Imagine hating Māori so much you lose your job and make yourself the victim?
Real estate agent loses bid to avoid compulsory Māori culture course
A real estate agent who refused to take a compulsory course covering te reo Māori, tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi has lost her latest bid for an exemption.
Janet Dickson, who has been a licensed real estate agent since 2009, refused to complete Te Kākano (the Seed), a 90-minute online course made a mandatory part of continuing professional development (CPD) for agents in 2023.
She previously said completing it was a “matter of principle”, arguing it would not add value to her work and conflicted with her personal beliefs.
After the Registrar of the Real Estate Agents Authority declined her application for an exemption, Dickson asked the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal to review that decision.
A tribunal panel chaired by David Plunkett, with members Greg Denley and Fiona Mathieson, has now confirmed the registrar’s decision.
Dickson’s lawyers argued requiring her to complete Te Kākano on pain of losing her licence breached her right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.
They characterised the requirement as political and cultural compulsion by a government agency.
But lawyer Tim Bain, representing the registrar, argued the course merely required agents to attend and receive information about Māori perspectives relevant to real estate transactions.
Stuff
Couple of things.
1 – Imagine hating Māori so much you lose your job and make yourself the victim?
2 – I think Te Ao Māori is stronger and bigger than a person who wants to avoid it and it is sad she is losing her job over engrained prejudice and the risk is you make someone like this a martyr for the culture war cause.
3 – Imagine hating Māori so much you lose your job and make yourself the victim? Like it’s staggering right?
4 – The Tribunal acknowledged Karen had a right to ask for the Manager and they agreed her perspective was fixed, but they did actually note that the course in question was explaining how Māori interact with land sales, which really is something you should know in New Zealand Real Estate! She argued it was against her beliefs to listen to Māori culture, and the Tribunal accepted that, but the course wasn’t requiring her to change religions, it was teaching the values and legality of Māori land sales, which again is something you would kinda want a NZ Real Estate Agent knowing right?
5 – AGAIN! Imagine hating Māori so much you lose your job and make yourself the victim?
I really hope that Hobsons’ Pledge Karen doesn’t lose her job because she’ll end up as a NZ First candidate, but this really seems terribly needless and bone headed.
Independent Media is more important than ever, especially in the lead up to the Election. TDB is the largest Left Wing Blog in NZ and we have been operating for 13 years. We get zero funding from NZonAir and we don’t have no rich backers. If you can donate please do so here or directly into our account –12-3065-0133561-56
The treaty has zero relevance to private land transactions. She’s been shanked by a heartless virtue-signalling registrar.
This martyrdom should be good for another 1/2% for Act or NZF.
Outside of the Wellington bubble, lots of professionals cringe at the compulsory ‘right-think’ courses and the karakeas. They might identify with the real estate agent.
It is important that people understand how Maori have in the past sold their land to several different buyers at the same time and have done this many times . Not a bad little earner for a race of people who say they do not sell their land as it has such special meaning to them.
So why do real estate agents have to learn tikanga maori again?
Because it shows the PMC and the NGO leaders are caring and empathetic people.
Who show off their higher cultural status by holding all the correct opinions.
“………it was teaching the values and legality of Māori land sales…..”
As if – Maori Land sales aren’t generally conducted via Residential Real Estate Agents and usually comprise a communally-owned block of rural land. They are complex land transactions involving an army of legal advisors.
This is/was virtue signaling BS by an over-zealous bureaucracy during the height of the Ardern premiership.
Lets call it as it is.
She will fit in well with either ACT or NZ First!
Why would anyone hate people, simply because of their colour? It defies belief in this modern world. We are what we are and need to get on with mixing with all who cross our paths. I have two part Maori grandies and two full European ones. There is no difference to me. Janet Dickston’s fight agains this is peurile and rather childish. Did it really matter that there was a Maori element to her job? Could she not have just done it and got it out of her way? It’s great to have standards and principles but really this one was over the top and racist! Shame on you Janet – have you never met a lovely Maori? I went to school with dozens of Maori and we were simply all kids! If you truly can’t stand them and their lovely culture, go and live somewhere, where you feel more at home!
They both, from the pictures, need to see Winston’s coiffeur Urgently and get a decent haircut.
Imagine turning up to a job, first impressions and all that, looking like you’d been sleeping rough.
Imagine having so little self-respect that you’d go and sell houses looking like something the cat dragged in.
I’m not criticising their looks, I’m criticising their assumption that they look presentable. They don’t. Neither of them has the kind of good looks that can carry off a scruffy hair-do and get away with it.
I’m surprised their bosses don’t tell them to tidy themselves up and try to look professional.
Probably scared of getting their heads bitten off.
Imagine having such a warped sense of your own importance that you fail to see any benefit from knowing something of Māori culture. People pay thousands to come here for a taste and Janet Dickson can’t even stomach an on-line course where she doesn’t have to make any effort at all. Tick the box Janet, and get on with your life.