To Acting Vice Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, COVID-19 Incident Controller Leon Bakker, and Director Student Experience and Wellbeing Kirsty McClure.

Mabuhay and tēnā koutou Acting Vice Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, COVID-19 Incident Controller Leon Bakker, and Director Student Experience and Wellbeing Kirsty McClure.

We, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) and Ngāi Tauira – Victoria University Māori Students’ Association write to you today to express our position that we do not support the University’s proposal to discontinue the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from Monday April 4.

There are significant lapses in the risk assessment and there has not been proper due diligence given for the university community to engage with the survey and effectively provide feedback on a decision which will critically impact the health and wellbeing of our tauira. Two days of consultation with the wider University body is not acceptable nor appropriate.

Despite the Government’s announcement, we should not rush to remove our University’s vaccine mandate and undo the efforts to keep our community, particularly our most vulnerable tauira, safe.

It is concerning the risk assessment presented ignores and does not outline the risk and impact the discontinuation of the mandate will have on three critical areas:

• Vulnerable communities, particularly Māori and immunocompromised tauira.
• The likelihood and implications of long COVID within our community.
• The delivery of learning and teaching, particularly the impact on teaching staff and the continuation of dual delivery.

We are further concerned that the risk assessment significantly relies on and refers to policy, rather than the advice of experts - namely epidemiologists. The University must address these concerns in a revised risk assessment and extend the survey timeline.

Currently, Māori make up 19% of COVID-19 deaths, despite making up on 16% of the population. The fact that the risk report fails to consider the impact rolling back the mandates could have on Māori is a massive oversight, particularly when it is the same people who often have the most issues when it comes to studying remotely, which is the current suggestion for those wary of entering non-mandated spaces. Engaging properly with Māori health experts will be crucial to effectively assess the risks and proper support mechanisms for when the mandates are rolled back.

As such, more time needs to be given and more work needs to be done before we can begin rolling back protection measures which are critical right now. We recognize the impact the vaccine mandate has made on tauira who could not access crucial resources to engage with their education and believe there must be greater efforts and consideration by the University to support them and their participation.

VUWSA and Ngāi Tauira recommend that the University maintains the vaccine mandate, at the very least, until the end of the Trimester One mid-trimester break and encourage the review on removing the mandate to be revisited at such point, with a revised risk assessment which includes the missed considerations, a longer submission period, and advice from experts (epidemiologists).

While this statement reflects view of the VUWSA Executive and the Ngāi Tauira komiti, we acknowledge other student representative groups do have concerns on the continuation of the mandate and encourage the University to consider their points in coming to a decision that it is in the best interests of all tauira at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington.

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