Tensions in the ‘tent’: Civic engagement in Aotearoa New Zealand universities

Abstract

Discussions around civic engagement are now commonplace in Aotearoa New Zealand universities, albeit to varying degrees of intensity. The results of these discussions are realised in strategic plans, curricular development and the commitments of individual academics to engage with the world outside the university. This article explores the tensions of increasing civic engagement in Aotearoa New Zealand universities amidst the neo-liberal landscape in which universities find themselves. Three key tensions are explored: first, who benefits – communities, students, universities or a combination? Second, how can we ensure accountability to the social and community groups which are engaged? And, third, what are the impacts on engagement of a market-driven context that encourages fast-paced, output-oriented academic processes? These tensions are explored through local examples drawn from the authors’ own experiences, alongside a review of initiatives around Aotearoa New Zealand in general and the authors’ university in particular. Grounded in broader debates around civic engagement and the contemporary political context of universities, an analysis of these experiences highlights the ongoing need to clarify what civic engagement means and aims to achieve in different contexts, as well as some of the structures and processes that require consideration for civic engagement to be meaningful for all those involved, and positively sustained over time.