Cath Simpson: Suspended by the Tribunal, Sacked by Health NZ

Health NZ sacked mental health nurse Cath Simpson on 9 October over posts she made on X in her own time and deleted more than a year ago. The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal had suspended her for two months and let her keep nursing. In her first public interview, Cath tells Free Speech Union Executive Director Jillaine Heather how one man's complaint to the Nursing Council became a fight for her career. She talks through the posts, on abortion, COVID, Rawiri Waititi, immigration and gender, and where she regrets the language she used. She describes the Council going through her account and adding posts the complainant never raised. The Tribunal's penalty included a programme covering everything from cultural safety and colonisation to gender and sexual diversity. Health NZ knew about the posts for 18 months and kept her working with patients until the Tribunal ruled. Its own dismissal letter accepted her remorse was genuine and raised no clinical concerns about her work. It sacked her anyway. Cath is appealing the Tribunal's decision in the High Court. Help fund the expert legal work: https://fsu.nz/donate/cath-simpson/ Read the Tribunal's full decision: https://fsu.nz/documents/cases/cath-simpson-hpdt-decision-2026-09-10.pdf Free to Speak is the official podcast of the New Zealand Free Speech Union. Uncensored conversations on free speech, civil liberties, and the people defending them. Hosted by Dane Giraud. Join the Free Speech Union: https://fsu.nz/join Support our work: https://fsu.nz/donate Newsletter: https://fsu.nz/subscribe Website: https://fsu.nz Got feedback or a guest suggestion? podcast@fsu.nz Promoted by Free Speech Union, PO Box 91811, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142 Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

Cath Simpson: Suspended by the Tribunal, Sacked by Health NZ | Free Speech Union