Present: Robert McLachlan (Massey), Sal Lampkin (Chair; Massey), SherryTseng (Otago), James Higham (Otago), Charlie Potter (Admin; Massey), Brendan Moyle (Massey), Simon McCallum (Victoria), Lynda Johnston (Waikato)
Apologies: Quentin Atkinson (Auckland)
Meeting commenced at 1:00pm
Karakia
ToR review
There were no additions or amendments suggested for the Terms of Reference. They will be reviewed again in 2023.
Chair review
The consortium agreed that Sal Lampkin will remain in the position of Chair until 2023.
Updating university activities document
Auckland, Massey, Lincoln, Canterbury and Otago have all updated their respective activities in the Air travel related work / activities of member universities document since the last meeting, and these changes were outlined. These updates have been added to the NZUATC website. A suggestion was made to add the more detailed document that sits behind the “Air travel related work / activities of member universities” file document to the website, and this will be followed up in a future meeting when more members of the group are present.
Defining the system in which we are working
The members discussed the need to design a communication method that ensures the right people are aware of the work being done by the NZUATC. For example, key people in the system being notified whenever updates are made to the website. Social media platforms and email distribution lists were suggested. Before the communication method is developed, work needs to be done to identify the key agencies within universities and NZ more widely, for further discussion at the next meeting prior to the list of key contacts being developed and disseminated. The need for collective action nationally and internationally was discussed, as opposed to working within universities. Guidelines and discussion documents for academic travel could be created by universities but would need to be linked to external government agencies such as the TEC in order to be effective. The option of embedding the work into government policy was also suggested, and this will be researched further and discussed in the next meeting.
Carbon budget concept
A presentation from Waikato, “Suggestions to curb frequent flying”, outlined the fear and scepticism that staff often express about restricting international travel. The members agreed that there is a need for the Consortium to be providing advice and support based on the latest research, to aid positive change, including a range of alternative options and suggestions for departments and universities. The option of carbon offsets as a short-term measure to counteract the increased financial cost of traveling was suggested.
AOB
The importance of regularly adding current work to the NZUATC website was discussed. The consortium discussed extending invitations to Griffith University in Australia, and other Australian universities.
Date of next meeting
Tuesday 7 June, 11:30am –12:30pm
Meeting closed at 1:53pm