National Library should not censor

Stuff reported:

A renowned Auckland University of Technology historian has cancelled an upcoming speech at the National Library of New Zealand, after claims they tried to censor what he was going to say.

Professor Paul Moon was set to give a lecture in February 2025 on British policy leading up to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi.

“The library asked me to provide a summary of my talk, and when I did, they were concerned that the word ‘whakapapa’ was included, with no explanation as to why,” he said.

He “very reluctantly” removed it.

“I then received notice yesterday from the Library that they wished me to take out a quote from the summary of my speech by the historian John Seeley, which famously described the British Empire being ‘acquired in a fit absence of mind’.”

Moon says according to the libraries director, the reason was “there was some anxiety that this quote ‘could be seen as us agreeing with Britain conquering the world’.”

The quote, according to Moon, was actually about the “chaotic and disjointed process of policy development among the various branches of the British Government in the 18th and 19th centuries.”

Moon said the talk was set to be “orthodox”, with nothing

Sad to see the National Library trying to control what an academic can say in a public lecture they host.

The Minister weighed in:

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has spoken to Rachel Esson, the National Librarian responsible for the National Library of New Zealand, about the importance of the Government institution remaining impartial and not attempting to censor academics hosted to talk at the National Library.

“It is essential that Government agencies act impartially and do not attempt to censor the speech of academics. I have been assured by Ms Esson that the National Library share this view and look to host a range of speakers with diverse perspectives”, says Ms van Velden. …

The National Library often make minor edits to the summary of public lectures for length and clarity. However, changing an author’s summary out of political sensitivity is not acceptable and the National Library has acknowledged this.

Good to have the Minister make clear this was unacceptable.