You don’t have to be neutral, just non-partisan

VUW reports:

Dean Knight, Associate Professor of Law at Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture—Faculty of Law, was announced as the winner of the Critic and Conscience of Society award for 2023. …

Throughout his career, Dr Knight has consistently provided insights on the operation of government, promoting the proper use of power and holding to account those in positions of authority. Over the last two years in particular, he has led crucial debate within areas of public law that has resulted in real shifts in government policy, most notably the legality of the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the proposed entrenchment clause in the Water Services (Three Waters) legislation.

Dean has done some wonderful work as a constitutional lawyer, through his Twitter account.

Dr Knight is proud of his independence and strives to be non-partisan –and his track record shows criticism and compliments across the political spectrum. But he’s quick to point out that he does not claim to be wholly neutral. “When we engage in matters of government and constitutional law, we necessarily bring some of our own ideological baggage—we have a vision of what the ideal state should be and that ideology in part shapes our sense of what good governance looks like,” he explains. “So I can’t be neutral. But I won’t be partisan. And, be assured, I will be one hundred percent robust. Those are my rules of engagement for entering the civic fray.”

I like this explanation of how you can be non-partisan, even if you are not neutral in terms of your outlook.