The Tāmaki campaign has become a battleground for
something far bigger than an election: the right of ordinary
New Zealanders to speak openly, discuss politics and hold
personal opinions without fear of being punished or targeted
for them.
It is deeply concerning that two lovely
young women who work for a charity are now facing complaints
because, in a conversation about politics, they expressed
their own personal opinions.
Working for a charity
does not mean surrendering your right to think, speak,
question or hold political views of your own. Unless someone
is speaking officially on behalf of the organisation on the
topic we discussed and neither do their personal opinions be
automatically attributed to their employer.
What has
happened here risks creating a dangerous precedent: that
people who work for charities must remain politically silent
or face consequences for holding the “wrong”
opinion.
That is not tolerance. That is not inclusion.
And it is certainly not equality.
People should be
judged on their conduct and their performance in their
employment—not discriminated against because of their
lawful personal or political beliefs.
I have also
removed the photograph of these women from my social media
post—not because they have done anything wrong, but
because I do not want them subjected to any further
harassment or unwanted attention as a result of this
complaint and my conversation with them. They should not
have to endure personal attacks simply because they
participated in a political conversation and expressed their
own views.
I stand with these women. They should not
be punished simply for having the courage to express an
opinion when they were asked about politics.
A
workplace should not become a place where people are
expected to check their personal beliefs at the
door.
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