Government offers financial boost to struggling universities

Universities New Zealand today welcomed the Government announcement of $128 million of additional investment for the tertiary education sector.

Universities New Zealand Chief Executive Chris Whelan says, “This funding won’t solve all our problems, but it is extraordinarily helpful. It will reduce or even remove the need for some of the more significant cuts that universities have been forced to consider.”

“We are very grateful to all those working hard behind the scenes who have made this happen.”

Universities New Zealand also welcomes the announcement of a review of the higher education funding system.

Whelan says, “The current system has existed since 1991 and has seen most university funding provided through student tuition fees and student tuition subsidies. The problem has been that these fees and subsidies have only been increasing at about half the rate of inflation. That was survivable when the proportion of young people going to university was growing. But that’s no longer the case and the funding system is increasingly forcing universities to invest in keeping the lights on.”

“We need a funding system that allows universities to better meets the needs of this country now and for the future. That means a system that supports more equitable access to university for people traditionally underrepresented at university. That means ways of teaching and curriculum that better meets the needs of both graduates and their employers.”

Read the announcement here.

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact comms@universitiesnz.ac.nz or +64 27 636 5050.