International students at Auckland University must pay up to $5,730 for a mandatory Treaty of Waitangi course as part of the new Waipapa Taumata Rau curriculum. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Briefing for 15 March 2025

International students forced to pay thousands for compulsory Treaty course at Auckland University

International students at Auckland University are being charged up to $5,730 for a compulsory Treaty of Waitangi course.

The course, part of the university’s new ‘Waipapa Taumata Rau’ (WTR) curriculum, is mandatory for all first-year undergraduates and covers particular views on Māori knowledge systems, history, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Wood chopped! Grenon cuts down Michael Wood’s ‘clumsy deception’ on NZME board shake-up

Michael Wood’s attempt to paint businessman Jim Grenon as a threat to editorial independence met the axe.

In an ongoing exchange over NZME’s future, Grenon dismissed accusations from the former Labour minister, calling them a “clumsy deception” designed to mislead.

“I note the union has changed what it actually said in my release… That is just clumsy deception,” Grenon said, pointing out how Wood and the E tū union misrepresented his intentions.

Winston Peters pushes back against ‘woke’ sex education rules

Winston Peters is claiming victory after the Ministry of Education removed the 2020 relationships and sexuality education guidelines, fulfilling an NZ First coalition deal promise.

Peters argued the guidelines were “woke” and “indoctrinating our kids,” while critics, including Labour leader Chris Hipkins, claimed the move put children at risk by forcing teachers to rely on outdated material from 2007.

‘It’s a numbers game’–Former Māori ward councillor predicts defeat

In an interview with Joel Maxwell about the future of Māori wards, Pera Paniora, a former Māori ward councillor from Kaipara District Council, suggests that high Māori population areas like the Far North might retain their wards, but elsewhere, “it’s a numbers game.”

Paniora predicts that most of the 42 other councils with Māori wards will see them disestablished due to the referendums.

James Lindsay: Climate change agenda is a communist tool for economic control

Speaking to The Platform’s Sean Plunket, public intellectual James Lindsay—currently touring New Zealand with the Free Speech Union—argued that climate change activism and Net Zero policies are not about protecting the planet.

Instead, he claimed they are a Marxist tool designed to dismantle Western economies.

More arrests over Destiny Church-linked protest at Auckland Pride event

Police have arrested three more individuals in connection with a Destiny Church-linked protest that disrupted a drag event at the Te Atatū Community Centre in Auckland. This follows four arrests earlier in the week, bringing the total to seven.

The incident, which took place on February 15 during Pride week, involved protesters forcing their way into the event, allegedly assaulting attendees and causing distress to participants.

ACT’s Mark Cameron tells The Platform: Reserve Bank policies are crippling farmers

In an interview with The Platform’s Leah Panapa, ACT’s rural spokesperson Mark Cameron called for the Reserve Bank to scrap its strict capital requirements, arguing they have driven up borrowing costs for farmers.

During a parliamentary inquiry, BNZ admitted that these regulations have added billions in costs, with rural borrowers hit hardest.