Brash must apologise for university slur says Maharey

National Party leader Don Brash must now apologise for false claims that New Zealand universities have been lowering their standards to pass Maori students, Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said today.

New Zealand’s eight universities, through the New Zealand Vice-Chancellor’s Committee, have today confirmed in writing that standards of assessment are the same for all students, irrespective of their ethnicity (letter attached).

Steve Maharey said Dr Brash’s disgraceful comments have now been conclusively proven to be wrong and he should apologise to the universities, their staff and to all Maori graduates without delay.

“On One News last night Don Brash said of admissions schemes run by New Zealand universities that he believed: Maori New Zealanders are sometimes put in positions which they’re not well qualified for. Non-Maori think they are incompetent because they are Maori. The reality is they’re not qualified for the job.

“We now know this is completely inaccurate. The universities have confirmed that their standards of assessment in each discipline are the same for all students.

“Dr Brash must clear the matter up by retracting his comments and issuing an immediate apology.

“If he doesn’t people will be left wondering if the Maori doctor, lawyer, nurse or engineer they consult is fit for the job. The nation’s academic staff will continue to have their integrity questioned and the international reputation of our universities risks being permanently damaged.

“This is the second time that Dr Brash has made up lies about supposed benefits available to Maori and is part of a whole string of unsubstantiated claims. His ‘tangi leave’ claims were similarly proved to be wrong.

“This time Dr Brash must apologise,” Steve Maharey said.

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