“We are aware a protest is planned against the event, because of concerns that its content and speakers are hostile to trans people,” a Te Papa spokesperson said.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and, along with Wellington City Council, we are reviewing the health and safety and security arrangements to assess whether the event can occur safely.”
Wellington City Council Māori Ward Councillor Nīkau Wi Neera has been calling for the cancellation of the event.
In a post to social media, Wi Neera said the “hateful event” would be “utterly unwelcome in this city”, confirming he had been working with others to “shut it down” if possible.
If Te Papa went through with holding the event, it would expose staff at the venue, who may be part of the rainbow community to “rhetoric which denies their right to exist”.
Free Speech Union chief executive Jonathan Ayling said public venues have a responsibility to respect everyone’s speech rights, and confirmed the organisation has penned a letter to the venue “reminding them of their legal responsibility to uphold speech rights”.
The FSU leader wanted to see a “diversity of views” and welcomed counter-speech, rather than outright cancellation of the event.
“We note Brian Tamaki is one of the speakers at this event and has every right to speak freely. However, it is ironic he’s relying on these rights when he’s recently worked to shut down the voices of those he disagrees with. Censorship tends to backfire,” Ayling said.
Wi Neera suggested the cancellation of the event was possible in an interview, telling NZME “there’s actually a provision in our governance agreement [with Te Papa] which states that any event which is likely to cause division or otherwise exciting public activity is to be reviewed by Te Papa and Wellington City Council.
”Wellington is a place of many opinions and we do welcome the opportunity for people to share different views but when those views are dehumanising to a part of our community then they are not welcome in Te Whanganui A Tara”, Wi Neera said.
Police have confirmed they are aware of the planned protest and will monitor and respond to incidents as required.
“Police recognise the right to peaceful protest, but also the right of the general public to go about their normal activities safely,” a Police spokesperson said.
Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in politics, local issues, and the Public Service. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story, he can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz or messaged on X (formerly Twitter) @ethanjmanera
