Giselle ByrnesGiselle Byrnes

Professor Giselle Byrnes is provost at Massey University, where she is responsible for leading the research and enterprise and the learning and teaching activities of the university. Giselle is also an internationally recognised historian and her major research contributions have centred on settler-indigenous histories, public histories and the politics of national history-writing.

We know there is structural racism in our universities. So how should they change?

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The current conversation should prompt all universities to closely examine both how and what they teach, writes Massey University provost Giselle Byrnes. Much has been said lately about structural racism in the New Zealand university system. While these allegations have been specifically raised at the University of Waikato, all eight of the country’s universities have … Read more

Why universities can be just as good (and cost just as much) online

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Online and blended learning could be the future for universities but that doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to deliver, writes Massey University provost Giselle Byrnes. Recently, politicians and students both here and abroad have been calling for a reduction in fees for courses and qualifications taught partially or fully online. There have also been discussions around “fair … Read more

Nailing jelly to the wall? Universities, academic freedom and free speech

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With the university campus rapidly becoming a space of conflict, is it possible to remain faithful to academic freedom while at the same time mitigating the most harmful effects of hate speech? Massey University provost Giselle Byrnes discusses. Academic freedom and free speech have been much debated in New Zealand in recent months. Chief among … Read more