Free To Speak
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
Episodes
188 episodes
Karl Marx was a free speech warrior - with László Molnárfi
We talk with Irish organiser Laszlo Manafi about why class-first socialism is clashing with the liberal left, and how that split shapes everything from campus politics to protest rights. We dig into Marxism as a way of analysing power, then tra...
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 expr...
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 internati...
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 t...
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 deba...
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 - ...
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 c...
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 cr...
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 Sh...
How Far Should Professional Standards Reach Into A Nurse’s Private Life - Dr Roderick Mulgan and Deborah Cunliffe
We examine the proposed nursing Code of Conduct through culture, law, and lived reality, asking how far regulation should reach into nurses’ private speech. Deborah Cunliffe and Dr Roderick Mulgan unpack conformity in institutions, the legal te...
School Stresses Kids More Than Social Media Does - Eli Stark Elster
Eli discusses the rush to ban social media for under-16s and examines stronger evidence that school structures and heavy homework drive youth distress. Eli Stark Elster makes the case for autonomy, free play, and targeted fixes over blanket ban...
Who Gets To Speak When The Media Becomes A Monoculture - Yvonne van Dongen
We trace a working life in New Zealand journalism with Yvonne Van Dongen, exploring how subs, travel desks, and lively disagreements shaped stronger reporting, and why today’s monoculture and omissions threaten trust. We compare shoe-leather cr...
Nurses, Speech, And The Line - Todd Stephenson MP
We dig into the Nursing Council’s draft code with ACT MP Todd Stephenson, asking how far professional standards should reach into private speech. We argue for clear rules tied to patient safety, real whistleblowing paths, and strong protections...
Greg Fleming MP: Te Reo, Politics and the Power of Listening
We trace Greg Fleming’s path from charity leader to MP and his decision to learn Te Reo Māori as an adult, linking language revitalisation with a culture of listening and free speech. We test tokenism, compulsion, and what realistic, hopeful go...
03 - David Cumin - After Bondi: the case against rushed 'hate speech' laws
In this episode of Free to Speak, Dane is joined by University of Auckland academic David Cumin to unpack the free speech flashpoints that follow moments of national shock. They start with the Adelaide Writers’ Festival con...
02 - Board Roundup - Why are regulators constantly overreaching their remit?
This first “board roundup” episode focuses on a bigger pattern: regulators trying to extend their reach into online speech and private life. The board unpacks the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s attempt to assert jurisdiction ove...
01 - Douglas Brown - Who controls the internet in NZ?
Lawyer and Free Speech Union council member Douglas Brown joins the Free to Speak podcast to unpack the growing fight over who governs the internet - and why it matters for free expression in New Zealand. Using InternetNZ and its re...
A Deep Dive into Judicial Review and Free Speech
In part two of this Free Speech Union Podcast, we follow Giles Brant and Peter Hardy to the end of their legal battle with the New Zealand Law Society. From a single email complaint to landmark rulings in the High Court and Court of Appeal, thi...
A Legal Odyssey in Free Speech and Ethics
In this episode of the Free Speech Union Podcast, council member Thomas Newman sits down with lawyers Giles Brant and Peter Hardie to unpack a chilling story of professional scrutiny and the fight for free speech. Hear how a simple email exchan...
Social Cohesion and Free Speech with Shamubeel Eaqub
In this episode, Nick and Steph sit down with Shamubeel Eaqub—an economist, author, and commentator—to discuss the findings of his recent study on social cohesion. They explore the various trends and factors contributing to a rise in people fee...
Prof. Eric Heinze on The Rise of Critical Theory and the Future of the Left.
In this episode, Nick is joined by Eric Heinze, Professor of Law and Humanities at Queen Mary, University of London. A leading voice in legal philosophy, human rights, and the law-and-literature movement, Heinze unpacks the ideas in his latest ...
Dr. James Lindsay on wokeness, communism, and free speech.
Revisit Dr. James Lindsays talk from the Wellington event of his New Zealand tour with the Free Speech Union. Dr. Lindsay shares his thoughts, fears and concerns about the rising treats of “woke” on the right and the communist and socialist und...
Who In The World Supports Free Speech? Jacob Mchangama shares findings from A Global Survey
Jacob Mchangama is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech, a research professor at Vanderbilt University, and a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). A valued friend of the FSU, he...