Probation officer says she'll speak out again

A woman probation officer disciplined for refusing to sit at the back during a Maori farewell says she will be doing the same again.

Josie Bullock was yesterday warned after an incident several months ago when visitors were about to be welcomed to a probation centre for a poroporoaki, or farewell, for a group of male offenders who had just finished a violence prevention programme.

Ms Bullock took a front row seat and refused to move to the back when asked by a man to do so.

She was today defiant despite her employers' warning and would be sitting at the front next time she attended such a ceremony.

"I'll certainly be sitting at the front," she told National Radio.

Ms Bullock said the Department of Corrections was upholding a sexist practice.

The Onehunga probation officer said most of the people at the ceremony were not Maori and it was held on Department of Corrections land.

"Why should we be upholding old attitudes and sexist attitudes?"

She also said cultural practices including prayers, were not appropriate.

Ms Bullock described the warning as a "slap over the wrist with a wet bus ticket".

ACT MP Muriel Newman told NZPA today the warning was political correctness gone overboard and could have "sinister repercussions" for freedom of speech in New Zealand.

She said it was worrying when somebody could be disciplined for standing up for what they believed in.

"Josie stood up and was prepared to be counted, which I think is fantastic. She ought to be applauded rather than penalised."

She said "ordinary mainstream New Zealand" would have a lot of sympathy for Ms Bullock.

Dr Newman said a lot of the Maori ceremonies were going on far too long.

"They never translate any more... now often there's nobody in the audience who speaks Maori and there's no translation."

It was a "dreadful state of affairs" that women were having to sit at the back in Maori ceremonies.

"On marae around some parts of New Zealand women are not treated anywhere near equally."

The Department of Corrections today defended its decision to discipline Ms Bullock.

Community Probation Service regional manager northern Astrid Kalders confirmed the warning.

"This investigation was not about the views held by the Probation Officer but whether or not her behaviour in expressing those views was appropriate.

"The complaint about the inappropriate behaviour has been upheld.

"However the behaviour at issue is at the lower end of the scale and the action taken reflects that."

Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews said Ms Bullock had a right to her views but the department had good results from its programmes involving Maori protocol and customs.

Mr Matthews agreed it was an issue for the department to reconcile traditional Maori practices with the Bill of Rights assertion of equality of sexes.

- NZPA