DON BRASH: Your career or your opinions — New Zealand is making you choose

The following is written in Don's capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee

For years, Hobson's Pledge has been raising the alarm about professional regulators being weaponised against people who simply express differing opinions.

It is not illegal, for example, to call for the Waitangi Tribunal to be wrapped up or Māori electorates to be abolished, but posting such opinions could currently get one in trouble with their profession’s regulator.

The obvious example is Janet Dickson, the real estate agent with a spotless 30-year record, banned for five years because she wouldn't sit through ideological training on the Treaty. We have also heard of nurses hauled through disciplinary proceedings for lawful social media posts made in their own time. The Teaching Council spent teachers' own registration fees lobbying on the Treaty Principles Bill - and then pursued a teacher who had the temerity to disagree publicly.

This is not what professional regulation is for.

Stephen Franks Was Right, And ACT Has Listened

You may recall we previously drew attention to former ACT MP and lawyer Stephen Franks' proposal to rein in the overreach of professional regulators. We are pleased to see that ACT has now adopted that principle in full, announcing a 2026 election policy to ban regulators from disciplining members for lawful expression, to require institutional neutrality on political matters, and to restrict mandatory training to matters of genuine professional competence.

This is exactly right. Professionals should be judged on how they do their jobs - not on whether their opinions meet with the approval of ideologically captured regulatory bodies.

Credit Where It's Due — Including to Simeon Brown

We also note that this isn't the first Government action in this space. Minister of Health, Simeon Brown's decision to decline to reappoint the chair and deputy of the Medical Council because they were prioritising Māori activism over healthcare for all was a sound call and deserves acknowledgement. When ministers use their authority to push back on bureaucratic overreach, it matters. He also acted when The Platform’s Michael Laws drew attention to a job ad for a role at Whanganui Hospital that was all about Māori with little focus on the substance of the role. He had the ad pulled down, amended, and readvertised.

Hobson's Pledge has been making the case for some time for political neutrality in regulatory bodies. Our Professionals Not Politicians website allows you to sign our open letter to Parliament's leaders.

We have now updated the letter calling on the coalition to pick up the proposed Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill as a Government bill and pass it before the election.

Winston Peters and New Zealand First have been supportive of Janet Dickson in the past, and we don’t think it is a stretch to say that getting all three Coalition partners on board should be possible.

If you haven't visited it yet, I encourage you to do so — and to share it widely.

ProfessionalsNotPoliticians.nz

More than 200,000 New Zealanders work in regulated professions. Every one of them should be able to participate in public debate without wondering whether their registration is at risk.

Regulatory bodies in charge of licensing and policing conduct and competency should not be forcing contested views on the Treaty on professionals. They should not be punishing professionals for not having a particular interest in te reo or Māori spirituality.

Now Is the Time for Government Action

ACT's policy is a welcome commitment for the election cycle. But New Zealanders should not have to wait for relief. The Government has the authority to act now. Ministers can direct regulators. The Cabinet can issue guidance. The law can be changed.

We call on the Government to take up this cause without delay. The cases are documented. The principle is clear. The public support is there.

Professionals should not have to choose between their career and their conscience. It is time to put ideological regulators firmly back in their lane.