NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Sport / Rugby

Editorial: The Folaus, faith and freedom of speech - what we should all remember

NZ Herald
26 Jun, 2019 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Israel and Maria Folau: Embroiled in the free speech debate. Photo / Photosport
Israel and Maria Folau: Embroiled in the free speech debate. Photo / Photosport

Israel and Maria Folau: Embroiled in the free speech debate. Photo / Photosport

Editorial
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

COMMENT:

Writing in The Conversation this week, Australian Uniting Church minister Geoff Thompson said the Israel/Maria Folau debate was "a perfect storm of race, religion, sport, politics, sex, law and rights".

The transtasman tempest, which began with Australian rugby player Israel Folau's fire-and-brimstone posts on social media and subsequent contractual battle with Rugby Australia - and have now impacted on Netball New Zealand and its sponsors after his NZ netballer wife Maria reposted her husband's controversial appeal for donations to help in his legal fight - appears to be showing few signs of easing.

The issues of freedom of speech, religious freedom, racial, gender and sexual identity are hugely complex. They are not isolated and they are not new. But they are coming against a new social wave which is driving significant political change, including through legislation that protects and empowers marginalised groups. It is inevitable, as in generations past, the threat to traditional sentiments and structures is resulting in a reactionary pushback. Such is the pendulum of progress.

READ MORE:
• Aussie netball great backtracks on 'mesmerising' Maria Folau
• Israel Folau posts new message as Christian lobby calls on Australian Prime Minister
• Rugby: Israel Folau raises $1 million in 13 hours for legal fight
• One unresolved legal question at the heart of Israel Folau's case

Keep up to date with the day's biggest stories

Sign up to our daily curated newsletter for the day's top stories straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What has changed, however, is the nature of the battleground. The online era has created an arena whereby individuals have an unprecedented, accessible, immediate and powerful platform with vast outreach through which to spread their message - of love or hate - but where the boundaries between fact and opinion have become blurred, where judgement and entitlement often appear to hold more sway than common decency and respect.

Australian rugby player Israel Folau - the storm is not dying down. Photo / Photosport
Australian rugby player Israel Folau - the storm is not dying down. Photo / Photosport

What is becoming increasingly apparent in the Folau stoush - faith and religious interpretation aside - is the need for all employers to have clear and robust policies and expectations around social media use. And where employees have a public profile, making the boundaries between work life and personal life more blurred, it seems even more vital. Ideally, people with power and influence will be aware of their responsibilities and exercise care in their sphere of influence. Certainly, workplace, institutions and leaders in a democratic society have a duty of care to all.

Employment law aside, if we believe in freedom of speech, we must accept that we will be offended by others' opinions. As Voltaire's biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But, likewise, we would do well to remember with our rights comes responsibility - and that includes respecting the rights of others.

In the free speech debate, we are often quick to defend our personal rights under Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion …" and "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression …"

Discover more

Opinion

To Izzie, from Lizzie: Marvelly's open letter to Folau

28 Jun 05:00 PM
Opinion

Hosking: A problem like Maria? Haters need to leave Mrs Folau alone

24 Jun 07:00 PM
Sport|rugby

Double standards?: The page GoFundMe didn't take down

25 Jun 01:44 AM
Opinion

Rachel Stewart: Everyone has a right to tell their truth

25 Jun 06:51 PM
Maria Folau and Netball NZ have become part of the free speech debate in the Israel Folau stoush. Photo / File
Maria Folau and Netball NZ have become part of the free speech debate in the Israel Folau stoush. Photo / File

Sadly, however, this seems at times to have been interpreted by some as the right to push outrage on insult on outright abuse - encouraging extremism on both sides.

We would all perhaps do better to engrave Article 1 on our consciences. To remember - and act - on the principle that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

That should be achievable irrespective of faith, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic situation - and sporting code or contract.

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rugby

School Rugby

Last-minute drama: King's clinch final spot in tense semi

Christchurch

Christchurch's new covered stadium to host Super Rugby 'Super Round' in 2026

All Blacks

'Earn the right': Hansen's warning to Mo'unga with NZ return


Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

'Deficiencies in care': Man died after a series of missed opportunities to diagnose cancer
New Zealand

'Deficiencies in care': Man died after a series of missed opportunities to diagnose cancer

Emergency services respond to fall at West Coast mine
New Zealand

Emergency services respond to fall at West Coast mine

The chilling brilliance of Weapons and its unforgettable moments
Entertainment

The chilling brilliance of Weapons and its unforgettable moments

'Nasty' stomach bug cripples Northland community
New Zealand

'Nasty' stomach bug cripples Northland community

FBI dispatching 120 agents to patrol Washington streets
World

FBI dispatching 120 agents to patrol Washington streets

Qantas launches domestic sale with over 1m discounted seats
World

Qantas launches domestic sale with over 1m discounted seats



Latest from Rugby

Last-minute drama: King's clinch final spot in tense semi
School Rugby

Last-minute drama: King's clinch final spot in tense semi

King's College will face St Kentigern in the Auckland 1A final at Eden Park.

11 Aug 02:15 AM
Christchurch's new covered stadium to host Super Rugby 'Super Round' in 2026
Christchurch

Christchurch's new covered stadium to host Super Rugby 'Super Round' in 2026

10 Aug 10:46 PM
'Earn the right': Hansen's warning to Mo'unga with NZ return
All Blacks

'Earn the right': Hansen's warning to Mo'unga with NZ return

10 Aug 05:00 PM


Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

10 Aug 09:12 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search