I wanted to share this article with you from Eric Ness, who lives in the Far North. 

Eric is a Northland-based writer behind Northland Current News, an independent commentary Facebook page focused on local government, public accountability and democratic process. He has recently been sharing this information with me here at Hobson’s Pledge.

While he is writing about events in the Far North, they are undoubtedly happening in other parts of the country.  It is a slow but ever-expanding push to change New Zealand without the input or consent of New Zealanders. From reports with names that mean little, to decisions being made without community consultation, the situation described by Eric is concerning.

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We are all human beings. That should be an uncontroversial starting point for a profession devoted to understanding the human mind. 

Yet the New Zealand Psychological Society and the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists have issued an apology to Māori that makes sweeping claims about racism, colonisation and the supposed failings of “western” psychology. 

They claim New Zealand was built on genocide. They claim that hard-working psychologists have been acting with racist views over the years. They claim that, effectively, colonisation is at the heart of just about every psychological problem. 

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This fight is bigger than one real estate agent.

It is about whether New Zealanders can be forced to participate in ideological training as a condition of keeping their professional licence, regardless of their sincerely held beliefs.

As you may know, Janet Dickson lost her case before the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal after refusing to complete Te Kākano, a compulsory course she believed conflicted with her Christian convictions. Janet was also clear that this training had nothing to do with selling property. The Tribunal has upheld the regulator's decision, placing Janet's licence and livelihood at risk.

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I write to you today with some incredibly encouraging news: our strategy is working. 

For years, Hobson’s Pledge was one of the few organisations willing to speak up publicly - calling for an end to division, a firm deadline on historical Treaty settlements, and the eventual closing of the Waitangi Tribunal. Back then, political commentators claimed it couldn't be done.

In the past few weeks, we have seen a very clear shift in the conversation, and the political landscape, when it comes to promoting equal rights, is changing for the better. 

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