University `committed to academic freedom'

Waikato University says preserving academic freedom is important despite it having pulled a student's thesis from its library after a complaint.

The thesis covers satanic and neo-Nazi themes. It was removed from the university library without warning two weeks ago after a complaint from the subject of the research, Wellington man Kerry Bolton, a former National Front secretary.

The thesis earned top marks for philosophy and religious studies student Roel Van Leeuwen.

Mr Bolton said last night that he could not understand why a whole thesis was dedicated to him.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Mr Bolton told the Times. "He accuses me of being the biggest bastard in New Zealand. If I read that (about someone else) I would think that guy is `a right scum bag'." Mr Bolton said he complained to the university in late August about "shoddy research and inept supervision and examination" of the thesis and pointed to several flaws.

Waikato University director of communications Lisa Finucane said the thesis had been removed from the library and online repository while the university established a robust, fair process to deal with the complaint.

However, it was important to preserve academic freedom for staff and for students to put forward ideas and unpopular opinions, within the law.

Political science and public policy professor Dov Bing, who oversaw the late stages of the thesis, said there was nothing defamatory in it.

He denied Mr Bolton's claims that he was a Zionist and coerced Mr Leeuwen into writing about the topic. Prof Bing was one of two Jewish staff members who criticised the university's handling of holocaust denial student Hans-Joachim Kupka, in 2001.

- © Fairfax NZ News