Free To Speak

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

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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 test for disrepute, and the chilling effect on whistleblowing and public debate.

• institutional conformity shaping nurse behaviour
• vague standards used to police lawful opinions
• legal threshold for bringing profession into disrepute
• the Cath Simpson case and tribunal process
• difference between offensive speech and clinical harm
• risks to patient safety from silencing and secrecy
• gaps in whistleblowing guidance and training
• submissions needed to clarify personal versus professional spheres
• calls for government-led clarity and regular code review

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If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, you can contact us at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about the New Zealand Free Speech Union, visit fsu.nz

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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 bans and digital IDs.

• correlation versus causation in mental health research
• consistent seasonal suicide patterns tied to school terms
• shortcomings of screen‑time metrics and “true‑ish” narratives
• Haidt’s claims, wins on free play, and policy contradictions
• autonomy as a developmental need across human societies
• moral panics, helicopter norms, and shrinking kid freedom
• targeted regulation of algorithms over platform bans
• 2012 shifts: Common Core, homework spikes, and stress
• reforms: less homework, more recess, later start times
• alternatives like Sudbury‑style learner‑led environments
• why evidence, not vibes, should guide child policy

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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 craft with hot takes and argue for free speech as the backbone of credible media.

• Amsterdam detour to newsroom doors and a bruising AUT interview culture
• Canterbury training, shorthand, and the saving grace of sub-editors
• Weekly-paper freedom, travel budgets, and difficult colleagues with bite
• Building a biography when the subject resists access
• Free speech then as default norm, now as a contested stance
• Monoculture in media, stories not told, and quiet censorship by omission
• Desk takes versus door-knocking: why leaving your seat still matters
• Talking with Tamaki supporters and other unfashionable audiences
• Fire and Fury, awards culture, and credibility gaps
• New platforms, changing minds, and ethics over gotchas

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, you can contact us at [email protected]

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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 for lawful off‑duty expression.

• risks in Principle 4 on social media and private views
• why vague words like offensive or ill‑informed invite misuse
• the difference between clinical context and off‑duty speech
• lessons from current complaints and past cases
• the need for clear whistleblowing and error correction
• board composition and the value of frontline voices
• regulatory review, rights under NZBORA, and reform options
• preventing chilling effects during an election year
• pluralism, open debate, and democratic health

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 [email protected]
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/
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