What was far more intriguing than the plagiarism itself was the response from Auckland University, expressing publicly that it was a small offence. Beyond that, vice-chancellor Stuart McCutcheon claimed in an email to staff and students that public comment on the matter of Professor Ihimaera's indiscretion was ill-informed.
Nonetheless, Ihimaera recalled all copies of the book.
At the time this story was in the news I was marking papers at another university and found plagiarism rampant among students.
After spending hours tracking down and documenting each original source that went un-cited, the course convener advised me not to pursue any cases of academic dishonesty.
What surprised me at the time was that these two New Zealand universities took academic honesty less seriously than the high school where I used to teach in the States.
In both university cases, administrators made the choice not to take plagiarism seriously.
Interestingly, I got the same response after I pointed out that a Wanganui District Council officer plagiarised significant sections of an opinion piece published in the Chronicle written under a WDC byline. Granted, WDC is not an academic institution but surely this is not a good look for council and would not inspire confidence among ratepayers.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with citing sources and it actually makes one's argument more robust. At the same time giving credit where credit is due and acknowledging others' great ideas and good work enhance one's own work.
For example, during the renovation of our Castlecliff home I was generous with praise for our local building inspectors and the fundamental elements of the building code.
Everyone we dealt with in Building Services was helpful and professional, and by renovating our home through the proper channels we were able to prove that a warm, dry, low-energy home does not have to be made of sticks and straw, and built in the wop wops without consent.
Another example is all the wonderful businesses and organisations that partnered with us to provide free and independent advice on healthy homes to our community. Shouting their praise gave Project HEAT (Home Energy Awareness Training) more credibility, not less.
Another organisation that deserves huge credit is Horizons Regional Council, and particularly the staff at the Wanganui office. It is difficult to heap enough praise on them and the vision of HRC on holistic watershed management.
The professional advice I have received on a number of occasions has been invaluable and the three-metre poplar poles delivered to my door are already protecting vulnerable slopes on our land and will ultimately reduce peak flood levels " albeit just a tiny bit " for our friends in Anzac Parade.
-Dr Nelson Lebo is an eco- design professional specialising in new builds, renovations, and healthy homes. Ph 022 635 0868 or 06 344 5013. Email theecoschool@gmail.com
