Equal Treatment at Universities

Taxpayer-funded support at university should go to students who need it. It should not be allocated according to their race.

Universities can currently reserve scholarships, accommodation, study spaces and other opportunities on the basis of ethnicity. In 2024, the Government directed public agencies to allocate support according to need and value rather than ethnicity, but tertiary institutions were not covered.

ACT's Education and Training (Equal Treatment) Amendment Bill would apply that principle to tertiary education. Universities could still support students according to academic merit, economic hardship, disability, location or a need for academic help. Privately funded scholarships and grants could still be targeted according to the donor's wishes.

ACT will:

• Amend the Education and Training Act to prevent tertiary institutions conferring benefits on a person or group on the basis of race or ethnic origin.

• Apply the rule to scholarships, grants, financial assistance, accommodation, designated spaces and other benefits or opportunities.

• Preserve universities' ability to allocate support according to academic merit, academic need, geographic location, economic circumstances or disability.

• Exempt endowments, bequests and other assistance provided by private individuals, iwi, charities or trusts for a targeted purpose.

In our team's words:

ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says:

“Universities are independent, but most of their funding comes from taxpayers and legislation protects them from ordinary competition. With that privilege comes a basic obligation: taxpayer-funded opportunities should be open on equal terms.

“In 2024 the Government told public agencies to allocate services according to need and value rather than ethnicity, but universities were left outside that direction. My Bill would close that gap by applying the same principle to publicly funded tertiary institutions.

“The Bill would cover scholarships, grants, housing, designated facilities and other benefits. Universities could still recognise academic merit, provide extra academic support, respond to economic hardship or disability, and take account of where a student lives.

“Private generosity would remain private. If an iwi, charity or trust gives a university money for a scholarship aimed at Māori students, the university could continue to administer it. The change applies to the institution's own publicly funded resources: need, not race.”