ACT to stop professional regulators policing private beliefs

"New Zealanders shouldn't have to choose between their career and their right to free speech," says ACT Public Service spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

"Today ACT is announcing a 2026 election policy to stop professional regulators acting as ideological enforcers. ACT will, if returned to Government, introduce legislation to this end.

"New Zealand has a growing problem. Professional regulators were set up to ensure competence, safety, and ethical conduct. Increasingly, they're using their powers to police people's lawful opinions.

"Teachers, nurses, real estate agents and other professionals are discovering that holding the wrong view can put their livelihood at risk.

"We've seen a real estate agent with a spotless 30-year record banned from working for five years because she refused to attend ideological training.

"We've seen nurses dragged through disciplinary processes over lawful social media posts made in their own time.

"We've seen the Teaching Council spend teachers' registration fees making political submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill, then pursue a teacher who publicly disagreed.

"When regulators can threaten your career over your personal beliefs, freedom of expression exists only on paper.

"More than 200,000 New Zealanders work in regulated professions. Every one of them should be free to participate in public debate without wondering whether their registration is on the line.

"ACT's legislation will restore common sense and draw a line around what regulators can and cannot do.

ACT will:

• Ban regulators from disciplining members for lawful expression outside their professional practice.

• Require regulators to remain institutionally neutral on political and ideological issues.

• Restrict mandatory training to matters directly related to professional competence and public safety, not affirmation of contested ideological positions.

• Strengthen judicial oversight so courts can properly rein in regulators that exceed their statutory authority.

"To be absolutely clear, professional misconduct will still be professional misconduct. If a nurse harms a patient, a teacher abuses a student, or a professional breaches their duties, regulators should come down hard.

"But if somebody expresses a lawful political opinion, supports a political party, signs a petition, attends a protest, or posts a view online in their own time, that is none of their regulator's business.

"ACT believes professionals should be judged on how they do their job, not whether they hold fashionable political views. It's time to put ideological regulators back in their lane."

Editor’s note:

• The policy draws on Alberta’s recent Regulated Professions Neutrality Act, but adapts the principle to New Zealand. Such a law change has been promoted in New Zealand by the Free Speech Union.

• ACT Minister Nicole McKee has already acted in this area, directing the Real Estate Authority to ensure continuing professional development requirements are relevant to real estate practice.