ACT urges Auckland Uni to provide relief for wasted money on compulsory Treaty course

ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar has written to the University of Auckland Council urging it to provide relief for the thousands of students who were forced to pay for a course they neither wanted nor needed.

“The compulsory Waipapa Taumata Rau (WTR) paper has been an expensive mistake. Over 8,000 students have been compelled to take the course this year, paying up to $5,730 each. For many, that money bought them no value, and they deserve redress,” says Dr Parmar.

“This paper consumed valuable space in students’ schedules that could otherwise have been used for papers that progressed them toward their preferred qualification, or electives more relevant to their interests.

“I called for this course to be optional back in September 2024, before the first students were even enrolled. Now, a year later, the University Council is set to come to the same conclusion – but only after thousands of students have found themselves as the only cohort burdened with this compulsory course. They and their families are rightly upset at the wasted time and money.

“One possible way forward would be for the University to provide a financial credit covering equivalent fees for another paper of the students’ choosing. While the time invested can never be recovered, such a step would at least allow students to regain progress toward their academic ambitions without incurring further cost.

“I have written to the University Council making it clear that they should not only accept the Senate’s advice, but go further by addressing the unfairness to this year’s cohort.

“ACT has consistently argued that compelling students to take this paper was wrong in principle and harmful in practice. Students have confirmed through their feedback that the course is irrelevant to their specialist study and politically loaded. Universities should prepare young people for their careers, not force-feed them ideology.

“The University Council now has a chance to show leadership – by listening to students, adopting the Senate’s recommendation to make WTR optional, and taking steps to put right the costs unfairly imposed on students.”