Don Brash has called for Massey University vice-chancellor Jan Thomas to reconsider being in the role after it was revealed she was "totally misleading" him, and the public
Some on Massey University's board are moving against its Vice-Chancellor, after she stopped Don Brash from speaking at the Palmerston North campus.
Two motions have been tabled to censure Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas, after emails were revealed showing she grappled with Brash's speaking engagement before cancelling the event over security concerns.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Chris Gallavan told Newstalk ZB the board will vote on the motions when it meets in a month.
"The first one was that she be censured for her decision to ban Don Brash. The second is a censure relating to the mess that is the information upon which the decision was made - which is still relatively unclear."
He said if the motions are passed it will effectively be a telling off, and won't directly affect Thomas' job.
"There are a number of staff who obviously by mere fact of the existence of the censures, believe that the emails illustrate that the full story hasn't been told to the Academic Board at best," he said.
"Some might even believe that there has been some wilful deceptions there that have been exposed with these emails being released.
"It is yet to be decided because those censures haven't been voted upon, but I think it is safe to say that there is a portion of staff that are unhappy about how things have proceeded."
Some on Massey University's board are moving against its Vice-Chancellor, after she stopped Don Brash from speaking at the Palmerston North campus.
Gallavan said beyond the motions to censure, it will be up to the University Council to deal with the issue of employment - not the Academic Board.
In an Official Information Act request, by right-wing blogger David Farrar, documents show that security was not the main concern, but Thomas saying she didn't want a "te tiriti led university be seen to be endorsing racist behaviours".
An email was sent on July 9 in response to Thomas' assistant after she advised Thomas she was not free to attend the debate as an observer.
"Ok however Donald Brash was v [very] racist re [regarding] Maori and Maori seat.
"Can you in the first instance see what [Name omitted] and [Name omitted] think about this and what we can do to manage, minimise etc," Thomas said in the internal email.
On July 10, she sends another email saying the subject was on her mind.
"I would like to know what are our options re [regarding] not allowing politics clubs to hold event on campus - free to hold any event but not with any inference of support by university.
"Will hit the fan in the media if we go this way. However, racist behaviour of Brash - given te reo is a official language of NZ and we are a tiriti led university - can't be ignored.
"If goes ahead could be on the condition that Brash and others agree to respect the values of the university etc etc? But would be good if we can cut off at pass some how," Thomas said.
Then on July 11, Thomas receives an email from a staff member saying there was no criteria in the university policy regarding what the university would or would not approve.
"The ground for me declining it may well be challenged and as per [name omitted] email yesterday I think would present a very real risk of us being accused restricting free speech etc," the staff member said.
The vice-chancellor then replied, saying she was still "deeply concerned" about the matter asking if there was any mechanism the university could use to stop the event.
"Do we have any mechanisms that might be able to be used here? The financial agreements with clubs and societies and associations? Use if facilities policy? How do the Māori community feel about this might be good to know too? What is the politics club schedule.
"Agree is a PR [public relations] problem in all circumstances. But being tiriti led will have huge challenges for us if we are to be brave enough to be authentic."
The next piece of correspondence is an email sent to Thomas where a staffer says Brash uses "free speech as a shield which to hide, as do many colonial racists and conservative commentators".
Then on July 13, another email from Thomas reveals Brash speaking still was of great concern to her.
"So I sum, I really want to find a way to indicate that Brash is not welcome on campus unless he agrees to abide by our values and the laws against hate speech. He is not a sitting politician so what is he getting this airing."
It wasn't until August 7, the day before Brash was marked to speak at the Manawatū campus that Thomas cancelled the speaking event, citing security concerns.
In a statement, Massey University said it cancelled a booking made by a students' politics club. It referenced Brash as a former politician and Hobson's Pledge founder, as well as a supporter of controversial Canadian speakers Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden weighed in on the Brash and Massey University conflict, stating that it was an "overreaction on the part of the university".
"There'll be a number of examples over the years where politicians and ex-politicians have gone on to campuses and there has been a bit of a stir around their views and people using their voice to either protest or support," she said.
Brash later spoke at a debate over free speech at University of Auckland.
There, he joined Herald reporters Simon Wilson and Fran O'Sullivan, New Conservative party deputy leader Elliot Ikilei and former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand.
