Name change action deferred
Victoria University of Wellington has called in the lawyers but is staying quiet, for now, over whether it will take the education minister to court over the decision to reject its name change proposal.
In a statement, Chancellor Neil Paviour-Smith said the university’s council had deferred any decision over a potential name change until it met again in May. He said the Government’s urgent priorities in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Christchurch meant the council would engage with Education Minister Chris Hipkins and key stakeholders over the possibility of a judicial decision before the next meeting.
The university’s statement comes after a meeting of its council yesterday where members discussed, behind closed doors, the legal advice received by the institution after Hipkins rejected its bid to become the University of Wellington and adopt the Ma¯ ori name Te Herenga Waka.
In a paper presented to the council’s members, before the meeting was moved into a publicexcluded session, Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford said Hipkins’ decision appeared to undermine the university’s authority.
But he quickly came under fire from some council members who questioned his public criticism of Hipkins, following the rejection. Tracy Houpapa said Guilford’s comments put the university ‘‘on a collision course with the minister’’.
She described the talk of legal action as ‘‘a bleak day’’ and ‘‘not the smartest strategic move’’.
‘‘I remain concerned about the long, enduring partnerships and relationships.’’
Associate Professor Kate Hunter said talk of legal action would jeopardise future conversations on the matter, and make it harder to regain the community’s faith.
Guilford said he made the comments for the sake of transparency, while Paviour-Smith
said all official correspondence to Hipkins had come directly from him, and had been respectful.
The university wanted to change its name to avoid confusion about its location, given that there are other institutions around the world with the same name.
‘‘The decision creates considerable uncertainty over the responsibilities and accountabilities of university councils and poses risks to the institutional autonomy of universities in New Zealand,’’ Guilford said.
‘‘In assessing a name change recommendation from a university council, the minister is entitled to say ‘no’ but he must do so in a way that both reflects his role and accords with the law.’’
The university would not confirm how much had been spent, so far, on legal advice.
While a decision over judicial action lingers, the university has changed its main website logo to one that emphasises the words ‘‘Victoria’’, ‘‘University’’, and ‘‘Wellington’’, omitting the ‘‘of’’.
Wellington-based National list MP Nicola Willis has called on the university to ditch the name change proposal completely, saying it is a waste of taxpayer money and not supported by the public.
In a letter to the council ahead of yesterday’s meeting, she wrote: ‘‘It is clear the proposal to change the name of Victoria University of Wellington has not achieved widespread community support. No amount of argument in court will change that.’’
Nine Wellington City councillors signed a motion opposing the name change last year. Councillor Andy Foster has put forward a motion to, again, table it at tomorrow’s council meeting.