August 30, 2020
Waikato University challenged on structural racism
University of Waikato academics are accusing the wānanga of both structural and casual racism.
A group of six, including professors Pou Temara and Linda Tuhiwai Smith, have detailed their concerns in a 13-page letter to the Ministry of Education.
These include lower pay for Māori staff, the ousting of staff and the lack of an indigenous advancement plan.
Māori staff protested two years ago about the university’s plan to turn its standalone Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies into a school within the faculty of Social Sciences.
Tertiary Education Union president Michael Gilchrist says the allegations of institutional racism need to be fully investigated, and the union is talking with its Māori members and the university to ensure any investigation protects their rights while ensuring natural justice for other parties.
The university denies the racism accusations.
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