· Professionals are increasingly risking disciplinary action for expressing lawful opinions.
· Democracy Action is encouraging members to support the campaign to protect freedom of expression and ensure regulators focus on professional competence—not ideology.
· Please urge the Government to adopt the Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill to restore political neutrality to New Zealand's professional regulators.
Professional regulators should protect professional standards—not police political opinions.
That simple principle is increasingly under threat.
Democracy Action has long been concerned about the growing politicisation of New Zealand's public institutions. We are now seeing similar trends within statutory professional regulators, where lawful political expression is increasingly becoming the subject of disciplinary complaints and compulsory ideological training.
Regulatory bodies are established to ensure professionals are competent, ethical, and fit to practise. Their purpose is to protect the public—not to enforce political or ideological conformity.
Yet a growing number of professionals have found themselves facing disciplinary action, or the threat of it, because of views they have lawfully expressed outside their workplace on matters of public importance.
One widely reported example is Janet Dickson, a real estate agent with an exemplary 30-year career, who was suspended after refusing to undertake compulsory Treaty-related training. There have also been reports of teachers and health professionals facing complaints or disciplinary processes over lawful views expressed in their private capacity.
Whether or not you agree with the views expressed is beside the point.
In a free democracy, no one should risk their professional career simply for participating in lawful public debate.
Urge Parliament to finish the job
Parliament has recently passed the Regulatory Systems (Occupational Regulation) Amendment Act, removing one particularly severe disciplinary power available to professional regulators.
While welcome, the reform falls well short of addressing the wider problem.
Professional regulators can still:
- require compulsory ideological or cultural training;
- cancel licences for non-compliance;
- discipline professionals who refuse participation on grounds of conscience; and
- require training that promotes contested political or constitutional viewpoints which may have little connection to professional competence or public safety.
The proposed Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill provides a practical solution.
The Bill would require statutory professional regulators to remain politically and ideologically neutral by limiting their activities to matters related to professional competence, ethics, and public safety. It would also strengthen protections for freedom of conscience and freedom of expression while preserving regulators' ability to maintain high professional standards.
Democracy Action is calling on the Coalition Government to adopt the Bill as a Government Bill and pass it before the next election.
Take action today
If you believe professional regulators should focus on professional standards—not political ideology—please help.
1. Sign the open letter
Add your name to Hobson's Pledge's Professionals Not Politicians campaign calling on Parliament to pass the Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill before the election.
2. Email the Coalition leaders
Ask them to make the Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill a government priority and pass it before the election.
- Christopher Luxon – [email protected]
- David Seymour – [email protected]
- Winston Peters – [email protected]
3. Spread the word
Please share this campaign with friends, family, and colleagues—especially those working in regulated professions such as teaching, health, law, engineering, and real estate.
The freedom to hold and express lawful opinions without fear of professional punishment is fundamental to a democratic society. Professional regulators should regulate professional competence—not political belief.
References
Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill
Further Reading
- Disciplinary complaints against professionals and the rise of the ideologically motivated bystander – commentary by retired Judge David Harvey published in LawNews.
- Free Speech Union welcomes ACT's professional regulator neutrality policy – and calls on every party to back it.