Uni’s stance surprises Brash

The man at the centre of the row over free speech at Massey University cannot believe the institution is sticking by its under-fire vice-chancellor.

Former National Party leader Don Brash was to speak at a university Politics Society event in August, but vice-chancellor Jan Thomas cancelled the venue booking, citing security concerns.

Emails subsequently released under the Official Information Act show Thomas didn’t want ‘‘a Te Tiriti-led university be seen to be endorsing racist behaviours’’, but the university’s top brass is sticking by Thomas.

Chancellor Michael Ahie said last week the university council, the institution’s governing body, supported and had full confidence in Thomas, leaving Brash astonished at that reaction.

‘‘I would have expected for them at the very least to say the behaviour doesn’t reflect the university values,’’ Brash said. ‘‘The fact that they didn’t say that speaks volumes.’’

He said he was surprised she said she was staying on.

‘‘There were two options. The nuclear option was to say they had lost confidence in the vicechancellor and review her contract. The lesser step was to say: ‘We regret her comments and regret her behaviour’.’’

Free speech is what universities were fundamentally about and Thomas didn’t believe that, Brash said.

Act Party leader David Seymour said it was possible Thomas was genuinely concerned about safety, but it was hard to believe because her released emails show she had been trying to stop Brash speaking for weeks, she never contacted police and just it was one comment on Facebook that sparked security concerns.

‘‘Maybe she’s never been on social media sites, but there’s people on social media saying stupid things every day. If we take them seriously we would have to stop living.’’

If Thomas were to have safety concerns about an event in the future, it would be hard to listen to her, Seymour said.

Palmerston North-based NZ First list MP Darroch Ball said if what was contained in the emails was true, serious questions needed to be asked.

‘‘New Zealand is probably the most robust democracy in the world and that’s all based on freedom of speech and ensuring opposing views are debated out in the open and open and frankly.

‘‘University is supposed to be the bastion of that.’’

Ball said if the platform of freedom of speech was shut down for reasons other than security, ‘‘it’s a slippery slope we’re travelling down’’. Ball said the threat of violence was not from Brash, but from protesters, who should have been banned.

Palmerston North Labour MP Iain Lees-galloway declined to comment.