speech Union
Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 4:23 pm | Free Speech Union
The case shows how crippling it can be for freedom of speech, and for the public right to know, when an unreformed law gags everyone but insiders from even knowing about a case. More >>
A Regulator With No Rulebook Has Decided What Online Speech Is Acceptable
Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 2:56 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union is asking the Minister for Media and Communications, Hon Paul Goldsmith, to legislate that the Broadcasting Act applies to radio and television only. More >>
Brian Tamaki Gun Licence Revocation Based On Undefined Thresholds
Tuesday, 11 August 2026, 7:18 am | Free Speech Union
Section 24A(1)(l) of the Arms Act 1983 allows a finding that a person is not fit and proper to hold a licence if they have “shown patterns of behaviour demonstrating a tendency to exhibit, encourage, or promote violence, hatred, or extremism”. More >>
