More than 100 academics at the University of Auckland have signed a letter to the leadership that says high-profile staff are not being protected by the university. 

Some of the academics said they no longer felt comfortable speaking publicly or to media for fear of threats and harassment. 

The open letter, signed by 129 academics, followed an Employment Court hearing in which high-profile microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles argued the university had failed to protect her from a “tsunami of threats”, which followed her commentary on the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A ruling has yet to be made in that case. The university has argued its management provided extensive support to Wiles and it did not breach its obligations towards her. 

Its lawyers also argued the university cannot control all threats — especially those made on social media — and it is doing its best to minimise and manage them. 

The open letter to the University Council says in the absence of a court ruling, academics “remain exposed to psychological and physical harm while carrying out our work”. 

“As racist, transphobic, antisemitic and Islamophobic hate has been rising globally, we are particularly concerned for marginalised groups including Māori, Pacific, transgender and non-binary colleagues. 

“We are also concerned that recent politicised conversation around gun control, free speech, and hate speech legislation, as well as public questioning of equity-oriented initiatives in university education (such as MAPAS), is likely to embolden fringe elements.” 

While the signatories were from a range of departments, many were scientists or public health experts who had been targeted for abuse during the pandemic. 

Professor Nicola Gaston, of the university’s physics department, said some had pulled back from public life. 

“A lot of the stories have been that they work in an area that is contentious and they have been asked by media to comment on their work and said no because they don’t feel they will be supported by the employer.” 

Professor Nicola Gaston says some academics have pulled back from the public eye because they were uncertain whether the University of Auckland would support them when they faced harassment. Photo / University of Auckland 

‘Not fit for purpose’ 

The letter claimed the university’s staff risk intervention team (SRIT), which supports staff who face external threats, was not fit for purpose. It also questioned whether the recommendations from a recent security audit had been fully implemented. 

The group of academics also sought assurances from the council that it understood its health and safety responsibilities. 

The academics referred to an all-staff email by vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater during the court hearing in which she wished to remind everyone “of the ways in which we provide support for staff to keep themselves safe”. 

The letter says: “This suggests the university conceptualises health, safety and wellbeing related to our work to be our responsibility, rather than theirs. 

“Yet under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, we understand it is our employer who has the primary responsibility to protect us from harms arising from our work.” 

University of Auckland vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater. Photo / Supplied 

In a statement, the university said the institution and vice-chancellor fully understood the responsibilities of employers under the legislation and took these responsibilities seriously. 

The statement said SRIT “functions effectively” and was supporting up to 15 staff members a year. 

“Due to the evolving nature of threats and impacts on individual staff members, the SRIT is under constant review ... We encourage all staff experiencing any form of threat or harassment to seek SRIT support.” 

The university reiterated that all recommendations made in an audit by Quantum Security Services had been implemented. 

Those recommendations included developing the SRIT and proactively advising staff about external harassment, offering social media monitoring, and liaising with WorkSafe to discuss best practice. 

Wiles argued during the hearing that the social media monitoring carried out by SRIT did not cover some of the fringe platforms where threats usually occurred. 

 

The full letter and signatories 

Ms C Tarrant Chancellor and Chair of The Council of The University of Auckland 

8th December 2023 

Dear Ms Tarrant, 

We, the undersigned members of staff, are writing to urge the Council of The University of Auckland to provide immediate assurances regarding the safety of ourselves and our colleagues. 

The recent hearing in the Employment Court between Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles and the University of Auckland has exposed ongoing unsafe work conditions for University staff engaging in any form of public communication. (Much of the early media coverage was collated by the Science Media Centre on 10th November.) 

In the absence of a court ruling, we and our colleagues remain exposed to psychological and physical harm while carrying out our work. As racist, transphobic, antisemitic and Islamophobic hate has been rising globally, we are particularly concerned for marginalised groups including Māori, Pacific, transgender and non-binary colleagues. We are also concerned that recent politicised conversation around gun control, free speech, and hate speech legislation, as well as public questioning of equity-oriented initiatives in University education (such as MAPAS), is likely to embolden fringe elements. 

The staff risk intervention team (SRIT) was established specifically to support staff experiencing external threats, especially those of a gendered nature, such as experienced by Associate Professor Wiles. The evidence presented at the Employment Court has suggested that SRIT was unfit for purpose in AP Wiles’ case, and we are concerned that it remains so. 

We also note that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Freshwater, mentioned in her evidence that she has been followed home herself. This is of considerable concern to us. We seek assurances that as a publicly visible woman, Professor Freshwater has received adequate assessment of, and support from the University for, her personal safety. 

