Java Grant

Student, brother, friend, teacher, programmer, surfer, skater, sun-bather, boardgamer, researcher, adventurer, streamer, tweeter, hopeful do-gooder.

All very professionally.

This research critically examines the University of Auckland's (UoA) administration's response to a staff strike in October 2022, set against the backdrop of wider challenges facing New Zealand's universities. It portrays the UoA as a neoliberal entity employing unreliable narratives to sustain its power and diminish the intrinsic social value of higher education. The study links the well-being of students, faculty, and society to the broader mission of universities, highlighting the adverse effects of capitalism on academic integrity through the commodification of education, the perpetuation of social hierarchies, and the commercialization of knowledge. It sheds light on the exploitation inherent in precarious academic employment and argues that neoliberalism, by promoting competitive pressures, leads to exploitation through reduced pay, increased workloads, and minimal contractual protections. The research also suggests that the strike serves as a significant challenge to neoliberal dominance in higher education, advocating for a reevaluation of market-driven practices in academia.