Hutt City Council backs down

The FSU announced:

Following a legal battle between Hutt City Council and the Free Speech Union over the Council’s censorship of inserts on Council sites, the parties have agreed to settle. The Council will make several public statements affirming its commitment to free speech, and its role as a gateway for information, not a gatekeeper, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. 

“It is not the role of local councils to decide what ratepayers do and don’t read. We took Hutt City Council and its Chief Executive, Jo Miller, to court when they refused to resolve the matter with us. Local ratepayers deserve better. 

“The Hutt City Council removed a paid advertisement insert by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research (NZCPR) from newspapers from all council sites. The insert was from ‘Treaty of Waitangi – An Explanation’ by Sir Āpirana Ngata and was published in 31 NZME and Stuff newspapers. 

“However, we now welcome Hutt City Council’s agreement to settle with us and their commitment to free speech and the right to impart and receive information and opinions as a critical part of our society.  They’ve also acknowledged that if similar situations arise in the future, the Council would be likely to adopt a different approach.

The decision to remove the inserts was repugnant. Hutt City Council defended the decision. It is good they no longer do so.