Janet is a dedicated real estate agent with more than 30 years experience, but the Real Estate Authority is threatening to cancel her licence for five years. Why? Because Janet is taking a principled stance in refusing to complete an online training course instructing real estate agents on te reo Māori, tikanga, and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Her refusal is based on concerns that an industry body can force members to complete training on a subject only very peripherally connected to their job under threat of losing their right to work. It is also a key concern to Janet that the online training course Te Kākano is a singular perspective of the subject matter when there is much variance in opinion and understanding within iwi, Māoridom, and New Zealanders.
This is a matter of personal and professional autonomy and diversity of opinion.
Janet is seeking to challenge REA’s power to impose compulsory courses via a judicial review in the High Court. The review could serve as a critical tool in addressing the overreach by other professional organisations who force diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training on workers via mandates.
Many industry bodies are doing this, using their regulatory power to enforce compulsory education of a particular viewpoint on their members.
Frankly any industry body that does this should lose their legislative authority to regulate their industry and have their functions handed over to a new organisation who will not try to politically indoctrinate their members.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
5 comments:
Having been admonished and advised that I need cultural education some years ago by my American employer ( via its NZ senior manager)
for stating that I did not believe we needed a little Maori song before each meeting ( after all this was a commercial enterprise) , I can only state my disgust at what Ms Dickson is being faced with. I only hope the court system is independent enough to acknowledge the absurdity of the situation ( and order costs and recompense for unnecessary stress) in her favour.
Our government should quickly legislate to prevent bodies like this from coercing their members into accepting political and cultural indoctrination.
The workplace should be free of this kind of crap.
Go Janet!
Shades of the trainee nurse in PN who a few years ago dared to question on a marae the b.s. being fed her by some old drone as part of a compulsory course. She was threatened with courses failure or worse and I understand she quit the profession (just when objective thinkers are especially needed).
Just as insidious is the vast number of teachers, govt, employees, Council staff subject to compulsory propaganda sessions (conducted at maori time pace), with all too terrified of Cancellation to ask questions or to comment. And subject to nazi party type scrutiny of official line obeyance when they return to their work.
David keep highlighting this crap, cos when it gains critical mass and enough people say 'enough ' we will get real change and this stupidity will cease. If they continue with the bs, then read Dee's comment.
This is just left lunacy at its best. David, can you find out the lunatics name at the REA who implemented this racist policy?
The sickening thing about this is that Janet has to go to Court at very significant expense and then runs the risk of judicial activism, as we have seen in recent times. This is a no brainer and it really is a bloody scandal that our Govt should act on, quick smart. Too much in recent times has required the public to challenge and it's no wonder our productivity has declined with the unnecessary diversion of time and resources challenging these stupid, ill-conceived woke ideologies.
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