John Raine: Universities not Wānanga - Time for the Government to Step Up

Distinction between a University and a Culturally Based Education Institution

New Zealand universities have been undergoing a cultural reshaping, and Government intervention is needed if we are to avoid adverse societal and financial consequences. Earlier articles by Raine, Lillis and Schwerdtfeger [e.g. 1, 2] have already covered this issue in some detail.

New Zealand has three wānanga as publicly owned tertiary education institutions, providing tertiary education in a Māori cultural context, and creating these institutions was positive for young Māori. They are: Te Wānanga o Raukawa (1981), Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (1984), and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi (1991).  Why then, should our universities appear to be on a determined march towards indigenisation that will leave them looking like wānanga and no longer recognisable as universities in the internationally understood sense?

An education institution may, of course, be based around the knowledge and belief system of a particular culture but, like adherents to a religious movement, those attending such an institution must accept, as doctrine, aspects of cultural lore that require an act of faith, as they cannot be verified through modern science.  An example is the attribution of spiritual properties to water by Māori, as discussed by Gary Judd recently [3].

By contrast, universities should be characterised by an environment of open enquiry and criticism, where ideas on any subject can be debated, in an open-ended quest for truth, and where modern science is underpinned by method: hypothesis, test, verification or falsification, and always the possibility of new evidence or knowledge reshaping our understanding of a particular phenomenon. In such an environment, indoctrination or the mandated teaching of unquestionable traditional knowledge has no place, nor does the overlay of a particular culture that must be treated as sacrosanct.  If these things occur, and if the institution itself imposes a particular cultural rule set on the academic community, then it has been directly or indirectly politicised.

The imperative for universities to maintain a secular, politically neutral position is emphasised in the first of four fundamental principles that are articulated in the 1988 European Bologna Accord on the role of universities [4]. The Bologna Accord affirms that:

“The university is an autonomous institution at the heart of societies differently organised because of geography and historical heritage; it produces, examines, appraises, and hands down culture by research and teaching. To meet the need of the world around it, its research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political authority and economic power.”

Critical Social Justice, the Politicisation of Academia, and Academic Freedom

The academic community has welcomed greater engagement with Māori culture over the past 25 years, and efforts to bring more Māori students into university. This was liberal social justice in action, with real efforts to deliver more equitable outcomes for one population group. However, the more recent declarations of being “te Tiriti-led”, and activism to decolonise or indigenise the culture of our universities, has put universities increasingly at risk of being seen internationally as ethno-institutions, whose standing in teaching and research excellence has fallen before the juggernaut of Critical Social Justice (CSJ) ideology, which denies the existence of objective truths, is exclusionary, intolerant of dissenting views and tends to be anti-science.  Doug Stokes [5] states in this respect:

“..the historical telos of universities as depositories of our collective cultural wisdom and knowledge is thus changed from forms of debate and free speech to those of multiple truths and power plays to impose dominance. In this way, the universities and those academics within them are transformed from fallible but authoritative judges and teachers of the sum of human knowledge to being part of a broader political struggle between a binary of oppressed versus the oppressors.” (Against Decolonisation, pp. 81-82)

“The assertion that all human knowledge is equally valid and the university is a site of power contestation makes it easier to understand the abandonment of fundamental academic principles, not least that of academic freedom.” (Against Decolonisation, pp. 83-84)

The characteristics and worldwide damaging effects of CSJ have been well summed up in the opening chapters of Helen Pluckrose’s latest book [6]. In the USA, pressures to pull back on oppressive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies in businesses and universities are gathering momentum.  Not so elsewhere, it seems. The UK Labour Government has said recently that it will not support the Freedom of Speech Act 2023 legislation that could see universities and student unions fined for failing to uphold freedom of speech.

In New Zealand, CSJ and related DEI activism have, if anything, gathered momentum in our universities since 2020, showing increasing intolerance towards academics whose views do not align with universities’ policies, particularly around the Treaty of Waitangi.

As I noted in an earlier article [7]:

“Under the Education and Training Act 2020 281(1)(b), university Councils are required to acknowledge the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but also to preserve academic freedom. This has led to a conflicted situation in which giving of expression to Treaty principles has begun to trump academic freedom and freedom of speech.”

The Victoria University of Wellington free speech panel discussion event on 28^th May was notable more for Critical Social Justice polemic that supported control over free speech than for intelligent discussion in its support. Jonathan Ayling from the Free Speech Union and Michael Johnston from the New Zealand Initiative were notable exceptions and spoke effectively in defence of academic freedom and freedom of speech.

