The former president of the NZ Jewish Council, David Zwartz, is demanding an apology from Waikato University over the controversial Van Leeuwen thesis affair.

In a letter published by the New Zealand Jewish Chronicle, which accompanies a reprinted version of Nexus’s original feature story about the thesis debacle, Zwartz accuses the University of “blunders and huge errors of judgement by its administration.” Elsewhere he refers to the University behaviour as “disgraceful.”

“The university must apologise to Professor Dov Bing for the harm its allegations have done to his reputation; and similarly to the other thesis supervisor, Mrs Coldham-Fussel, as well as to the student, Roel VanLeeuwen, “ Zwartz writes.

Meanwhile, over the holiday break, the Waikato Times reported that Waikato University’s handling of the thesis affair was being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman, after a complaint from former National Front Secretary Kerry Bolton.

“The ombudsman's investigation is based on Mr Bolton's complaints the university investigation didn't address the specifics of his original complaint or address the investigation's terms of reference, didn't outline the process that was followed in reaching a decision or give a reason for it,” the Times reported.

Waikato University told the Times that it had “not been advised of any ombudsman investigation.“