A worrying sign

Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine Stats' conflict of interest policies. That report has landed today, and its a little worrying. Not for its findings that the speech was inappropriate - that's entirely orthodox. The worrying bit is that they seem to be moving towards a position that "being Māori" is a declarable conflict of interest:

There is an opportunity however for Stats NZ, perhaps supported by the Public Service Commission and other key departments, to review and consider leading a discussion on how these types of interests should be treated and how political neutrality could be more clearly defined and understood in this context. Particularly, whether and how the cultural interests of Māori public servants7 can be more clearly defined, not to single Māori public servants out, but to acknowledge and recognise that their affiliations, interests and world view, whilst inextricably linked to their whakapapa, might be effectively accommodated within the conventions of political neutrality and management of interests.

The footnote is "or... any other affiliations interests and world views", but that'll be defined against the imagined or desired norm - that is, as anything other than straight and white.

Despite the disclaimer, this really looks like they are singling Māori out, and adopting Rimmer's position that they are de facto enemies of the state. Which is an absolutely vile position for the public service to take.

Political neutrality means separating your private interests from your public duties. But this is reaching very far into the private realm - well into the prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Human Rights Act, which employers are forbidden from even asking about (and even the "national security" exemption does not apply to ethnicity). Requiring public servants to declare such things seems to invite such discrimination, as well as sending a clear message to anyone who doesn't fit into their desired box that the public service is no place for them. And our country will be the worse for it.