Today, the Free Speech Union will sue both Hutt City Council and its Chief Executive, Jo Miller (in her personal capacity), after they censored an insert at Council libraries and information centres, breaching Hutt City residents’ freedom of expression, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

“Last year, the Hutt City Council removed a paid advertisement inserted in newspapers from all council sites. We believe this is an unlawful act that flies in the face of ratepayers’ speech rights.

“The insert was from ‘Treaty of Waitangi – An Explanation’ by Sir Āpirana Ngata and was published in 31 NZME and Stuff newspapers by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research (NZCPR).

“We’ve attempted to communicate with Miller and the Council to find a resolution, but it’s fallen on deaf ears. So now we are taking action.

“Hutt City’s reasons for banning it from its premises were that it “spread a very particular political viewpoint” and was “viewed as spreading misinformation”.

“We simply cannot have local councils and bureaucrats dictating what information ratepayers do and don't consume. It's as simple as that.

“Hutt City ratepayers deserve to think for themselves, and the Council has a responsibility to uphold free speech under the Bill of Rights Act. We’re ensuring that the Council and Chief Executive are held accountable.

“Over and over again, we see bureaucrats thinking they can cherry-pick the information others can access. It’s time to set a new precedent. Ratepayers deserve better.”

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