Students reject racial quotas and Brash bashing

Auckland Students reject racial quotas and Brash bashing

Auckland University students will turn up to campus next Monday to receive the results of groundbreaking student referenda.

On Monday May 3rd, Craccum, the official magazine of the Auckland University will publish the results of a recent set of student referenda. Student referenda are binding on the University student union and its politicians.

Disturbed with comments favouring racial quotas in some courses and labels of “racist” against Don Brash by the Auckland and National student unions Auckland University students called for binding referenda on the issues.

Moved by former student President and part time student Graham Watson, the call for referenda was opposed by union politicians, many of whom are members of the Princes Street Labour Party. Students however supported Mr Watson in his bid for the referenda and voted for the Union to hold them.

Despite a failure by the union to provide polling booths in the two faculties most affected by racial quota, Law and Medicine, the results were very clear- cut.

Student club “Student Choice”, who successfully campaigned for voluntary student unionism at Auckland University in 2003 campaigned strongly for an end to so called “positive discrimination” at University in the forms of racial quotas. The referendum question to oppose all forms of racial discrimination at Auckland University was carried by a massive 440 votes to 87.

The question to withdraw from national student body NZUSA which had come out against Don Brash was carried by 311 votes to 174.

A question prohibiting union politicians from commenting on significant national issues without first seeking the views of the students was carried by 438 votes to 88.

And most controversially, a question compelling Labour party activist and Student President Ms Sutton to apologise to students for calling Dr Brash a racist was carried by 277 votes to 189. This was despite some confusion over the context of her comments as a response to suggestions of lower standards for quota students, so incensed were students at not being consulted prior to such public statements.

Auckland Student choice campaign coordinator David Seymour said the referenda results heralded a great victory for racial equality, control of union politicians by the membership and an end to race based treatment of students.

The full results of all eleven binding referenda questions can be viewed as a downloadable pdf file at http://www.ausa.auckland.ac.nz/docs/Referendum.PDF

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