According to the Education Review, Auckland, Canterbury and Otago Universities were recently the highest recipients of additional funding from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
Otago received the most funding ($1 million) for support for post-graduate students and to target undergraduate enrolments. University of Auckland received $850,000 and the University of Canterbury also received $750,000.
This funding was intended for encouraging additional post-graduate students, but both Auckland and Canterbury Universities say they will use the money on already existing students.
The TEC states that the money will help increase Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF), although these universities already rank as the three highest universities for this funding.
David Nicholson, the TEC’s tertiary network director, says that “The [PBRF] has indicated that Auckland, Otago, and Canterbury Universities have very considerable research strengths and depth. The TEC seeks to support and further enhance those strengths through its funding, just as it does for the particular research strengths of each university.”
Massey University also received $900,000 for its Kia Maia strategy for Maori development and Lincoln University also received $500,000 to “improve strategies for meeting stakeholder needs.”
Victoria, AUT and Waikato universities received no additional funding.