Dear Mr English

It was with deep dismay that I read of your Government’s intention to cut commitments to tertiary education in favour of the probation and correction services. This must surely be one of the most socially retrograde proposals of recent years; and I feel ashamed that it should come from a minister with advanced qualifications in my own discipline.

I understand that New Zealand already has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in the developed world; at the same time the proportion of the government’s contribution to the cost of each student’s education in the university sector has steadily declined over several decades. Moreover the level of this nation’s investment in university education compares unfavourably with levels in both Australia and the United Kingdom — not to mention the United States.

Even had they all been implemented, the very modest efforts of the Labour Government to improve this situation, would have been insufficient to transform it. Yet now, at a time of unprecedented crisis, when the young of this country will have a greater need of strong tertiary resources than ever, the best your government can do is to divert money into incarcerating them.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Neill
Emeritus Professor of English,
University of Auckland.

After reading last week’s Tertiary Update, University of Auckland TEU member, Professor Michael Neill, wrote a succinct letter to the minister of finance (and also the New Zealand Herald).  Professor Neill’s letter sparked a string of similar letters from his colleagues and fellow union members at Auckland University.

You can join Professor Neill in letting the minister of finance know your concern about cutting tertiary education spending.  You can do so by emailing him at bill.english@parliament.govt.nz.  You could also share your letter as a letter to the editor for your local newspaper.