Pastoral care in halls ‘must be balanced with adult expectations’

Intrusive interventions to regulate conduct may not be tolerated by students, says vice-chancellors’ group

New Zealand’s universities cannot provide “perfectly safe”, risk-free student accommodation and must balance pastoral care with expectations of adult freedoms and choices, a government inquiry has been told.

Universities NZ, which represents vice-chancellors from the country’s eight universities, says that students must also “take some responsibility for their own health and wellbeing”.