Kia ora,

Yesterday, an interview with Victoria University of Wellington's Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford appeared on the education website PIE News. In the interview, Professor Guilford essentially dismisses your opposition as being insincere and claims it has been fuelled by misinformation.

You can read Professor Guilford's comments here: https://thepienews.com/pie-chat/grant-guilford-vice-chancellor-victoria-university-of-wellington-nz/

When I read his comments I could not believe what utter contempt the Vice Chancellor was displaying towards the more than 11,000 people who have signed this petition in opposition to the name change.

His remarks highlight that the consultation on the name change and consideration of your feedback were not conducted in good faith. How could they be? Instead of addressing the numerous issues and significant concerns raised about the name change proposal, the Vice Chancellor instead launches personal attacks on anyone seen as being vocal or trying to help people voice their opposition.

As much as the Vice Chancellor might claim, the success of this petition isn't down to my being able to work Facebook and Twitter, it's down to all of you for signing and sharing it with your friends and families.

I haven't spent a single cent promoting this, though I've spent a lot of my spare time reading and researching the university's business case. Based off that research, and over a decade working in marketing and communications -including on major rebranding projects for multinational companies, I knew that they were badly overstating the claimed benefits of a name change and woefully underestimating the costs involved.

I'm genuinely shocked and disappointed with the Vice Chancellor's comments, as I believe they're completely inappropriate for someone in his role and are insulting to the thousands of people who have signed this petition.

All of this reinforces why we need to keep fighting for Vic. It is untenable for the Vice Chancellor to continue to reject the overwhelming opposition to try name change and we need to keep the pressure on so the University Council gets the message loud and clear that Victoria is here to stay.

Please continue to share the petition with your friends and family, and continue to email the university and Minister of Education with your concerns: chancellor@vuw.ac.nz and c.hipkins@ministers.govt.nz

Ngā mihi,

Gwynn Compton