The teacher, whose identity has been withheld, posted a comment on a Facebook video by New Zealand First, in which she criticised the New Zealand Teaching Council for submitting on behalf of all teachers in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill. In her post, the teacher expressed frustration with what she called the “indoctrination” within the education sector and questioned the increasing emphasis on Māori culture in schools, stating that all students deserve to be treated equally.
Her comments sparked outrage from a member of the public, who reported the teacher to the Teaching Council, alleging a breach of the Code of Conduct, specifically the principle of “manaakitanga” — fostering a welcoming, caring, and creative learning environment. The complainant demanded that the teacher undergo an “Unteach Racism” programme.
The Free Speech Union (FSU) has since come to the teacher’s defense.
In a letter to the Teaching Council, the FSU argued that the complaint was vexatious and aimed solely at punishing the teacher for her personal opinions rather than raising genuine concerns about her professional competence.
According to the FSU, teachers do not forfeit their civil liberties, including freedom of speech, upon entering the profession. They argue that the Teaching Council has no jurisdiction over personal Facebook comments made in a private capacity. The FSU further noted an alarming trend of individuals scouring social media to find opinions they disagree with, particularly when those opinions come from professionals in regulated fields.
The union called for the complaint to be dismissed, asserting that pursuing it would set a dangerous precedent that infringes on fundamental democratic rights. The complaint had no bearing on the teacher’s ability to perform her duties and that it represented an unjustified attempt to silence dissenting views.
The Teaching Council has yet to announce whether it will pursue an investigation, but the case has already sparked a broader debate about freedom of expression and professional accountability within the education sector.
Her comments sparked outrage from a member of the public, who reported the teacher to the Teaching Council, alleging a breach of the Code of Conduct, specifically the principle of “manaakitanga” — fostering a welcoming, caring, and creative learning environment. The complainant demanded that the teacher undergo an “Unteach Racism” programme.
The Free Speech Union (FSU) has since come to the teacher’s defense.
In a letter to the Teaching Council, the FSU argued that the complaint was vexatious and aimed solely at punishing the teacher for her personal opinions rather than raising genuine concerns about her professional competence.
According to the FSU, teachers do not forfeit their civil liberties, including freedom of speech, upon entering the profession. They argue that the Teaching Council has no jurisdiction over personal Facebook comments made in a private capacity. The FSU further noted an alarming trend of individuals scouring social media to find opinions they disagree with, particularly when those opinions come from professionals in regulated fields.
The union called for the complaint to be dismissed, asserting that pursuing it would set a dangerous precedent that infringes on fundamental democratic rights. The complaint had no bearing on the teacher’s ability to perform her duties and that it represented an unjustified attempt to silence dissenting views.
The Teaching Council has yet to announce whether it will pursue an investigation, but the case has already sparked a broader debate about freedom of expression and professional accountability within the education sector.
Daily Telegraph New Zealand (DTNZ) is an independent news website, first published in October 2021. - where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
I can't think of anything less "manaakitanga" than the distorted history and hatred of "colonialists" currently taught in schools - which the current government allows. It's the teachers council and this member if the public who need to unlearn racism.
The teacher is on the mark, 100%. The Teachers' Council has incredible influence over all teachers, because in order to teach in New Zealand, one must be registered with them. However, look a little deeper. Their levy has increased many times (an over staffed bureaucracy?), the Professional Standards by which teachers are "judged", certainly has an emphasis on Maorification of education, rather than striving to cater for ALL students, in our multi-cultural society.
I trust that the teacher in question is supported to continue her passion in our profession.
It is a violation of a person's human rights to force that person to support or be seen to support a political cause that s/he does not agree with. This is written into international human rights law and has been cited in a case brought to the Supreme Court of the UK a couple of years back.
As I have mentioned on another site but I believe is worth repeating.
According to Gary Judd KC we have the Right to Freedom of thought , religion , conscience and belief. This is in Section 13 of the NZ bill of rights act 1990.
The Maori world view is neither to be forbidden nor compelled , says Gary in his article on a Halflings View.
Freedom of speech is covered by the FSU , and I am very grateful for that but the other freedoms are less well known. Gary's article is well worth reading since it is an excellent statement dealing with the freedom of expression , eloquently argued by a leading KC . He has taken on Janet Dickson 's case where she has been censored for her beliefs which counter the real estate agency forced Maori course.
The more people who oppose this indoctrination going on in all areas of our society the better. I thank this primary teacher .
Choose not to receive the Covid vaccine. Loose you job.
Choose not to buy into Marxist indoctrination, and voice an opposing opinion. Loose your job.
I'm sure we had an election not so very long ago.
You could have fooled me!
Did the NZTC survey it's members before launching forth with its submission? I'll wager it didn't - like so many woke organisations that took it upon themselves to speak for others without a mandate from their membership.
Post a Comment