Craig Young shares his views on public concern over the Family First event featuring controversial activists.
Family First has re-emerged with its annual Forum on the Family, a platform traditionally used to connect overseas and New Zealand-based Christian Right activists. This year’s event again includes speakers with a history of promoting anti-LGBTQI+, anti-abortion, and socially conservative views.
Among the listed speakers is Kirralie Smith, an Australian commentator and activist previously involved in campaigns opposing marriage equality and formerly associated with the now-defunct Australian Conservatives party. Smith currently leads Binary, a group that advocates against transgender inclusion, particularly in sport, and questions access to puberty blockers for transgender youth.
While Smith identifies as a “child protectionist” and “defender of women’s rights,” the literature endorsed by Binary reflects viewpoints aligned with other Australian and American Christian Right organisations. The group’s position on transgender issues has largely failed to gain traction beyond conservative Christian and some gender-critical feminist communities in Australia.
Smith is not known to hold qualifications in medical or psychological fields such as paediatrics, endocrinology, or developmental psychology. This has led to criticism regarding the basis of her advocacy. One fundamentalist Christian radio station in Australia described her as fighting for “Christian women’s rights,” a term some critics interpret as promoting a fundamentalist interpretation of gender roles that conflicts with broader feminist and scientific consensus.
In December 2024, Smith became the subject of an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) issued by the New South Wales District Court following a complaint about online harassment involving a transgender woman. According to The Guardian (3 Feb 2025), an initial rejection of the AVO was later overturned on appeal. The resulting order restricts Smith from contacting or harassing the individual for two years. Given this background, her participation in a public event in New Zealand has prompted concerns among some members of the community.
Also scheduled to speak is Jeff Johnston, described as an “issues analyst” with the U.S.-based organisation Focus on the Family. According to the forum’s promotional materials, Johnston is involved in discussions around marriage, gender, homosexuality, “parental rights,” and “religious freedom.”
Johnston publicly identifies as an “ex-gay” and has previously shared his experience through platforms like the Changed Movement. These perspectives are often associated with “conversion therapy,” a practice aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In New Zealand, such practices have been banned under the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation, following widespread recognition by health professionals that they are harmful and unsupported by scientific evidence.
A 2018 CBS News report profiled Johnston alongside affirming Christian leaders and former “ex-gays,” highlighting the psychological harm that these approaches can cause. Critics argue that views like Johnston’s reflect ideologies no longer supported by mainstream psychological or medical communities.
Family First’s promotion of such speakers may be linked to broader political developments, including recent legislation introduced by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters that has been viewed as targeting transgender rights. The appearance of Smith and Johnston appears to align with a pattern of importing socially conservative narratives in the lead-up to the 2026 general election.
While their views may resonate within specific ideological circles, they remain at odds with prevailing public health guidance and New Zealand law. It remains to be seen whether this year’s forum will expand its influence—or merely reinforce existing divisions.
