Universities acknowledge funding increase, look for further investment

University Vice-Chancellors acknowledge the 1.6% increase in tuition subsidies announced today and hope this Government will invest further in the university sector in coming years to ensure it can deliver on its policies to build a resilient and adaptable workforce.

“This starts to address the real funding pressures being faced by the sector, but there is still a long way to go and we look forward to the Government’s next steps in this space,” says Universities New Zealand executive director Chris Whelan.

“To ensure that the Government can deliver on its policies for building a resilient and adaptable workforce, it must continue to invest in maintaining the quality of the education provided to students, not just attempt to lower the cost to them.

“Universities will struggle to provide young New Zealanders access to a world-class university education. Despite the hard work and commitment of university staff, continued underfunding makes it harder for New Zealand’s universities to maintain their international rankings. They will struggle to develop innovative research that benefits all New Zealanders. And it will be more difficult to attract international students to New Zealand universities—students who currently bring $1 billion to the economy annually.

“Government should be investing more in the development of skills and knowledge to build an innovative, internationally competitive, knowledge-based economy.”