"We now face a research and social landscape where the boundaries between rigorous academic work and mere opinion are increasingly blurred" Why this matters: when expertise gets flattened into just another opinion, we all lose. Climate science = random blog post. Medical research = Facebook meme.

The right to speak: exploring academic freedom in turbulent times - Higher Education

The concept of academic freedom remains contested globally, with increasing threats to academic expression appearing across different national contexts. New Zealand offers a unique case study as one o...

link.springer.com

“The challenge to tangata Tiriti is what we’ll do to support a fightback led by tangata whenua. Will Pākehā, in particular, be prepared to march in solidarity with tangata whenua and all people directly affected by the neo-racist political programme?” — Catherine Delahunty.

The great leap backwards | E-Tangata

“The challenge to tangata Tiriti is what we’ll do to support a fightback led by tangata whenua. Will Pākehā, in particular, be prepared to march in solidarity with tangata whenua and all people ...

e-tangata.co.nz

“Why must Tuvalu exchange some of its sovereign powers over its own security for a migration pathway? This is not climate justice.” — Taukiei Kitara.

Tuvaluans need action, not pity | E-Tangata

“Why must Tuvalu exchange some of its sovereign powers over its own security for a migration pathway? This is not climate justice.” — Taukiei Kitara.

e-tangata.co.nz

“An excessive number of items on the coalition’s list buy a culture war that Pākehā New Zealand isn’t ready for. Believe me when I say that te ao Māori is prepared.” — Deb Te Kawa.

A culture war? Te ao Māori is ready | E-Tangata

“An excessive number of items on the coalition’s list buy a culture war that Pākehā New Zealand isn’t ready for. Believe me when I say that te ao Māori is prepared.” — Deb Te Kawa.

e-tangata.co.nz

Rewriting book chapter on Pacific peoples higher education and racism and now screaming into the void that one of our unis have had Pacific completion rates in the 30% range since 2016 and just quietly continued being funded.

Dawn Freshwater, Auckland VC says the critic+conscience function is institutional and "doesn't require individual academics to do anything" (TV1 News). The UoA website says "The role of a University *and its academics* is to be the c+c of society" and has @siouxsiew.bsky.social all over it!

See 32m11s: www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-ne...) and www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2021...).

The metaphor below helped me to get it: H&S legislation HAS to be equity based & vice versa. Otherwise you don’t hire parents of young children in forestry because they don’t get enough sleep & that’s a risk factor; you don’t hire women as scientists because they can’t do #scicomm without backlash

Nicola Gaston@nicgaston.bsky.social · 3y ago

I keep mulling this over. Feels vaguely like blaming a forestry worker for injuring themselves with a chainsaw because there was someone else there and available to do that part of the job that day… But who does the work, if not workers?

It’s going to be an interesting few days at the Wiles v U of Auckland employment court hearing. Our universities are supposed to be open to public scrutiny but it is rare that this is actually the case. Over the next week we will get a glimpse into the inner workings of our largest university.

Auckland city is incredibly expensive. Resident Assistant work is incredibly stressful and an important part of peer support within accommodation services.

As University of Auckland halls raise rents, RAs are set to lose their discount

New changes to residential adviser contracts have students up in arms.

thespinoff.co.nz

"Petousis-Harris said [UoA]'s communications team regularly approached her and Wiles for interviews with the media. "When the pandemic arrived I was asked by the media communications people at [UoA] to become involved in public communications on the subject of Covid-19" www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Siouxsie Wiles case: Vaccinologist 'mortified' by university's response to harassment

Colleagues of microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles say the University of Auckland did not respond to her concerns about harassment fairly.

rnz.co.nz

I'm cautious about having hope but hope is all we've got...

Rabuka and Marape to 'engage further' with Indonesia on West Papua as special envoys

Pacific Churches welcome Melanesian Spearhead Group decision to appoint Fiji and Papua New Guinea PMs as special envoys to Indonesia to "address West Papua issue".

rnz.co.nz

This is an incredibly important case for our jobs as academics. We are called by law to be the critic and conscience. This means that we must be public facing and that risks need to be managed by our employer in order to protect academic freedom.

Siouxsie Wiles says Auckland University treatment was worse than Covid-19 harassment

Microbiologist says lack of support affected her wellbeing; feared university wanted to get rid of her.

rnz.co.nz

Amongst the treasures found in my parents move out are my old school reports. My husband asked what job I could do with a talent in "writing, public speaking and drama"?

