ACT has obtained a copy of AUT’s policy for funding researcher travel, which allocates 30 percent more points to travel applications for researchers who identify as Māori, and 20 percent more for Pasifika.

“This policy will put some academics at a disadvantage relative to others, simply because they have the ‘wrong’ ancestry,” says ACT Tertiary Education and Skills spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

“Allocating travel funding based on race is a disrespect to those who would otherwise secure opportunities based on merit, or on the value their travel can offer to the university and society.

“After hearing reports of the existence of this policy, my office requested a copy of the points system from AUT on Wednesday morning. With no response from the university, I emailed around 500 AUT researchers over the weekend asking them if they knew about the points system and if they could provide a copy. This must have caused a stir, because yesterday morning AUT sent my office a copy of the points system, and the Vice-Chancellor sent an email to researchers and staff defending the policy. However, the Vice-Chancellor opted not to link directly to the points system so staff could easily view and understand it.

“I have now sent a copy of the points system to AUT researchers so they can view it themselves.

“Many researchers told me they were not aware of the points system, which is not listed publicly and is not easily found on internal systems. The University has not been up front with its staff and researchers, who deserve better.

“Last week the Government issued a circular to government agencies setting the expectation that public resources be allocated according to need and value, not race. However, as the Tertiary Education Minister has pointed, universities are given autonomy under the Education Training Act 2020 to adopt their own policies. Of course, academics, politicians, and taxpayers can still – and should – debate and challenge funding decisions.

“ACT will continue to shine sunlight on the discriminatory use of public funds. Having seen the Vice-Chancellor’s defence of the policy, I do not agree with the Tertiary Education Minister’s assessment that AUT’s rationale is ‘good’. ACT is deeply concerned that universities who fail to uphold equal opportunity for students and academics damage their own reputations and place divisive political ideology ahead of value for taxpayers.”

Note: The AUT points system for travel funding prioritises applications based on a number of criteria, before an ‘equity multiplier’ of up to 1.3x is applied to advantage selected groups. This means that while a Māori-identifying researcher can earn up to 37.7 points, a researcher not eligible for an equity multiplier may only accumulate 29 points. This means, in effect, that an Asian academic seeking to attend a conference to which they are contributing a paper could lose funding to a Māori-identifying researcher who is merely visiting the conference, solely on the basis of race.

© Scoop Media