Victoria Vice-Chancellor defends Governor-General

victoria-university-of-wellington

Wed Aug 14 2002 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Victoria Vice-Chancellor defends Governor-General

Wednesday, 14 August 2002, 3:24 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

The Governor-General's speech delivered at the launch of Victoria University of Wellington's Crime and Justice Research Centre on Monday evening, has been taken out of context and grossly misrepresented, according to Professor Stuart McCutcheon, Vice-Chancellor.

"As one who was present during the speech, unlike most of the commentators, there is no question that Dame Silvia's remarks have been taken out of context. There has been misrepresentation in the media and by other spokespersons on what were objective comments that were very clearly qualified at the time," said Professor McCutcheon.

"Indeed, Dame Silvia quoted from the experience of the judiciary and the public sector in making her remarks. Part of her speech cited the University's own stated aspirations for the new Crime and Justice Research Centre - to be the voice of reason in the increasingly emotive debates about the origin and solutions to crime."

Professor McCutcheon said that Dame Silvia's comments "were above reproach and clearly appropriate within the context of the Centre's launch". He said,"it is ironic that the ensuing media frenzy around this issue is clear evidence of the need for a neutral and objective analysis of crime. However we anticipate the same emotive response from the community each time our criminologists enter the debate - something that Dame Silvia was quick to point out, and to encourage Victoria University to remain committed to."

Issued by Victoria University of Wellington Public Affairs
For further information please contact Jude.Urlich@vuw.ac.nz or phone +64-4-4635539

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from Victoria University of Wellington on InfoPages.