Academic fallout over Grant Hannis revealed
Newly-released emails have revealed the shock that washed through academia as disgraced lecturer Grant Hannis’ offending was revealed.
Emails supplied from Massey University under the Official Information Act detail the scramble to remove a Hannisedited textbook from circulation and offer an insight into the immediate aftermath of the sentencing.
In January 2018, the then55-year-old former Massey University associate professor of journalism was sentenced to eight months’ home detention for indecently assaulting an 82-yearold stroke victim in a rest home.
Police later revealed there was a second complainant, though no prosecution proceeded ‘‘due to a number of circumstances’’.
Hannis spent months planning to fight the charge and trying to keep his name secret before changing to a guilty plea. It was only on January 26, 2019 – following his sentencing – that his name suppression ended and his offending became public.
Hannis had edited a book titled Intro, a textbook used by journalism students.
An email was sent on December 8, 2018 about the book, discussing how it would be good to continue using Intro. Almost all names and recipients in the emails were redacted. But within days of his sentencing, plans were being formed to supply students with just individual chapters, the ones not written by Hannis.
‘‘The cover could be reworked, the introduction could be rewritten, his two chapters could be rewritten/put under another name and all other references to him could be removed,’’ one email said. Another pointed out, ‘‘it is awkward requiring a text that highlights and lauds this particular former lecturer’’.
Journalism Education Association of New Zealand president Gregory Treadwell confirmed that Hannis’ offending, which most of his colleagues only heard about when his name suppression ended, sent shock waves through the journalism schools, and resulted in schools stopping using Intro in its entirety.
Massey senior lecturer Catherine Strong scrambled to work a deal with publisher Massey University Press and individual
‘‘He is tied by an electronic anklet to his lovely home in Waikanae.’’
An email on Grant Hannis’ sentence.
authors to keep using some chapters from the book.
The emails also show the horror as news of his offending became public.
One person, whose name was redacted, asked what Hannis was doing following his sentencing.
‘‘He is tied by an electronic anklet to his lovely home in Waikanae . . . . ,’’ came the reply.
‘‘I stopped corresponding with him when he sent out an inane message to all the Massey journalism academics the night after his midday sentencing, whereby he said he’d never done it before and will never do it again.
‘‘He also alluded that he pleaded guilty to save bad publicity to Massey. Yeah right.’’
Stuff has obtained that email, sent by Hannis post-sentence in which he let colleagues know he had pleaded guilty and been sentenced. He also talked of how stress was partly to blame for his offending and how he was ‘‘mentally unwell’’ when he offended.
‘‘The details are being reported in the media. My name is still suppressed, but suppression ends at midnight tonight.
‘‘A major reason I left Massey was to ensure the university was not associated with me. I can assure you nothing like this has ever happened before.’’
Massey University Press has confirmed Intro was being withdrawn from sale.
Hannis did not return calls for comment.