Kia ora,

This Sunday I'm going to write to Education Minister Chris Hipkins to update him on this petition and remind him of the overwhelming opposition to Victoria University of Wellington changing its name.

To reinforce that there's no "demonstrable support" for the name change as required by the criteria Minister Hipkins published earlier this year, it's vital that we have as many signatures as possible.

This success of this petition has only been possible thanks to everyone who's signed it sharing it amongst their friends and whānau. We've generated more feedback on VUW's name change than they managed with a consultation process that Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford apparently wouldn't change anything about!

When I write to Minister Hipkins I'll also make the point to him that this isn't about institutional independence. He's under no legal obligation to rubber stamp the recommendation from VUW's University Council, and if that criteria he released earlier is to mean anything, it's vital that he applies it now.

As universities expect, and rightfully receive, significant funding from all of us as taxpayers, ultimately responsibility for their decisions has to stop somewhere, and in this case it's with Minister Hipkins.

I'll also point out to the Minister that the news on Wednesday VUW's management already had concept logos ready to present to staff undermines any claim to having conducted the consultation on the name change in good faith.

Not only is it apparent that work on this project is very advanced to have concepts ready to put in front of the public within a couple of days of the vote taking place, but it also begs the question as to what role pressure around having already sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into what is now clearly a brand change has played on the decision made by the University Council.

Thank you again for all your support. The pressure we've built together has only been possible because of you. I haven't spent a cent on creating or promoting this, whereas VUW has already started spending hundreds, if not thousands, on social media advertising promoting their name name as if it's already a done deal.

Ngā mihi,

Gwynn