“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 UniversityUniversity of WaikatoMassey UniversityUniversity of CanterburyLincoln UniversityUniversity of OtagoUniversity of AucklandAuckland University of TechnologyUNITECAra Institute of CanterburyEastern Institute of TechnologyWellington Institute of TechnologyUniversal College of Learning (UCOL)Manukau Institute of Technology (Media contact)Nelson Marlborough Institute of TechnologyOtago PolytechnicWhitireia Community Polytechnic | WeltecWestern Institute of Technology at TaranakiWaikato Institute of TechnologyThe Open Polytechnic of New ZealandTai Poutini PolytechnicToi Ohomai Institute of TechnologyTe Pukenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and TechnologySouthern Institute of TechnologyNorthtec