MidCentral District Health Board instructed a Palmerston North social worker not to attend a social justice workshop.
The forum was run by the Palmerston North Catholic Diocesan Justice, Peace and Development Commission in collaboration with Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand as part of Social Justice Week activities.
As part of a general election candidates’ debate, social worker Jenny Porter was expected to join a community panel talking about addiction, social isolation and the role of others in supporting recovery.
The DHB’s human resources and organisational development manager, Anne Amoore, said the directive was prompted by an employee asking for advice about participating in an event with political candidates present.
The reason given for the decision was that it could undermine the social worker’s political neutrality as a state sector employee so close to a general election.
“Given the political attendance and the potential for political debate, it was suggested that the employee attend at a time after the election to ensure that she and the DHB were not compromised in any way,” Amoore said.
The board’s decision was in line with state sector guidelines for all government and crown entities, she said.
Forum organiser Dion Martin said the Porter had given very late notice that the board had told her not to attend. He said she had been “gagged” and he was “very disappointed”.
Martin said upholders of social justice principles saw a crisis occurring in mental health, and it was important someone from the Board was available to respond to the debate.
But employment lawyer, Peter Cullen, in his column in the DomPost, said it was hard to see the forum as anything other than political.
“It’s easy to see why the DHB took the stand it did – particularly two weeks before the election,” he said.
“The DHB’s indication that Porter is welcome to speak on these issues – after the general election – is a way of enabling freedom of expression without being drawn into party politics, ” he said.
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