ACT Auditing "Safe Space" Policies At Universities And Polytechnics

act-new-zealand

Thu Mar 28 2024 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

ACT Auditing “Safe Space” Policies At Universities And Polytechnics

Thursday, 28 March 2024, 4:11 pm
Press Release: ACT New Zealand

“Today I wrote to each New Zealand university and polytechnic to determine their commitment to an inclusive education,” says ACT Tertiary Education and Skills spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

“There is a reason the University of Auckland’s segregated study spaces have provoked such a strong reaction from New Zealanders. The signage reminds us of darker days when different races were segregated at swimming baths and barber shops.

“Modern values of inclusivity celebrate the mixing of people from different backgrounds, and we should recognise how this is crucial to closing academic and economic disparities.

“For what it’s worth, I am seriously disturbed by the suggestion that in order to be safe, Māori students need to isolate from non-Māori. And I worry about the perception of international students who arrived here expecting to study in an inclusive, egalitarian environment.”

Dr Parmar has written to each of the institutions below, asking for a list of safe spaces, the rationale for such spaces, and whether signage or other policies are changing as a result of recent public concern.

Victoria University
University of Waikato
Massey University
University of Canterbury
Lincoln University
University of Otago
University of Auckland
Auckland University of Technology
UNITEC
Ara Institute of Canterbury
Eastern Institute of Technology
Wellington Institute of Technology
Universal College of Learning (UCOL)
Manukau Institute of Technology (Media contact)
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
Otago Polytechnic
Whitireia Community Polytechnic | Weltec
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki
Waikato Institute of Technology
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Tai Poutini Polytechnic
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Te Pukenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
Southern Institute of Technology
Northtec

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