James is a Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative focusing on higher education policy, including academic freedom.
James holds a BA in Classics from Oxford, an MA in Ancient History from the University of London, an MA in Political Science from Stanford and a PhD in Classics from Stanford.
He is also the co-host, along with Michael Johnston, of Free Kiwis!, a podcast dedicated to discussing free speech in a New Zealand context. He can be found on Twitter at @Kleisthenes2.
Phone: 04 499 0790
‘Every five years or so, I crunch the numbers on college grades across the US and report what I’ve found,’ writes Stuart Rojstaczer modestly on his website. What Rojstaczer, a former professor, has found is that grades are going up, and have been going up for quite some time. Read more
Dr James Kierstead talked to Michael Laws on The Platform about the decline of academic freedom in New Zealand universities. Drawing from his report "Unpopular Opinions", Dr Kierstead highlighted numerous instances of free speech suppression, arguing that university managers have been instrumental in deep-platforming speakers and that legislative intervention is necessary to protect freedom of expression on campuses. Read more
Kia ora, colleagues! It’s me, your Vice-Chancellor. Read more
Dr James Kierstead presented to the Education and Workforce Select Committee on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.2). He spoke about academic freedom, presenting findings from the New Zealand Initiative's 50,000-word report "Unpopular Opinions, Academic Freedom in New Zealand". Read more
At midnight last night, submissions closed on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2). The bill would introduce new measures to protect academic freedom, which is defined in the Education and Training Act as ‘the freedom of academic staff and students, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, to put forward new ideas, and to state controversial or unpopular opinions.’ These measures are sorely needed. Read more
In this episode, James talks to Professor Ian Pace from City, Saint George's University of London about academic freedom, discussing the challenges facing universities, including political pressures, institutional neutrality, and the need for legislation to protect free speech and critical inquiry in academic settings. The conversation explores recent developments in academic freedom legislation in the UK and New Zealand, examining how universities are navigating complex issues of free speech, institutional policies, and the potential risks of political conformity in higher education. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
Like most of the developed world, we in New Zealand live – we like to think – in a representative democracy. Rather than directly voting on issues, we vote for politicians who represent us in Parliament and in local councils. Read more
Last week, the University of Otago came out with its new statement on institutional neutrality – a statement that was not only new, but that also forged a bold new approach to the whole concept of neutrality. Institutional neutrality, the statement declares, ‘means that University leaders will not communicate institutional positions on controversial political topics except where such issues directly impact the University’s role or functions.’ So far, so neutral – and nothing much that’s new. Read more
In this episode, Michael and James discuss institutional neutrality in universities, examining how the Education and Training Act Amendment Bill addresses universities' ability to take official positions on political matters. They analyse Otago University's draft statement on institutional neutrality, exploring the distinction between universities "taking positions" versus "making statements" on controversial issues, and consider how the legislation could be improved to better protect academic freedom. Read more
‘History doesn’t repeat,’ Mark Twain is said to have said, ‘but it often rhymes.’ And there could hardly be a better example of two events rhyming than the recent Canadian and Australian elections. In both countries, the centre-right was flying high in the polls, with leads of up to 20% in Canada and 10% in Australia. Read more
In this episode, James and Michael discuss how the Education Training Amendment Bill transforms school governance in New Zealand. They examine the bill's shift to make student learning the paramount objective for school boards, new requirements to address truancy through attendance management plans, and enhanced assessment standards to improve educational outcomes. Read more
Worries about social cohesion are on the rise. Initiative Chair Roger Partridge aired his concerns in the Herald last month, and this month saw the launch of a report on the subject by the Helen Clark Foundation. Read more
In this podcast, Michael and James critique proposed amendments to New Zealand's Education and Training Act that aim to protect academic freedom in universities, arguing the legislation lacks meaningful enforcement mechanisms to hold institutions accountable. They discuss potential improvements including a "free speech czar," legal recourse for violations, and eliminating loopholes that allow universities to restrict controversial speech through other institutional policies. Read more
Struggling to think of a good topic for a humorous column this week, I unexpectedly got a major break when my name was – unbelievably – added to a Signal messaging group of top New Zealand government officials. The texts reveal the magnitude of some of the problems that New Zealand politicians have to deal with. Read more