The NZ Labour/Greens/NZ First coalition government has again heralded their incredibly dangerous push towards further restrictions on free speech.

New Conservative, first and foremost responder in the attacks on free speech since the current government took power in 2017, identifies Ms Ardern's words as the latest announcement to remove the most important freedom we have as New Zealanders.

Ms Ardern, in responding to questions around freedom of speech yesterday, said, "We do have … provisions that deal with hate speech, discrimination, around people's different identities but religion hasn't been included in that." She then stated:

"My view is, that does need to change."

This anti-free speech rhetoric has also been proclaimed by Andrew Little, who has been increasingly vocal about changing free speech, indeed announcing to the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in 2019 that, "the government has a plan to review its Human Rights Act with the specific intention to amend the current discrimination provision."

He also supported the suppression of free speech around abortion clinics, and has even "asked the Ministry of Justice to work with the Human Rights Commission to examine whether our laws properly balance the issues of freedom of speech and hate speech."

New Zealanders have witnessed the incremental suppression and removal of free speech since 2017. Don Brash was stopped from speaking at Massey University, which receives large amounts of taxpayer funding, by vice-chancellor Jan Thomas, who was found to have used deception in her derailment of the event. Ex-Labour leader and current Auckland mayor Phil Goff, offended by two Canadian speakers who had come to speak in Auckland, tweeted: "Let me be very clear, the right to free speech does not mean the right to be provided with an @AklCouncil platform for that speech."

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"As our people are being groomed to be shifted further to the Left, as we see those in power suppress and remove free speech, indeed as we have seen ruling politicians forge ahead with announcements proudly claiming that free speech laws will be changed," says Elliot Ikilei, Deputy Leader, "so we have seen increases in intolerance, political violence and ideological conformity over diversity of thought.

“History has shown that when nations regulate free speech, especially under popular leaders, there is an inevitable trajectory into state-enforced secularism with often brutal and lethal means to increase adherence to the state.

“This year, we win back what we have lost, or we lose the rest," Ikilei concludes.

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