Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has introduced a new, standalone policy that sets out expected standards of behaviour regarding intimate relationships between staff and students.
The University is the first in New Zealand to introduce such a policy, which prohibits members of the University community from having an intimate or close personal relationship with a student for whom they have responsibility in the areas of academic learning, and/or emotional safety and wellbeing.
Provost Professor Wendy Larner says Victoria University of Wellington is proud to be the first New Zealand university to introduce such a policy.
“The #MeToo movement has drawn attention to unacceptable abuses of power in all organisations. When Te Herenga Waka introduced its new Sexual Harassment Response Policy and Procedures in 2020, the issue of inappropriate staff-student relationships regularly surfaced.
“There is considerable interest nationally in what we are doing and internationally there are a number of examples of such policies that we have drawn from as we have developed our own position.
“This new Intimate and Close Personal Relationships Policy is a natural companion to our standalone Sexual Harassment Response Policy and Procedures, which is also sector-leading and provides a clear complaint process for victims.”
Professor Larner says the policy reflects the University’s core values and its commitment to being a values-based university.
The University has laid out expected standards of behaviour for members of the University community for many years but previously ‘strongly discouraged’ intimate relationships with students for whom members had academic or wellbeing responsibilities. These relationships are now prohibited.
Under the new policy, pre-existing relationships between staff and students at the time the policy takes effect must be declared within the next month.
The policy also applies to isolated, intimate, consensual encounters.
The new policy is available here.