Most readers will be aware of Janet Dickson taking a stand against The Real Estate Institute forcing her to undergo a `90 minute Maori Training Course’ which will have nothing to do with her ability to conduct her Real Estate Business.
Justice Helen McQueen in The Wellington High Court has ruled as follows:
The judgment said she chose not to complete Te Kākano as a “matter of principle” and considered it would not add any value to her performance and conflicted with her personal beliefs.
Janet Dickson could now be suspended from the Real Estate Industry for 5 Years.
Hobsons Pledge and The Free Speech Union have steadfastly supported Janet Dickson and the last I read (probably late last year) is that they were prepared to take the case to the Supreme Court if she lost this High Court Case.
I am sure they will keep there word but, any support readers can give, either moral or financial, will I am sure be greatly appreciated.
Stuff have more on the background and the decision here:
Here is Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKees response:
McKee refocuses training for real estate agents
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has acknowledged today’s High Court decision which saw Janet Dickson’s claims in her case against the Real Estate Agents Authority dismissed.
“As a matter of principle, Mrs Dickson chose not to complete the compulsory professional development topic Te Kākano (The Seed) – which introduced real estate professionals to Māori culture, language, customs, and the Treaty of Waitangi. Under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 the REA is required to cancel a real estate agent’s licence if they do not complete their CPD requirements. Mrs Dickson applied for an exemption from completing Te Kākano and that application was denied. She therefore faced the prospect of not being able to practise as a real estate agent for five years.
“I sent a Letter of Expectation to the Real Estate Authority Board in February last year clearly outlining that CPD requirements should be relevant to the job of real estate agents.
“I advised the Board that I did not consider the mandatory CPD topic in 2023 – Te Kākano (The Seed) – to meet my expectation of being relevant to the real estate profession.
“It is critically important to me that the Real Estate Authority can demonstrate that its services materially improve outcomes for all New Zealanders and that they represent value for money.
“This case has shed light on an overly harsh punishment for real estate agents who have not completed the CPD requirements,” Mrs McKee says.
“No other profession imposes a five-year disqualification period on individuals for failing to complete their CPD requirement. It is a disproportionate response that stops people from working in their chosen profession.
“The Regulatory Systems (Occupational Regulation) Amendment Bill which I introduced to Parliament in December last year addresses this by removing that clause from the Real Estate Agents Act 2008, creating consistency with other regulated professions.”
Will the Real Estate Institute listen to Minister McKee – it does not seem so!!!!
No Minister 
This is where this shit gets so insidious because you don’t want a private group being overruled by the State, whether in the form of Minister McKee or legislation, although I can only hope that the proposal for changes to the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 where a requirement is merely withdrawn will have the desired effect.
But it’s exactly like the DEI bullshit in US institutions where the ‘crats are currently trying to hide it by renaming it and the DEI staff and so forth.
It’s a “mind virus” and the only real solution I see is for the public to hammer the bastards at the Real Estate Institute. Even then it might take a public campaign to say that people will just using personal adverts and lawyers to execute real estate sales – which some people do anyway. Campaigning to spread that wider might scare the REI bastards.
Tom, you’re confusing two different bodies. The Real Estate Institute is a private organisation. REINZ is owned and operated by run by the industry. They provide sales stats etc.
The REA is a government body set up by the REAA 2008 to regulate the real estate industry. They’re so far gone the only the we can do is get a DOGE to rip them out root and stem and start from scratch again. (I’ve been involved in real estate liability for nearly 20 years and the REA are worse than the rogues they’re supposed to be sorting out).
Interesting if depressing. Thanks.
Who are the REI anyway? A nameless collection of nameless wokesters?
Especially for you kev.
https://www.reinz.co.nz/Web/About-Us/Our-People-Pages/REINZ-Board-of-Directors.aspx
https://www.reinz.co.nz/Our-people?hkey=9689aa4f-0796-4a7b-bc95-e8a8e68ad8b8
The REI is NOT the REA. Completely different organisations that do completely different things. The REA is the regulator. The REI is the industry body – the Union if you like. It is the REA being criticised here.
I am aware that nonsense is facing nurses. Unable to return to nursing until they complete a course in a totally irrelevant language!