International students at Auckland University are being charged up to $5,730 for a compulsory Treaty of Waitangi course.
The course, part of the university’s new ‘Waipapa Taumata Rau’ (WTR) curriculum, is mandatory for all first-year undergraduates and covers particular views on Māori knowledge systems, history, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“It’s no wonder Auckland University is slipping down the international rankings,” said ACT Party tertiary education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.
Parmar argues the requirement damages the university’s reputation and discourages international enrolment.
“A student who speaks English as a second language and only plans to stay in New Zealand for their degree gains no practical benefit from being forced to study local indigenous belief systems,” she said.
ACT Party leader David Seymour described the course as a “perversion of academic freedom” and “indoctrination,” criticising its faculty-wide mandate.
“Professors are usually free to criticise course material, but this is different—it’s being imposed for political rather than educational purposes,” he said.
He also noted growing concerns among students in his Epsom electorate, many of whom are now considering overseas universities.
Auckland University defended the programme, stating that it helps students “transition into university” and that its content is relevant globally.
A spokesperson confirmed that international students pay the standard rate for a 100-level course.
CENTRIST.CO.NZ