Brash talk at varsity hailed as ‘victory for free speech’
Don Brash’s return to Massey University didn’t erupt into chaos and was hailed as a victory for free speech.
The controversial former National Party leader was prevented from speaking on the university’s Manawatu¯ campus in August and a freedom of speech debate has been raging since.
University vice-chancellor Jan Thomas cancelled the venue booking for Brash’s planned August visit, citing security and other concerns.
But it was later revealed Thomas didn’t want ‘‘a Te Tiritiled university to be seen endorsing racist behaviours’’ and she was uncomfortable with Brash’s leadership of Hobson’s Pledge, a lobby group she claimed promoted views ‘‘dangerously close to hate speech’’.
Brash was invited again by the university’s politics club and spoke to a full lecture theatre on Wednesday about his lengthy career in politics.
He said his appearance was a victory for free speech.
Brash was grilled by some of the audience and security were in attendance.
A university spokesman said there was nothing to suggest there was a security threat towards this visit and Massey security consulted police about Brash’s visit.
Brash opened the floor for questions and was asked whether he was racist; if he wanted to remove the Treaty of Waitangi from the law; what makes someone a New Zealander; where free speech crosses into hate speech and why he didn’t want to hear te reo on Radio NZ.
Brash said he didn’t think he was racist.
‘‘I expected some opposing views,’’ he said.
‘‘I would have been surprised if there had not been some.’’
Brash said it was hard to see how Thomas, who has refused to resign over her call to cancel the August event, could continue in her role given she claimed she cancelled that speech on security grounds, but it was revealed other reasons were at play.
Massey politics club spokesman Michael Curtis said it was a great speech, with healthy debate and questions.
‘‘To think it’s taken two-plus months to get us to this point,’’ Curtis said.
During his speech, Brash outlined his career working for the Reserve Bank, his time with the National and ACT parties, then his work with Hobson’s Pledge.
Free Speech Coalition spokesman Dr David Cumin said Brash’s speech was ‘‘a welcome, if belated, victory for free speech on campus’’.
‘‘Massey University cannot afford to repeat the saga that delayed Dr Brash’s speech by weeks and made the vicechancellor the subject of ridicule across New Zealand.’’