Dr James Kierstead has given excellent interviews on Reality Check Radio (RCR) and The Platform following the publication of his recent substantial New Zealand Initiative report, “Unpopular Opinions”, presenting 72 testimonies of suppression of academic freedom in New Zealand universities [8]. Such instances, which most probably comprise a fraction of those that have occurred, are of course related to all academic matters - not only the Treaty of Waitangi. The report of the recent AUT Law School Staff Survey (NZ Herald 8^th September 2024) indicated that 20% experienced discrimination and 35% faced bullying in recent years.  While it is only one example, this suggests an environment which is not conducive to academic freedom.

Imposition of te Ao Māori

Te Tiriti is silent on education, and the “values” that might be inferred from Te Tiriti are that Māori should benefit from education, along with other subjects of the Crown. Nonetheless, the eight Treaty principles of Victoria University of Wellington [9,10], make very general statements around, in particular, rangatiratanga (autonomy and self-determination), whai wāhi (participation). While these principles appear reasonable in general terms, any imposition of tenets of Māori culture, or any other culture, puts academic freedom at risk.  And, while the principle of kawanatanga (governance) ensures Māori representation on the University Council, which must discharge appropriately its obligations to Māori, there is no requirement that the Council discharges its obligations to all other ethnicities present on campus.

Professor Elizabeth Rata (University of Auckland) has again spoken up courageously in recent interviews on The Platform and on RCR about the ongoing indigenisation/decolonisation in our universities, and the effect this movement is having on academic programmes. It seems to be most apparent in Education, Law and the Social Sciences, but is now occurring in the in the STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) areas, particularly in the Biological Sciences. Both documented and anecdotal evidence indicate that such developments are occurring quite widely across our universities.

Despite the University of Auckland urgent Senate vote that led to a pause on their Curriculum Framework Transformation project (reported in the NZ Herald 20^th August 2024), the University appears to be moving ahead with the introduction of the mandatory Stage 1 Waipapa Taumata Rau course in 2025, which is heavy on Treaty indoctrination (instruction that cannot be questioned or debated). This has been critiqued by Lillis [11].  In the same context, a colleague at the University of Auckland commented to me during the last month: “It's quite extraordinary that we are launching a course called "Epistemological justice: indigenising STEM" while at the same time we're being forced to cut science courses.”

Massey University Provost, Professor Giselle Byrnes recently made the following comment that illustrates the conflicted position in which Massey and other universities now find themselves, having declared that they are Te-Tiriti-led: “Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its core principles are values that serve to guide the mission and purpose of the university, underpinning teaching, research and the core operations of the university in a way that is appropriate for our historical, geographical, and social context.” Given Massey’s commitment to being te Tiriti-led and its support for increasing Māori cultural content despite the concerns of many esteemed academics, the risk of indoctrination and loss of academic freedom is significant, and the next steps in their curriculum restructuring should be watched very closely.

In this context, Massey University has closed Engineering at all its campuses and has also closed Food Technology and most of its Sciences at the Albany campus, ostensibly for financial reasons (although I am advised these were disputed). This is astonishing at a campus surrounded by high-performing secondary schools, and in the Auckland region where there is a high demand for degree studies in the Sciences and Engineering. It is unsurprising in this situation that Massey’s latest staff survey shows an extraordinarily low 6% of staff feel positively motivated by the University’s present leadership and only 5% positive that there was open and honest two-way communication. One might well ask whether the loss of positions in traditional areas to make space for new appointments in Te Tiriti-led disciplines.

A recent advertisement for positions of Dean of Science and Head of School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at the University of Canterbury stated, in the list of “Experience and skills” for the two advertised positions, “Active commitment to upholding the values, tikanga (protocols and processes), kawa (rules) of cultural practice and traditions as guided by mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri.”  Why in an institution that should be secular and not subject to cultural protocols from any external cultural or political group, should staff be required to uphold tribal tikanga and kawa?

The daughter of a colleague undertook a mandatory University of Otago full-year 300 level Jurisprudence course where one semester was focused on Maori concepts of justice. Surely such a course should be mostly focused on the New Zealand legal system which is based on British Common Law.

The infusion of CSJ ideology into the Ministry of Education and MBIE sits behind their declaring equivalent standing (mana orite) between matauranga Māori and modern science, equating matauranga Māori with science, now reflected in the public funding of research, where MBIE advice to grant applicants and assessors for the Endeavour Fund (echoed in the University of Otago MBIE grant advice to staff, for example) makes it clear that success is unlikely unless applicants have a strong section on Vision Matauranga, Māori research programme participants (preferably a co-lead) and iwi engagement. This is highly prejudicial for many Science and Engineering grant applicants.  For example, Vision Matauranga is extremely unlikely to be relevant in a nuclear physics research project. Moreover, such restrictions will deter international scholars from applying for positions in New Zealand.

