Mike Hosking

Rotorua Lakes Council is being threatened with legal action by free speech advocates who believe a decision over public submissions breaches the Bill of ...

Tapsell said all submissions were still accepted by the council but she acknowledged it had seen an increase in submissions that “may include a couple of extra creative words”. Hosking questioned a potential “slippery slope”, asking: “What if it goes beyond the F word, to a thought, an idea? “It is the council’s job to set policies and bylaws. Councillor Robert Lee said he believed the council needed a submissions policy but he could not support it in its current form. In his view: “Kiwis have the right to be heard by their representatives and to raise concerns with their elected representatives on matters of policy. There is a risk to our reputation in so far as what we’re doing may be perceived as impinging upon free speech.