I recall during the purse seine protests some government workers being told not to attend a planned lunch time action, so we kept to out of work hours and hundreds turned up to speak out.

I have naively assumed for years that this was a case of power-hungry bullies over reaching their authority, but now I am hearing of government workers, and even school students, being told not to speak against seabed mining.

One quipped that democracy isn’t for government workers. Apparently, their terms of conduct don’t allow freedom of speech. 

I know in Mauke the average person won’t speak up for fear of rocking the boat, but ... I don’t expect that fear in Raro.

Please can government reassure us that government workers are free to speak out, if they wish, against seabed mining (aka harvesting/collecting) without fear of repercussions or intimidation in their work place.

This matter is critical to our future, as is freedom of speech.

June Hosking