AUT's Eke Tangaroa programme is constantly highlighted as an amazing cluster hire programme for Māori and Pacific Early Career Researchers and this paper gives some powerful insights into what it is like to be a part of it www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“You can’t simply learn about mātauranga or whakapapa, just like I couldn’t learn about my whānau. It’s meaningless without the connection and lived experience. It takes community.” — Kim Mcbreen.

The slow path to mātauranga | E-Tangata

“You can’t simply learn about mātauranga or whakapapa, just like I couldn’t learn about my whānau. It’s meaningless without the connection and lived experience. It takes community.” — Ki...

e-tangata.co.nz

“And universities and the Crown have a debt to be honoured. They have thrived on stolen whenua, knowledge and authority. Where is the humility? The accountability? The putting right?” e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/...

The slow path to mātauranga | E-Tangata

“You can’t simply learn about mātauranga or whakapapa, just like I couldn’t learn about my whānau. It’s meaningless without the connection and lived experience. It takes community.” — Ki...

e-tangata.co.nz

Huge year for women for the last year of the Rutherford Discovery Fellowships before the new scheme starts. Not enough to balance out the gender bias in earlier years though. Congratulations to the 2023 recipients!

Statistics on the 2023 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship round

Summary information on the 2023 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship selection round

royalsociety.org.nz

"For Māori this is a really important day, because these stories that we have carried with us are incredibly important - we live with the consequences of those wars now." @joannakidman.bsky.social on the significance of Te Pūtake o te Riri being commemorated on 28 Oct. www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu...

'They don't know the history' - NZers know more about foreign wars than our own

Experts say commemorations of the New Zealand Wars are at risk of passing by unnoticed outside of Māori circles.

rnz.co.nz

Currently the gender pay gap sits at 8.6%, but for Pasifika women they have an 18% pay gap in comparison to Pākeha men - that's 82c earned by a Pasifika woman for ever $1 earned by a Pākeha man. #MindTheGap In 2016 the gender pay gap for Pasifika women was the lowest for women, at only 67%. #nzpol

"We ask, what financially responsible multi-million-dollar entity does not have accurate information about where its income comes from and what it spends for each of the components of its operation and then proposes staffing cuts” www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/massey-sc...

Massey scientists push back on ‘biased’ numbers behind restructure - NZ Herald

Massey scientists call for independent audit of workings behind controversial restructure.

nzherald.co.nz

Them: Did you finish that project? Me: No, but can I introduce you to six others I've started?

Been thinking about an interaction at the awards where a retired prof asked if I had my PhD, was I employed, where was I from, no actually from. It wasn't until my husband asked what that was about that I realised how much I had normalised academic microagressions and having to defend my presence.

Would you like to translate social science research into actionable outcomes through effective collaboration? DOC are currently hiring for a Social Advisor Social Research → careers.doc.govt.nz/jobs/DOC-175...

"The kōhanga reo generation, backed by an inexorable demographic change, and strong in their reo, whakapapa and identity, are ready to step up to the plate — defined by a uniting faith in Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a source of rectification and unity." e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-...

The kōhanga reo generation is here | E-Tangata

“The kōhanga reo generation, backed by an inexorable demographic change, and strong in their reo, whakapapa and identity, are ready to step up to the plate — defined by a uniting faith in Te Tiri...

e-tangata.co.nz

One unexpected thing in my qualitative study w natural scientists (one-hour interviews) is how deeply, deeply sad the climate scientists are. They say things like "you have enough information from us, why won't anyone act?" -- the psychological distress these people are enduring is very great.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Toxic workplaces are the main reason women leave academic jobs

Women feel driven out by problems with workplace culture more often than by lack of work–life balance. Women feel driven out by problems with workplace culture more often than by lack of work–life...

nature.com

"that while the proposal could mean a reduction in academic staff, there would be no qualification closures." THEN WHO IS DOING THE TEACHING?

Students, staff at Massey University call for Vice-Chancellor to resign ahead of more cuts | Newshub

"We can't just treat international students as cash cows".

newshub.co.nz

There were a lot of highlights tonight at UoA research excellence awards like getting to see old friends, meet new ones and see the amazing research people are doing. But nothing captures being an academic mum like this

Its not enough for us to not say racism as it might upset people, now unconscious bias is off the table too. Also we "are typically a humble bunch" so need to return to white social expectaions of us and stop calling it.

'Unconscious bias': The two words Fiji must cut out to win the next Rugby World Cup

OPINION: The notion that there are subconscious thoughts among some referees to rule one team differently to another is, frankly, absurd.

i.stuff.co.nz