Press Release – UNITEC Student Council
Irene Farnham (Māori Student Rep) and Aroha WiKohika Dykes (Student President).
Te Kaunihera Akonga o Wairaka, Unitec Student Council respond to the claim of institutional racism at Unitec.
As the elected voice of Unitec students, the Unitec Student Council (USC) are deeply concerned about the dismantling of Māori leadership at Unitec and its impact on Māori student success. The dismantling of Māori leadership will not provide a safe learning environment for Māori students and their whanau, as Māori.
Irene Farnham, Māori student representative, says “In the absence of strong Māori leadership, Māori student leadership loses confidence in the Institute’s ability to provide equitable access to learning opportunities for Māori students”. Farnham believes that the void of Māori senior leadership may result in the reestablishment of the institutional barriers Māori students typically face in mainstream learning spaces, diminishing their ability to easily learn, live and practice their culture in safe ways.