Free To Speak

Free Speech Union
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Free to Speak is the New Zealand podcast that goes beyond headlines to explore the principles behind our most contentious debates.Produced by the New Zealand Free Speech Union, it examines freedom of expression and why it matters to a free and democratic society.Expect interviews with guests from New Zealand and around the world, plus deep dives with our Council into the cases and policy work shaping free speech today. Any questions, queries or feedback? Email: podcast@fsu.nz  www.fsu.nz

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    When Safety Becomes Policy Who Guards Freedom Of Speech - Dr David Harvey & Douglas Brown

    We explore who gets to set the rules for online speech in New Zealand, from InternetNZ’s direction shift to the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s expanding remit. Dr David Harvey and Douglas Brown argue for reforms that protect freedom of expression while still addressing real online harm. • what InternetNZ controls through the .nz domain and why that power matters  • the post-Christchurch Call shift toward a “safe internet” narrative and why “safe” is hard to define  • mission creep risks when unelected bodies expand into speech regulation  • a proposed Media and Communications Authority with three divisions for news, content, and online harm  • voluntary opt-in regulation backed by incentives such as journalist protections and safe harbour  • why harm should be evidence-based rather than offence-based  • governments and the urge to control the message across every new communications platform  • the under-16 social media ban debate including enforcement problems, VPN workarounds, and privacy trade-offs  • why overseas platforms can ignore local rules and what targeting jurisdiction might look like  • how to support a stronger free speech voice in InternetNZ board elections through membership timing If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others. We release new episodes regularly and subscribing is the easiest way to stay up to date. If you have any questions feedback or suggestions you can contact us at podcast at fsu.nz if you want to find out more about the New Zealand free speech union visit fsu.nz Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    58 min

  2. 13 APR

    What Happens When “Promoting Hatred” Becomes A Crime - Professor Ben Saul UN Special Rapporteur

    We sit down with Professor Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, to unpack Australia’s post-crisis push for tougher hate and extremism laws and what that signals for democratic debate. We dig into where international human rights law draws the line on speech and why vague drafting and executive power can chill legitimate political criticism while failing to stop real violence.  • Australia’s lack of a federal Bill of Rights and why that leaves freedoms exposed  • what a UN Special Rapporteur does and how counterterrorism is meant to protect rights  • how the ICCPR treats freedom of expression and when limits can be lawful  • incitement to violence versus “glorification” and why the boundary matters  • problems with criminalising “promoting hatred” rather than inciting hatred  • the danger of subjective “fear” standards in a plural society  • religious texts and why religion should not shield incitement  • prohibited hate groups, ministerial discretion, procedural fairness and weak avenues to challenge listings  • why bans can push extremists underground and create a chilling effect  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others.  If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, you can contact us at podcast at fsu.nz.  If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz. Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    34 min

  3. 7 APR

    If You Cannot Criticise Your Side, You Do Not Have Free Speech - William McGimpsey

    We argue that real free speech requires the courage to criticise the radicals on our own side without sliding into denunciation or cancellation. We test where open debate ends and coercion begins, from political correctness and taboo research to hate speech laws and contested definitions of antisemitism.  • why “never criticise your right” weakens debate and traps movements in loyalty tests  • media and institutional power shaping the Overton window of acceptable speech  • political correctness as stigma and censorship rather than honest disagreement  • Orwell as a model for improving your own side through hard critique  • whether “moderate” and “extreme” are cultural fashion labels  • race, IQ, biology, and the risks of building policy on abstract assumptions  • trans politics as a flashpoint for sex based differences in law and safety  • diversity, social trust, and conflicting evidence versus lived experience  • hate speech laws in Australia and the Joel Davis case as a warning  • the IHRA definition of antisemitism and how broad rules can chill debate  • platforming controversial voices versus correcting misinformation in public  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others.  Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    1hr 7min

  4. 1 APR

    How A 1989 Broadcasting Law Became An Internet Speech Rule - with Steven Franks

    We break down the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s claim that it can regulate online platforms under the Broadcasting Act 1989, even though Parliament never updated the law for the internet. We talk through why that change threatens open debate, why the standards are so subjective, and why we think this fight matters for free speech in New Zealand.  • the BSA asserting jurisdiction over online speech via an old statute  • why broadcast standards existed in a scarce spectrum era  • how the internet breaks the logic of compulsory audiences and balance rules  • the subjectivity of “good taste and decency” and why it becomes a power tool  • Tikanga flashpoints and the idea of modern “heresy trials”  • inconsistencies in targeting small outlets while excluding major platforms  • the practical mess of defining audiences and applying on-demand exceptions  • the chilling effect of complaints, process costs, and potential fines  • political and international risks if New Zealand is seen to censor platforms  • why we say we have to fight and what could come next  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others. We release new episodes regularly, and subscribing is the easiest way to stay up to date. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, you can contact us at podcast at fsu.nz. If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz.  Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    17 min

