Now that the election date, September 20, has been announced, it is critical that state sector employers understand that their employees, "public servants", are New Zealand citizens and as such are entitled to democratic and political rights like any other.
TVNZ boss Kevin Kenrick's suggestion to a parliamentary committee last week that staff declare their political allegiances was a dangerous overreaction to an unusual event. It was pleasing to see State Services commissioner Iain Rennie release such a strong statement criticising the plan.
The resignation of Shane Taurima from TVNZ, and the accompanying public controversy, could have a chilling effect on the rights of public servants to engage in political life. We were glad to work alongside the State Services Commission in developing a set of clear guidelines for state servants ahead of the 2014 election. While the commission's video that accompanied the guidelines provoked amusement among many, it also raised serious issues that all state servants and their employers should be aware of.
Like all New Zealanders, public servants have the right to join a political party, to volunteer their personal time in support of election campaigns and to receive information from their union about the election. State servants have the right to stand for election, and to endorse a political party on their personal social media pages.
These rights, however, come attached to a responsibility - they should not interfere with their jobs.