HCC response to threatened proceedings by FSU in respect of Hutt News insert

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Council

Published: 9 December 2024

We can confirm the Free Speech Union has indicated it will commence legal proceedings today (Monday 9 December) regarding a matter that occurred in February 2024 which was widely reported.

It saw Council staff remove an insert from the Hutt News located in our libraries and other facilities. It occurred without the prior knowledge of the Mayor, Councillors and Chief Executive Jo Miller who was on sick leave at the time.

Council has been conciliatory in its dealings with the FSU over the matter and has directly acknowledged the concerns raised by the group.

We had asked the Free Speech Union (FSU) to delay its action with a view to reaching a satisfactory outcome and prevent legal costs being imposed on Hutt City ratepayers.

The FSU has opted to continue with its proceedings, and Council views the legal proceedings as unnecessary and a waste of time and ratepayer money given it could have been resolved outside of a formal legal process.

We also acknowledge the provision of equitable access to information is vital and our role is to be gateways rather than gatekeepers of knowledge. It would have been ideal if we had provided a counterbalance to the insert but a lack of time made this challenging. We will bear this in mind for future reference.

The content of Sir Āpirana Ngata’s original publication, which was in the insert, is available (on an unlimited basis) free online through Council’s library collection. A physical copy is available through our SMART library services.

You can read the Council’s Legal Response to the FSU Claim here.

Information about this matter was released by Hutt City Council via the LGOIMA process. Links are below.