  5. 30 MAR

    The Conformity Crisis - Sarah McLaughlin On The Quiet Erosion Of Free Speech

    📌 Buy Tickets for Sarah's NZ Tour: https://www.fsu.nz/events/mclaughlin-tour  📅 Tour dates:  📍 Auckland - Sun 19 April   📍 Tauranga - Tue 21 April   📍 Wellington - Wed 22 April   📍 Christchurch - Thu 23 April   📍 Dunedin - Fri 24 April  We talk with Sarah McLaughlin from FIRE about why free speech threats spread across borders faster than most people notice, especially online. We dig into how self-censorship, “online safety” rules, and hate speech laws can shrink debate in universities and everyday life, including here in New Zealand. • internet censorship and regulation crossing borders quickly • young people bearing the brunt of speech control and pushing back • universities self-censoring under pressure from foreign governments and funding • why Europe and the UK matter for Kiwi free speech debates • the UK Online Safety Act and spillover effects on global platforms • under-16 bans, age verification, anonymity risks, and VPN crackdowns • why hate speech laws can backfire and empower the wrong people • defending a principle rather than defending a person If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, you can contact us at podcast at fsu.nz. If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz. Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    1hr 2min

  6. 23 MAR

    The Day Police Failed To Let Women Speak: Posie Parker On Albert Park 3 Years Later

    We talk with Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (Posie Parker) about the Albert Park Let Women Speak event and the moments that turned a public talk into a violent crush-risk situation. We dig into what censorship looks like on the ground, why policing choices matter, and how fear makes ordinary people self-censor.  • why Kelly targets New Zealand as a case study for compliance and gender ideology  • efforts to stop the visit through visa pressure, hotel cancellations and security pull-outs  • the Albert Park layout, crowd size and the missing police plan  • the tomato soup incident and the surge that triggers violence  • the escape, the fear of being crushed and the delayed police response  • name suppression, justice system incentives and victim-blaming online  • institutional culture battles, including unisex changing spaces and workplace silencing  • rejecting guilt by association and making space for hard conversations  If you enjoy the show, subscribe for uncensored conversations and free speech news from New Zealand and beyond.  If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union visit fsu.nz  Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    57 min

  7. 16 MAR

    The Second COVID Inquiry - Ani O'Brien on Dissent & Censorship During Coronavirus

    We dig into the second COVID inquiry and why New Zealand still needs real accountability rather than polished narratives. Ani O'Brien argues that free speech, dissent, and honest scrutiny are not side issues but the core safeguards that stop crisis policy from sliding into coercion. • why adversarial challenge strengthens democracy and decision-making  • how media dynamics shape what can be questioned  • the use of misinformation and disinformation labels to shut down debate  • speech rights impacts alongside legal and medical concerns  • vaccine mandates for young people and ignored expert advice claims  • why inquiries serve a cathartic public purpose, not just “lessons learned”  • the Parliament protest, class divides, and media portrayal  • online mob behaviour, cancellations, and neighbour-tattling culture  • selective tolerance for protests and contradictions in enforcement  • Patty Gower’s apology and what accountability could look like.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and consider sharing the podcast with others. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, you can contact us at podcast at fsu.nz.  If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz. Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    1hr 6min

  8. 9 MAR

    From Shah To Theocracy: An Iranian Activist’s Roadmap To Renewal - Dr Forough Amin

    We speak with Forough Amin, founder of Iranian Women in New Zealand, about Iran’s contested past, the machinery of censorship, and why a renaissance is still possible. History, ideology, and free speech collide as we follow the path from the Shahs to the present regime and the fight for truth. • Pahlavi-era modernisation and White Revolution reforms • context for judging the Shah versus the theocracy • scale of executions and repression under the Islamic Republic • political Islam’s regional reach and alliances • lived censorship: bans on music, chess, perfume, and gatherings • resistance through culture, education, and private life • media silence, propaganda, and algorithmic echo chambers • free speech, platforming, and guarding against disinformation • hope for a Middle Eastern renaissance led by Iranians If you enjoy the show, subscribe for uncensored conversations and free speech news from New Zealand and beyond.  If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, you can contact us at podcast @ fsu.nz If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

    1hr 11min
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About

Free to Speak is the New Zealand podcast that goes beyond headlines to explore the principles behind our most contentious debates.Produced by the New Zealand Free Speech Union, it examines freedom of expression and why it matters to a free and democratic society.Expect interviews with guests from New Zealand and around the world, plus deep dives with our Council into the cases and policy work shaping free speech today. Any questions, queries or feedback? Email: podcast@fsu.nz  www.fsu.nz

Information

  • Creator
    Free Speech Union
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    187
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Free To Speak
  • Show Website
    Free To Speak

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