A report jointly commissioned by the Association of University Staff (AUS) and the New Zealand Vice Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) has confirmed both groups’ claims that New Zealand’s universities are severely under-funded.
Prepared by major accountancy firm Deloitte, the report shows New Zealand Government funding for universities lags behind Australia, Canada, the US and Britain.
Key facts from the report reveal that Australian university students receive forty percent more funding than their New Zealand counterparts, and Australian university academic salaries are 36 percent higher on average than New Zealand academic salaries.
AUS General Secretary Helen Kelly says the funding figures shown by the report are “just startling … Basically, we’re running our university system on half the value per [Australian] student.”
The report has been presented to Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen, and NZVCC Chair Professor Roy Sharp thinks Cullen “recognises that there is an issue here to be addressed, and is willing to work with us to see how it should be addressed.”