Government Must Act

So, where does all of this leave us. University Councils and Vice Chancellors may have chosen that their institutions should be te Tiriti-led in order to acknowledge Treaty principles (as unclear as these may be in practice), but they appear reluctant to push back against indigenisation and decolonisation activism. While it is completely appropriate to include Māori cultural content optionally in taught courses, it is paramount that our universities continue to meet the Bologna Accord definition of a university, and demonstrate clear political and cultural neutrality, free of any indoctrination. Otherwise, we will see a loss of international standing, lower international student enrolments, and less international teaching and research collaboration.

Let us hope that the forthcoming University Advisory Group report to Government addresses the foregoing concerns. Although the universities are substantially autonomous, it is time for the Government to step up and help steady their direction through the following actions:

1.          Revise the Education and Training Act (2020) to:

(i)          Enshrine stronger and more explicit provisions for protection of academic freedom and freedom of speech.

(ii)         Remove the requirement to acknowledge Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, or if this is retained, state specifically that universities are expected to respect but not be defined by te Ao Māori.

(iii)       Return academic decision-making power to academics.

2.          Decline to fund courses that contain incontestable content: i.e. indoctrination, whether in relation to matauranga Māori or any other cultural knowledge.

3.          Require universities to demonstrate through their annual reporting that they are maintaining currency, international relevance, and high standards of excellence in their teaching and research. Failure to do this should attract funding penalties.

4.          Of the four (out of up to 12) university Council members who are Government appointees, Government should decline to appoint any who support decolonisation and indigenisation of our universities.

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John Raine is an Emeritus Professor of Engineering and has formerly held positions as Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at AUT, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Albany and International) at Massey University, and Pro Vice Chancellor (Enterprise and International) at University of Canterbury. He has had a long-term involvement in NZ’s innovation system and chaired the Government’s Powering Innovation Review in 2011.  

References

1.          John Raine, David Lillis, and Peter Schwerdtfeger, “Universities or Indoctrination Centres?” Breaking Views NZ, 7^th October 2023. https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2023/10/john-raine-david-lillis-and-peter.html . (Reprinted in Bassett Brash and Hide 8^th October 2023. https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/john-raine-david-lillis-and-peter-schwerdtfeger-universities-or-indoctrination-centres)

2.          Peter Schwerdtfeger, David Lillis, John Raine, “New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Sector in Deep Financial Crisis “Breaking Views NZ, 13^th October 2023

3.          Gary Judd, KC, “Return of the Primitive – A World of Ignorance and Superstition”, Bassett Brash and Hide, 30^th August 2024 https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/gary-judd-kc-return-of-the-primitive-a-world-of-ignorance-and-superstition

4.          “Magna Charta Universitatum”, Bologna, 18th September 1988. https://www.cesaer.org/content/7-administration/legal-affairs/values/magna-charta-universitatum.pdf   

5.          Doug Stokes, “Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West” 1st Edition, Polity, October 2023

6.          Helen Pluckrose, “The Counterweight Handbook: Principled Strategies for Surviving and Defeating Critical Social Justice - At Work, in Schools, and Beyond”, Swift Press, 2024.

7.          John Raine, “Cultural High Noon in our Universities”, Breaking Views NZ, 19th June 2024. https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2024/06/john-raine-cultural-high-noon-in-our.html (published updated and edited in Bassett Brash and Hide 19th June 2024 https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/john-raine-cultural-high-noon-in-our-universities )

8.          James Kierstead, “Unpopular Opinions – academic Freedom in New Zealand”, a report from the New Zealand Initiative, August 2024. https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-media/reports/unpopular-opinions-academic-freedom-in-new-zealand/

9.          Victoria University of Wellington “Treaty of Waitangi Statute”, 11th February 2019. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/documents/policy/governance/te-tiriti-o-waitangi-statute.pdf

10.      Victoria University of Wellington Māori Hub, “Te Tiriti o Waitangi Guide”  https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/maori-hub/rauemi/te-tiriti-o-waitangi

11.      David Lillis, “Is tertiary Education for Learning or Indoctrination.” Bassett Brash and Hide, 1^st September 2024 https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/david-lillis-is-tertiary-education-for-learning-or-for-indoctrination