Kia ora,

You may have seen today that Victoria University of Wellington has recommended to the University Council that they proceed with the name change. The recommendation comes with some desperate spin to try and disguise the fact that 75 per cent of submissions received were opposed to change, and that VUW has counted submissions in such a way as to try and underplay the opposition as much as possible.

Had VUW counted the 6128 signatures on this submission, allowing for duplication with those who made individual submissions, the opposition to the name change would be 92 per cent.

That's an overwhelming level of opposition to the name change.

Yet VUW is persisting with this ill-considered and deeply flawed plan.

Should the University Council approve the change on Monday, it will then go to Education Minister Chris Hipkins for him to have the final say. Despite Minister Hipkins saying that VUW has to show demonstrable support for the name change, the university is now trying to argue that it doesn't have to have support at all in order to proceed.

I hate to go this far, but it's incredibly arrogant of the university and shows how fundamentally weak their argument for change really is.

Show this end up on Minister Hipkins desk, I'm intending to supply him with an updated list of petition signatures to reinforce just how widespread opposition to the name change is. It's crucial that we keep the momentum up so we can send a clear message that the university must stick with Vic!

You can read VUW's council agenda here: https://www.victoria.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1694061/council-agenda-and-documents-24-september-2018.pdf