As immediate actions, we would like The Council of the University of Auckland to investigate whether the recommendations of the Quantum report have been put in place and if they have, whether they are effective and on what basis they have been judged to be so. 

We also seek assurances from Council that you understand your responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Specific concerns relating to recent communications and events are listed in the appendix below. 

We believe that there remains significant risk of physical, psychological and emotional harm to our colleagues who work in fields of research politicised in the current environment, and that this risk of harm in the course of doing their work remains to be properly addressed by our employer. 

We look forward to hearing from you as a matter of urgency. 

Associate Professor Cate Macinnis-Ng, Faculty of Science 

Professor Nicola Gaston, Faculty of Science 

Professor Virginia Braun, Faculty of Science 

Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Associate Professor Anna Santure, Faculty of Science 

Associate Professor Bridget Conor, Faculty of Arts 

Emma Sadera, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Dr Debbie Hager, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences/Mātauranga Hauoraora 

Anonymous 

Dr Vanessa Selak, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Anonymous 

Dr Claire Meehan, Faculty of Arts 

Anonymous 

Dr Barry Hughes, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Sam Manuela, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Linda Rose Haultain, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Anonymous 

Dr Yan Chen, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Professor Frederique Vanholsbeeck, Faculty of Science 

Professor Jacqueline Beggs, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Associate Professor Rhys Jones, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Christiane Rupp, Business School (in solidarity) 

Dr Sonia Fonua, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Phyllis Herda, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Peter Saxton, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Dr Kate Lee, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Emeritus Professor Joanne Claire Wilkes, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Emeritus Professor Maureen Anne Molloy, Faculty of Arts 

Anonymous 

Associate Professor Sean Sturm, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Dr Sereana Naepi, Faculty of Arts 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Professor Liz Beddoe, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Dr Patrick Savage, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Anonymous 

Dr Moeata Keil, Faculty of Arts 

Anonymous 

Dr Alice Della Penna, Faculty of Science 

Associate Professor Karen V. Fernandez, Business School 

Professor Andrew Jull, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor John Parsons, Faculty of Science/Faculty of Medical Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Associate Professor Mhoyra Fraser, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Professor Paula Lorgelly, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences/Business 

Briar Engel, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Clare McCann, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Bill McKay, Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Dietrich Samuel Schwarzkopf, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Kieren Lilly, Faculty of Science 

Associate Professor Roger Booth, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Tane Pamatatau-Marques, Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries (in solidarity) 

Dr Patrick Girard, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Campbell Talaepa, Faculty of Science / Faculty of Engineering (in solidarity) 

Dr Pat Bullen, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Professor Melinda Allen, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Dr Ritesh Shah, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Anonymous 

Anonymous 

Inanna Haddon, Faculty of Science 

Anonymous 

Associate Professor Matheson Russell, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Dr Sara Buttsworth, Faculty of Arts 

Professor Neil Broderick, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Dr Andrew Chen, Faculty of Arts 

Finn Bellingham, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Melissa Reid-Ellis, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Dr Ariana Andrews, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Dr Bruce Floyd, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Jasmine Anderson-Baldwin, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Janine Wiles, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Bruce Cohen, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Dr Hilda Therese Hemopo, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Rebecca Jesson, Faculty of Education and Social Work 

Professor Peter James Adams, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Dr Rain Lamdin, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Dr Persephone de Magdalene, Business School 

Professor Jonathan Sperry, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Dr Cushla McGoverin, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Anonymous 

Professor Jay Marlowe, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Professor Terryann Coralie Clark, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 

Dr Elizabeth Peterson, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Emeritus Professor Michael Davison, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Elke Pahl, Faculty of Science 

Associate Professor Louise Humpage, Faculty of Arts 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment, Faculty of Arts 

Java Grant, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Anonymous (in solidarity) 

Dr Laura Cobus, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Tim Angeli-Gordon, Auckland Bioengineering Institute (in solidarity) 

Sean Richards, Faculty of Science 

Prue Taylor, Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries (in solidarity) 

Dr Suzanne Woodward, Faculty of Arts (in solidarity) 

Professor Jan Lindsay, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Dr Paul Michel Taillon, Faculty of Science (in solidarity) 

Andy Hipkiss, TEU Organiser (in solidarity) 

Dr Kiri Gould, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Associate Professor Claire Postlethwaite, Faculty of Science 

Anonymous 

Anonymous 

Anonymous 

Angela Tsai, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (in solidarity) 

Professor Janet S Gaffney, Faculty of Education and Social Work (in solidarity) 

Leila Boyle, Faculty of Science