Dieuwe de Boer: Rogue Bureaucrats and Feeble Ministers

I hadn't followed the story of Janet Dickson's fight against the Real Estate Authority (REA) very closely. I knew she objected to the REA requiring real estate agents to do a left-wing "cultural course" before they can be licensed. I admire her taking this conscientious objection all the way to a Judicial Review, which she unfortunately lost.

Damien Grant: How a real estate agent lost her career over a 90-minute course

There is a well understood phenomenon of individuals of low status and no personal achievements who, by accident, good fortune or their own design find themselves in positions of authority and, having secured this power, proceed to exercise that control with unnecessary excess.

Centrist: Real estate agent loses legal battle over mandatory Māori tikanga course

A real estate agent who refused to undertake a Māori tikanga course has lost her legal fight to retain her licence.

The High Court ruled against Janet Dickson, dismissing her challenge to the Real Estate Authority’s (REA) requirement that all agents complete a Treaty-focused cultural competency course called Te Kākano (The Seed).