Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Gabriel Boyd: University Students Association President on Act pushing for UOA to scrap the compulsory Waipapa Taumata Rau course

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Gabriel Boyd: University Students Association President on Act pushing for UOA to scrap the compulsory Waipapa Taumata Rau course · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Right act parties. Palme Jit palm Mar has called for
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Auckland UNI to scrap a wipe up a tomato course.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Now what's that in English? It's a course that teaches
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: us about New Zealand life and traditional Milori knowledge to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: international students. Seven thousand of them have been forced to
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: do the course in twenty twenty five. It's compulsory and
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: here is the rub. It's expensive. It costs five seven
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty dollars. So I got the president with
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the of the Auckland University Students Association with me right now,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Gabriel Boyd, welcome to the showmate.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Ah, thank you for having me, angree.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Why is this thing so expensive and why is it mandatory?
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: I think it's a little unfair to single out the
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: WTR course being particularly expensive. It's pretty in line with
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: the standard prices for international students, which they're well aware
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: of before they come to the University of Auckland. And
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: even with those prices, we're still by far the most
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: attended university by international students, which hasn't been changing. And
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: why is it mandatory? It's an essential knowledge course for
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: all incoming first years. I don't set the course requirements
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: for students. But looking at the course description and the
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: course reviews of the science class that was piloted last year,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: it was incredibly popular with the first year students.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Does this happen in universities around the world or is
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: this just a New Zealand thing.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: This being teaching cultural competency. Yeah, yeah, I think it
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: does happen around the world. Obviously, it is going to
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: be university specific as to which what localized to knowledge
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: is taught. I think part of what makes New Zealand
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: so special is the focus that we do have on
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: indigenous studies, coming from the United States, where our indigenous
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: population are largely ignored. I think this is the course
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: I would have loved as a first year and I
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: would have gotten a lot more out of it than
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: my gen ED which I just took the easy course option.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Even though it would have cost you five seven hundred
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: and thirty dollars extra on top of what you're already paying,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: and already international students are paying a lot, so.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: Again it is replacing a jed ED requirement which they
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: would also be paying a similar amount for, So this
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: isn't going to add another five seven hundred on top
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: of what they were already paying.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: So you believe that this is going to increase and
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: enhance the university's reputation or will it infect turn international
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: students away.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: I can't say for sure what it'll do. Obviously we're
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: piloting the full roll out this year, or the university
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: is piloting the full roll out this year. I would
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: hope it would be appealing to international students, many of
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: whom do want to learn about New Zealand, even if
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: they're only here just for their But I guess we'll see.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: With time, all right, Gabriel, I thank you for your time.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:08
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• 3:11
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