The University of Waikato has confirmed that its Waikato Joint Institute at Hangzhou City University in China utilises facial recognition technology for student access to facilities.
The university said it uses the technology to control building access but is not used as a substitute for attendance tracking.
This information was clarified after RNZ enquired about a statement made by a university moderator during an economic forum, where it was mentioned that artificial intelligence is being implemented for facial recognition among Chinese students and staff.
The adoption of facial recognition at the Chinese campus aligns with local institutional practices and norms.
“The operations of our offshore campuses are influenced by our partners in those institutions and use practices that are appropriate at that university,” the university said.
University officials emphasised that this technology is utilised exclusively at their operations in China and that there are no plans to implement this technology on New Zealand campuses.
The university has not developed a formal policy on its use domestically.
During the same economic forum, Hamilton tech entrepreneur Brandon Hutcheson advocated for the increased use of facial recognition technology in New Zealand.
He suggested that schools could implement this technology to streamline attendance tracking.
Hutcheson proposed that traditional attendance checks consume a considerable amount of time, estimating that “a child would waste half a school year during their entire education on attendance checks.”