Chatting with Vic’s Nic

He isn't ancient, which is a welcome change from the norm. Nic attended university in the late 80s and early 90s, which meant his undergraduate degree was partially paid for by the government. When I asked how this would have benefited him, he said “it's one of those things that you don't really think about very much at the time.” He explained that “it wasn't unusual in my day for people to fail quite large proportions of their first year at university,” saying it allowed students a greater sense of space to explore their interests without worrying about financial pressures. 

To him, university isn't a place where you get preordained knowledge, but a diverse community which challenges you and expands your worldviews. He said the word “community” a lot of times. 

The freedom to fail without financial consequence was left in the 80s, a bygone era when tertiary education was free in Aotearoa. I questioned Nic on the financial concerns of our student body: whether halls of residence prices were reasonable, whether tutors deserve a pay rise, and whether the stipend for post-grad students would be increased. On all of these points, Nic agreed in principle that students were struggling, but said that the cost of living crisis “was coming across all of society” and that we shouldn’t single out a certain group as struggling more than others. I was disappointed that he couldn’t even give me an estimate on what he thought it cost to live in a catered hall. When I informed him that it was close to 20k, he started off by saying that “inflationary pressures” would make it difficult to discern “what's reasonable.” 

I also asked Nic a bunch of questions related to current issues within VUW. He was unable to answer many of them in detail, reminding me that it was only his second day on the job and that he did not “understand the institution enough yet.” At one point he suggested that I come back to him with these questions half way through next year, as he might have a lot more to say then. 

At this stage, Nic won’t commit to bringing back ‘Rant With Grant’. That was an annual event held in the Hub where students had an opportunity to directly speak with the VC, which both myself and ex-VC Grant Guilford were keen on having his successor resurrect. Nic did say, however, that he was “keen on listening to people’s lived experiences of this institution.” 

On how he would personally honour Te Tiriti, Nic said it was important to bring in Treaty obligations at the start of processes, rather than halfway through, “to ensure interactions are mana-enhancing for everybody.” He also cited the importance of the University’s leadership to admit to their past mistakes and learn from them by engaging in partnership. “As a Pākehā, I have an enhanced commitment to [the Treaty] and to setting the tone,” he said. 

At the start of the year, Grant Guilford told me he hoped our future VC “understood the nature of New Zealand, the treaty, and the ‘Te Herenga Waka era.’” 

I’m not sure how well a man who has, according to his LinkedIn profile, spent seven of the last fourteen years overseas in the UK and Australia understands the current nature of Aotearoa and the student experience in Pōneke.  

Only time will tell how Nic’s role as Vice Chancellor impacts the environment of this university. But all the student representatives I’ve spoken to over the past few weeks agree on one thing: he’s a step up from Guilford. 

Ngā manaakitanga,

Janhavi Gosavi (she/her)