"We now face a research and social landscape where the boundaries between rigorous academic work and mere opinion are increasingly blurred" Why this matters: when expertise gets flattened into just another opinion, we all lose. Climate science = random blog post. Medical research = Facebook meme.

“The challenge to tangata Tiriti is what we’ll do to support a fightback led by tangata whenua. Will Pākehā, in particular, be prepared to march in solidarity with tangata whenua and all people directly affected by the neo-racist political programme?” — Catherine Delahunty.

“Why must Tuvalu exchange some of its sovereign powers over its own security for a migration pathway? This is not climate justice.” — Taukiei Kitara.

“An excessive number of items on the coalition’s list buy a culture war that Pākehā New Zealand isn’t ready for. Believe me when I say that te ao Māori is prepared.” — Deb Te Kawa.

Rewriting book chapter on Pacific peoples higher education and racism and now screaming into the void that one of our unis have had Pacific completion rates in the 30% range since 2016 and just quietly continued being funded.

Dawn Freshwater, Auckland VC says the critic+conscience function is institutional and "doesn't require individual academics to do anything" (TV1 News). The UoA website says "The role of a University *and its academics* is to be the c+c of society" and has @siouxsiew.bsky.social all over it!

See 32m11s: www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-ne...) and www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2021...).

The metaphor below helped me to get it: H&S legislation HAS to be equity based & vice versa. Otherwise you don’t hire parents of young children in forestry because they don’t get enough sleep & that’s a risk factor; you don’t hire women as scientists because they can’t do #scicomm without backlash

It’s going to be an interesting few days at the Wiles v U of Auckland employment court hearing. Our universities are supposed to be open to public scrutiny but it is rare that this is actually the case. Over the next week we will get a glimpse into the inner workings of our largest university.

Auckland city is incredibly expensive. Resident Assistant work is incredibly stressful and an important part of peer support within accommodation services.

"Petousis-Harris said [UoA]'s communications team regularly approached her and Wiles for interviews with the media. "When the pandemic arrived I was asked by the media communications people at [UoA] to become involved in public communications on the subject of Covid-19" www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

I'm cautious about having hope but hope is all we've got...

This is an incredibly important case for our jobs as academics. We are called by law to be the critic and conscience. This means that we must be public facing and that risks need to be managed by our employer in order to protect academic freedom.

Amongst the treasures found in my parents move out are my old school reports. My husband asked what job I could do with a talent in "writing, public speaking and drama"?

AUT's Eke Tangaroa programme is constantly highlighted as an amazing cluster hire programme for Māori and Pacific Early Career Researchers and this paper gives some powerful insights into what it is like to be a part of it www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“You can’t simply learn about mātauranga or whakapapa, just like I couldn’t learn about my whānau. It’s meaningless without the connection and lived experience. It takes community.” — Kim Mcbreen.

“And universities and the Crown have a debt to be honoured. They have thrived on stolen whenua, knowledge and authority. Where is the humility? The accountability? The putting right?” e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/...

Huge year for women for the last year of the Rutherford Discovery Fellowships before the new scheme starts. Not enough to balance out the gender bias in earlier years though. Congratulations to the 2023 recipients!

"For Māori this is a really important day, because these stories that we have carried with us are incredibly important - we live with the consequences of those wars now." @joannakidman.bsky.social on the significance of Te Pūtake o te Riri being commemorated on 28 Oct. www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu...

Currently the gender pay gap sits at 8.6%, but for Pasifika women they have an 18% pay gap in comparison to Pākeha men - that's 82c earned by a Pasifika woman for ever $1 earned by a Pākeha man. #MindTheGap In 2016 the gender pay gap for Pasifika women was the lowest for women, at only 67%. #nzpol

"We ask, what financially responsible multi-million-dollar entity does not have accurate information about where its income comes from and what it spends for each of the components of its operation and then proposes staffing cuts” www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/massey-sc...

Them: Did you finish that project? Me: No, but can I introduce you to six others I've started?

Been thinking about an interaction at the awards where a retired prof asked if I had my PhD, was I employed, where was I from, no actually from. It wasn't until my husband asked what that was about that I realised how much I had normalised academic microagressions and having to defend my presence.

Would you like to translate social science research into actionable outcomes through effective collaboration? DOC are currently hiring for a Social Advisor Social Research → careers.doc.govt.nz/jobs/DOC-175...

"The kōhanga reo generation, backed by an inexorable demographic change, and strong in their reo, whakapapa and identity, are ready to step up to the plate — defined by a uniting faith in Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a source of rectification and unity." e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-...

One unexpected thing in my qualitative study w natural scientists (one-hour interviews) is how deeply, deeply sad the climate scientists are. They say things like "you have enough information from us, why won't anyone act?" -- the psychological distress these people are enduring is very great.

"that while the proposal could mean a reduction in academic staff, there would be no qualification closures." THEN WHO IS DOING THE TEACHING?

There were a lot of highlights tonight at UoA research excellence awards like getting to see old friends, meet new ones and see the amazing research people are doing. But nothing captures being an academic mum like this

Its not enough for us to not say racism as it might upset people, now unconscious bias is off the table too. Also we "are typically a humble bunch" so need to return to white social expectaions of us and stop calling it.

In America, 6% of people who earn a PhD eventually get a faculty position. I thought that was bad, but in the UK it's a staggering 0.45%

I wrote several posts on this at Sciblogs at the time, starting from a similar NZ survey. One I titled something like, Academic careers are the exception not the rule. University science students mostly end up *not* in academia. That’s not saying they’re not "in science", just not in academia.

"The college of sciences’ pro vice-chancellor Ray Geor said consultation was under way and students were told all information about the proposed changes was online." 🤣 🇳🇿 te-ara-paerangi.community/page/view-po...

“This election is not just a battle of policies. On one level, this is our own Voice referendum. It is our own opportunity as a nation to reject the politics of anti-Māori hate.” — Tina Ngata.

It's not okay to offer funding where the recipient uses their own money first and is reimbursed later. This barrier puts serious pressure on those in less privileged positions. Many struggle (silently) or lose out completely. Reduce inequity by offering resources up front.

“Seventeen Māori leaders spoke up a week ago ‘calling for an end to race-baiting and racist comments in our countries’ election campaigns’. They pointed at New Zealand First, Act and National — but, in my opinion, Act is by far the worst.” — Nicky Hager.

A roundup of the week's news about Jan Thomas' cuts at Massey University. 🇳🇿 te-ara-paerangi.community/page/view-po...

THIS

This, this, 100% this Race relations commissioner on allegations of race baiting in election www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

A shout out to Toby Morris and the power of his work. I have an online course that talks about inequity and today a participant spoke about how this comic changed their viewpoint entirely. How they had thought we all start at the same place. www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wir...

Coming out of "I'm sick leave me alone" to say I'll be in Pōneke next week sharing inital Rutherford research findings with my amazing MA student Kate.

Shame on politicians who give permission to intimidate a wahine Māori for having the courage to stand for what she believes in and wants an equitable future for Māori. This is what your vitriol leads to. With your silence you are complicit. #nzpol

👋🏽 Taeao manuia bluesky, Looking to keep adding Pasifika & Maaori newcomers who are interested, to the Tagata Moana Feed: bsky.app/profile/did:... If you are Pasifika 🌊 &/OR Maaori and want to be added please like this skeet OR re-skeet for awareness fa'amolemole lava fa'afetai!

This is a great example of how research institutions can be 'committed' to sustainability but unwilling to actually practice it.

This is appalling. Sending love to Hana-Rawhiti and her whānau. 💔https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300980315/te-pti-mori-candidates-home-invaded-threatening-letter-left