Member Spotlight - Annick Masselot.

Tell us a bit about your work and what you love about it?

I grew up in France and have been fortunate to live and work in a number of countries, including Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, and the United States, before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand almost exactly 20 years ago. I arrived in September 2006 and have never really looked back. Holding both French and New Zealand citizenship has given me a unique perspective on identity, belonging, and the different ways societies approach work, family life, and equality.

Today, I am a Professor of Law at the University of Canterbury. My work revolves around teaching, research, and supporting students and colleagues, and I genuinely love the variety that academic life offers.

I teach employment law, and one of the things I enjoy most is encouraging students to think critically about the law through a social justice lens. Sometimes that means challenging assumptions and perspectives they may have never questioned before. It can be uncomfortable at times, but it is also where some of the most meaningful learning happens. I also teach Gender and the Law, which is both fascinating and emotionally demanding. While many people see New Zealand as a leader in gender equality, the reality is often more complex. The course invites students to think critically about both the progress we have made and the challenges that remain. I teach contract law too.

My research focuses on European Union and comparative law, particularly gender equality, employment and social law, work and family reconciliation, and pregnancy and maternity rights. Over the years, I have been privileged to contribute to policy discussions and reforms in these areas, both in New Zealand and internationally. More broadly, I have examined how gender equality intersects with a wide range of issues, including corporate governance, international trade, science, aid and development, democratisation, and disaster risk management.

What ties all my work together is a desire to strengthen the connection between law and society. I am interested in how law affects people's everyday lives and how it can be used to create fairer, more inclusive communities. That means working across disciplines, collaborating with colleagues around the world, and engaging directly with policymakers and practitioners.

Outside work, I am the proud parent of two almost-grown-up children. They continue to challenge me in ways I could never have imagined and have taught me just as much about life as any academic career ever could.

What are the challenges?

Like many people working in higher education, I juggle a lot of different responsibilities. Ironically, although I research work-life balance, I am still trying to master it myself. I am deeply enthusiastic about my research, sometimes to my own detriment. If an interesting project comes along, my instinct is often to say yes to new projects, even when I know time is already in short supply.

More broadly, universities are facing significant challenges which we are experiencing on the ground. Over the years, there has been a growing shift towards viewing higher education through a commercial lens. Universities are increasingly expected to operate like businesses, where financial performance can sometimes overshadow the broader educational mission.

This affects everyone. Students can be encouraged to think of themselves as customers purchasing a product, rather than active participants in a learning journey. At the same time, universities face pressure to package education as something to be delivered efficiently, rather than experienced, debated, and co-created. Academics often find themselves in the middle, working hard to maintain spaces where curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual challenge can flourish.

Technology has added another layer of complexity. Online learning, digital platforms, and now artificial intelligence are transforming the way we teach and learn. These developments offer exciting opportunities, but they also raise important questions about student engagement, academic integrity, and the role of universities in fostering deep learning and human connection.

Throughout all of this, workloads continue to grow while expectations constantly evolve. Ensuring that staff and students are supported, respected, and able to thrive remains one of the most important challenges facing the sector today.

Why is it important to you to belong to your union?

As someone who teaches and researches employment law, I have always been a strong advocate for unions. The evidence is clear that workplaces with strong union representation tend to have better terms and conditions, stronger protections, and fairer outcomes for employees.

For me, being part of a union is about much more than individual benefits. It is about having a collective voice and recognising that we achieve more together than we do alone. Unions play a vital role in protecting working conditions, promoting wellbeing, and ensuring that staff have a meaningful say in decisions that affect their working lives.

I value the sense of solidarity that comes from belonging to a union. It is reassuring to know that there is a collective commitment to fairness, equity, and respect in the workplace. Those values benefit not only staff but also students and the wider university community.

On a personal level, the union has also helped me build connections across the University. Through union activities and collective bargaining, I have met colleagues from many different areas whom I might never have encountered in my day-to-day academic role. One of the real pleasures is walking across campus and seeing familiar faces, people I have worked alongside through the union and who have broadened my understanding of the diverse experiences of staff across the University. Those relationships remind me that a university is, above all, a community of people.