DiscoverDifferent Matters by Damien GrantDr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links
Dr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links

Dr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links

Update: 2025-10-23
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Dr James Kierstead is a Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative focusing on higher education policy, including academic freedom.

James holds a BA in Classics from Oxford, an MA in Ancient History from the University of London, an MA in Political Science from Stanford and a PhD in Classics from Stanford.

He is also the co-host, along with Michael Johnston, of Free Kiwis!, a podcast dedicated to discussing free speech in a New Zealand context. 

In his recent report, Amazing Grades, Kierstead shows that Grade Inflation at New Zealand Universities is a problem.  

Between 2006 and 2024, the percentage of A grades (A+, A, A-) grew by 13 percentage points, from 22% of all grades to 35%. A grades spiked during COVID, with almost half (49%) of grades awarded at the University of Auckland in 2020 in the A range.  

Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selection of interesting individuals, authors, business people, politicians and anyone else actually willing to talk to him.

For more interviews visit: https://www.differentmatters.co.nz/

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Dr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links

Dr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links

Damien Grant