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Helen Houghton
Conservative Party leader
When a profession that relies on inquiry begins punishing those who question the consensus, we all lose, especially our students.
A Facebook group created to support New Zealand teachers recently became a textbook example of cancel culture at work. The page, having been in service for at least ten years, was designed as a space for educators to share ideas, lesson plans and professional advice. But when I, a registered teacher with a public political role, responded to a question and challenged a prevailing view, I was the one removed. Others who engaged in the same discussion were allowed to stay. There were many other teachers with my views commenting. The difference was not tone, professionalism or conduct – it was politics.
No evidence. No verification. No apology. Just ideological gatekeeping.
Far-left activists increasingly dominate online teaching spaces, not with professional integrity, but with assumptions, insults and efforts to discredit those with differing views. Labelling someone a bigot simply because they disagree isn’t intellectual strength, it’s bullying dressed up as virtue. If the profession can’t handle respectful disagreement, then what kind of example are we setting for students?
When I quietly rejoined the group and asked an admin why I had been removed, I was not met with dialogue or concern. Instead, I was sent a photo of myself from my political website as if that explained everything. I was told the admin had asked members if they knew anyone on the page who wasn’t a teacher and, apparently, many nominated me. That was false. But rather than checking directly with me before taking action, the admin relied on hearsay from others in the group. Even after I clarified my status as a teacher, she questioned me again, asking what school I work at, as though my identity needed cross-examining, while never applying the same standard to those who made the false claims. One check on the teaching registration website would have given her the facts.
When I asked if the facts would now be corrected and whether a public apology was forthcoming, the only response I received was a dismissive remark questioning why someone would care so much about staying in a Facebook group. This, from the same person who created the group for all teachers to join. That response wasn’t just unprofessional – it was gaslighting.
This is how cancel culture plays out in education: far-left activists label people they disagree with as ‘bigots’, then justify exclusion based on politics, not principles. It’s a form of ideological policing that corrodes professional trust and discourages open dialogue. We say we want students to learn critical thinking, but how can we model that when we silence teachers for thinking critically themselves?
