Letter to Don Brash
23 February 2004 Dear Dr Brash, The Association of Staff in Tertiary Education is the professional association and union for educators across the Tertiary Education Sector. We have members teaching to Doctoral level throughout the country in Polytechnics, Institutes of Technology, Wananga, PTEs, OTEPs, Colleges of Education and Universities. Your comments of last week relating to Maori qualifications have caused much dismay, as we see them as not only continuing to be divisive and a use of what is referred to as 'the race card' but also a direct attack on the quality of students and the professionalism of staff. We know that academic procedures do not allow for some form of selective assessment, as you have suggested and we are dismayed and indeed outraged by the suggestion. We believe you owe a formal and public apology to the thousands of tertiary educators and students that you have maligned. It is also important to all professionals in this country that you publicly retract this assertion to avoid a loss of confidence in professionals who happen to have darker skin than you do.
Yours sincerely,
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