Governance changes will undermine role of universities
Universities New Zealand opposes plans to change the composition of university councils which will remove the statutory
protections that ensure universities have the independence and diversity to effectively represent the communities they
serve.
“The changes announced by the Government last week are of great concern to the university sector. They remove the legal
requirement for democratically elected students, staff and other representatives to sit on councils, undermining a model
of governance that has worked well to reflect the broad range of voices universities represent,” says Universities NZ
Chair Professor Roy Crawford.
Professor Crawford says that the planned changes are not based on evidence and are not consistent with international
best practice.
“The reasons given for the changes are to make university councils faster moving and responsive. Our universities
however are amongst the best performing and most efficient in the world.”
“The world’s leading universities have councils that are larger than company boards and are not based on a business
model. This is a strength, not a weakness. They recognise that it is essential to have a wide range of viewpoints and
perspectives to inform and enrich their decision making.”
Professor Crawford says that the planned changes also show a fundamental misunderstanding of the distinct role that
universities play in societies.
“Universities need autonomy and academic freedom to be the critic and conscience of society which is considered vital
for a strong and informed democracy. New Zealand’s universities can only perform this role if they are independent of
government and vested interests.”
“Moves to increase the proportion of Ministerial appointees and the control that government has over university councils
will be a backwards step for New Zealand.”
Vice-Chancellors will discuss the proposed changes further in coming weeks with their individual councils to build
support for the continued representation of its stakeholders on university councils.
· Universities New Zealand comprises the Vice-Chancellors of the country’s eight universities.
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