1869: University of Otago
June 3, 2024
By AHNZ
Today in history, 3 June, 1869, our first university was founded. The University of Otago. This was almost exactly 8 years after Gabriel Read set off the Otago Gold Rush that made the province powerful and wealthy. The next was the University of Canterbury (est. 1873) which was about 9 years after the West Canterbury (aka West Coast) Gold Rush. Allowing for distance and leakage of wealth across the Tasman it seems there’s a pattern here.
Fast-forward to today and things don’t look so bright! “The University of Otago is in a “downward spiral”, acting vice-chancellor Prof Helen Nicholson told an all-staff forum yesterday.” – ODT, 2 June, 2020
Otago faces a $60 million budget deficit and potentially ‘‘several hundred staff’’ will be cut says the ODT. They have been told by Helen to think positive and to not read the ODT!
“Prof Nicholson confirmed staff cuts would take place, and divisional leaders were now looking for savings. It was time to update staff and put the record straight because the ODT had been going on so much, she said. Staff needed to be positive and move forward, and “perhaps not read the ODT too much”.” – ibid
My suggestion is that all all the crashing tertiary institutions Otago has less than anyone to complain about.
Isn’t it the COVID Panic that showed students, especially international ones, that studying here was a bad choice? And wasn’t it Otago University, especially THEIR Professor Michael Baker, proclaiming most loudly that we needed to deliberately crash the economy? Isn’t this what you thought would happen when the chickens came home to roost?
He’s still at it: University of Otago’s Michael Baker among health experts calling for better face mask use in New Zealand after international study on effectiveness, Newshub (May 2024)
I normally enjoy your comments, even when I don’t agree they do make one think. This was not one of those.” – Ted Sapien to AHNZ
That’s OK. Do you think maybe the universities did not strongly back the measures? Or do you think that they’re not now hurting because of the direct result? – AHNZ
The University of Otago’s latest idea to save itself is two-fold.
They have appointed Labour 6.0 Finance Minister Grant Robertson as the new Vice Chancellor as of mid-2024.
Secondly, “A phased roll-out of signage will begin in 2025. The cost of the change is expected to be $1.3 million.” Despite already having a Maori name, Otago, they’ve outdone themselves with the new name Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. Ref. Otago University launches new Māori name and new logo, NZH (May 2024)
It’s very much in keeping with Aotearoa New Zealand culture which has yet to run its course. We will see if Ōtākou can be the first to disprove the Get Woke Go Broke rule.
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Image ref. Alexander Turnbull Library
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