ACT spokesperson for Tertiary Education and Skills, Dr Parmjeet Parmar is raising the alarm after a concerned parent raised concerns that a major engineering firm is actively discriminating based on race when hiring interns.

A job application form for a summer engineering internship states that Māori, Pasifika, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants will be moved directly to the interview stage of the recruitment process.

“We must not let the rot that is so pervasive in our public institutions spread into the private sector,” says Dr Parmar.

“ACT is working hard in Government to remove race-based requirements from our public institutions. Businesses need to get the memo that they no longer need to engage in identity politics to secure Government contracts.

“Last year the Government ditched race-based requirements from procurement rules, including the 8% quota for contracts going to Māori-owned businesses and the requirement that when procuring agencies must consider how they can create quality employment opportunities specifically for Māori. Councils should follow suit.

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“When councils set race-based procurement requirements and targets, it’s no surprise that companies feel the need to respond by changing their own employment practices.

“More broadly, we’re seeing the consequences of a divisive culture being incubated in our universities and public institutions.

“When academics, bureaucrats and politicians constantly promote the idea that people should be treated differently based on race, it’s no wonder some start to believe it – and act on it.

“Universities in particular are fuelling these corrosive ideas, teaching the HR managers of tomorrow that a person’s ancestry matters more than their character, capability or contribution.

“Race-based hiring, in any sector, is wrong. The ACT Party will keep fighting to stop this rot from spreading any further.”

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