Welcome to the New Zealand Initiative podcast! In this week’s episode, Drs Michael Johnston and James Kierstead discuss the challenges faced by universities in New Zealand, focusing on issues such as declining enrolments, the impact of international student numbers, and the need for universities to foster open and civil debate on controversial topics. Read more

Wellington (Monday, 19 June 2023) – The New Zealand Initiative has revealed that Victoria and Otago Universities employ more non-academic than academic staff, a situation prevalent in all New Zealand universities for the past decade. The findings, prepared by Drs. Read more

In this podcast episode, we explore the state of education in New Zealand, both at the school and university levels. Drawing from our own experiences, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the current education system and the challenges that students face in their pursuit of higher education. Read more

In this episode, Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr James Kierstead discuss administrative bloat in New Zealand universities, focusing on the rise of non-academic staff and its potential consequences. Dr Kierstead shares some figures on the large number of non-academic employees compared to academic staff and compares the situation to other countries. Read more

Recent Ministry of Education publications bring mātauranga Māori concepts into the school curriculum. While concepts like mauri, a Māori term meaning “vital essence” or “life force”, may have something to offer science as a reflection of ecosystem health or the “life-supporting capacity” of rivers, any interpretation that equated mauri with chemical properties, or as “the binding force between the physical and the spiritual”, had no place in the chemistry curriculum and proposals to incorporate traditional knowledge in science curricula need a lot more reflection, with nobody excluded from the conversation. Read more

Free Speech Union spokesperson Dane Giraud speaks to James Kierstead, who gives his summary of the failed hate speech laws before they discuss the need for generosity towards your ideological opponents, the woke re-editing of Roald Dahl's books, and the general issue with translations and tampering with texts.

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Roger Openshaw is Emeritus Professor of Education at Massey University. We drew on his rich knowledge of NZ educational history as we discussed the changing relationship between central government and NZ schools over the past century or so; the perils and promises of the new history curriculum; and how solid the evidence is for the common assertion that the NZ education system is racist. Read more