Nicky Hager's "Dirty Work": Fair Critique or Fanfic?

Jillaine Heather, CEO of the Free Speech Union, responds to being named in Nicky Hager's new election-season book Dirty Work, alongside groups like the Taxpayer Union and Jordan Williams. She argues the book leans on innuendo and guilt-by-association rather than evidence, noting Hager himself concedes he found no substantial foreign funding flow and that around 96% of the Union's donations are from everyday New Zealanders.

Heather contends Hager mischaracterises the Union's advocacy for regulated professionals as "anti-Māori" and an incitement campaign, without engaging directly with the organisation or its supporters, and questions his decision to burn his research notes despite claiming nothing to hide. While defending Hager's right to publish, both she and host Andrew Urquhart raise concerns that some claims in the book may cross from robust free speech into defamation, with Heather stressing that free speech doesn't extend to protecting lies that damage reputations ([www.fsu.nz](https://www.fsu.nz)).

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