Hi, My name is Nicki Wilford and I am the new TEU organiser for Victoria University of Wellington (except for the Faculty of Education where my colleague Phil Dyhrberg is the organiser) and Whitireia Community Polytechnic. I have  worked at VUW before as the education coordinator for VUWSA representing students [...]

A lobbying disclosure bill that is to be debated by parliament could impact tertiary institutions that currently pay lobbying agencies to influence politicians.  Last year Tertiary Update revealed that private lobbying and consultancy company Saunders Unsworth lists among its past and present clients Massey University, Otago University, the six metro polytechnics, Victoria University of Wellington, [...]

Victoria University of Wellington says it has “no case to answer” in response to allegations that it is changing people’s employment agreements so as to obtain a higher PBRF ranking. Popular Kiwiblog blogger, David Farrar, published earlier this week allegations that the university was changing the term of some of its fixed [...]

Tertiary Update Vol 15 No 8 Employment negotiations for thousands of university staff at seven of New Zealand’s eight universities will begin in three months’ time, and union members are already working out what the main issues they need to see addressed to improve their working life. One of the [...]

Public education institutions such as Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Education should not be tendering to run a private charter school, say TEU national president Sandra Grey. The Herald reported yesterday that Victoria University was one of only five organisations so far to express an interest in running a private charter [...]

TEU members at Victoria University of Wellington are meeting next week to consider calling for an international boycott on applying for any advertised academic positions at the university until the university’s senior management agrees to cease forced redundancies in pursuit of academic change. TEU organiser Michael Gilchrist says forced redundancies [...]

Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) is disappointed that the Tertiary Education Commission has decided to cut all funding to pre-degree courses previously offered at universities around New Zealand. This decision has already affected students in the Wellington region through Victoria University’s decision to close its Certificate of University [...]

Victoria University has sent letters to some academic staff telling them that they could cost the university $3 million in PBRF funding if just one of them classifies as research inactive in the next PBRF round.   The letter informs staff that the employer will be initiating a Performance Improvement [...]

Sandra Grey, National President, NZTEU  Melbourne, 7 October 2011 New Zealand is in the middle of Rugby World Cup fever. In every city and town I visit, there are signs welcoming visiting teams and supporters; events to ensure they enjoy their time in New Zealand; and, of course plenty of All Blacks [...]

In July, Victoria University management announced a new set of “change proposals”, seriously changing the nature of the International Relations program at Victoria University. The submissions and petitions from staff and students that followed were reviewed by a select committee, that decided to ignore the 1000+ signatures and various submissions seeking accountability from [...]