“There is no evidence that shifting funding to favour younger students getting degrees will have any impact on the economy at all. In fact Treasury’s focus on degrees at the expense of other qualifications will take away opportunities from some New Zealand families who most need education to lift themselves up and contribute to New Zealand’s economy.”

Dr Grey was responding to Treasury’s advice to government ministers, which was released today.

“Treasury thinks it can pick winners and invest only in them. This denies opportunities to all other ordinary New Zealanders,” said Dr Grey.

Dr Grey says Treasury’s desire to shift research funding to favour research that private firms ask for is effectively an attempt to privatise our public research institutions.

“We should not research things only because a private firm thinks it can make a profit. Often there is a crucial need for research that is not solely in the interests of private companies.

“If Treasury wants a vibrant growing economy and communities, it needs to invest equitably in all types of education and research,” said Dr Grey.

For more information:

Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098

Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz

“Destiny’s outlandish ‘university’ makes a mockery of the public education responsibilities of New Zealand’s real universities, polytechnics and wānanga,” said TEU President Dr Sandra Grey. “Our public universities all provide accredited evidence based high quality public education. That is what New Zealanders expect when they hear the term ‘university’.”

“In all likelihood Mr Tamaki’s ‘university’ will do none of those things. It is likely that his own battered reputation will be enough to ensure most Kiwis are not conned into paying for an education of little value. However, there are thousands of other pseudo-educational institutions like Mr Tamaki’s out there in the world, many wanting to expand their market access into New Zealand.”

“The Government’s Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, currently being negotiated with the United States and seven other countries, will ensure those sham-universities have the same rights to set up business in New Zealand that Mr Tamaki has. In effect, the combination of proposals like Mr Tamaki’s and the TPPA threatens to open the floodgates for dozens of foreign privately-owned, extremist sham-universities to set up a campus in New Zealand and seek public funding.”

For more information:

Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792
http://www.teu.ac.nz

Thanks to Curtis Gregory Perry at Flickr for the photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisperry/118610793

“Mr Joyce talked regularly, during his first term as minister of tertiary education, of the need for greater pastoral care of students and for helping people into study who would not otherwise have that opportunity.”

“In this second term of Mr Joyce’s ministership we would like to see the policy that supports those ambitions.”

“Tertiary education should not settle into a role of providing further education to those who are already succeeding. We want to help New Zealanders who need opportunities to contribute to our economy and our communities. But that means policies that focus on improving access to education and giving wrap around support for those who want to learn but do not know where to begin.”

“As professionals who work and study in tertiary education every day, we have got a suite of simple ideas to help students and potential students learn. We’re looking forward to the chance to meet with Mr Joyce so we can work together on protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s world class tertiary education system”, said Dr Grey.

For more information:

Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

Aoraki Polytechnic told staff at 10 days ago of proposals that would close a range of programmes across all five communities. Twenty jobs are under threat, and several hundred potential students could be affected if the changes go ahead.

TEU national president Sandra Grey was at the stopwork meeting in Timaru where Aoraki staff discussed current collective agreement negotiations and the proposed changes.  She said staff see no justification for the proposed closures.

“These are professionals committed to quality tertiary education provision in their communities.  They are committed to protecting their communities’ rights to access teaching and learning at all levels,” said Dr Grey.

TEU members will be making submissions to Aoraki senior management on the proposed changes and will be working with students and members of the public to do the same.

For more information:

Dr Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Kris Smith, TEU organiser, 03 479 0085 or 027 229 5570

“If Act does not like compulsory students’ associations that is fine,” said TEU national president Sandra Grey. “And it is welcome to have that political battle with the associations themselves. However, this bill goes way beyond that. It threatens to undermine crucial student support and pastoral care, increase staff workloads, put financial pressure on tertiary institutions and undermine the culture and vibrancy of many campuses.”

“Staff, like most other people at tertiary institutions, don’t want this legislation,” said Dr Grey. “They know if students’ associations can no longer organise and fund their own support networks, advocacy and sporting and cultural events, then those things either will not happen, or staff will be asked to do them instead on already restricted budgets. The result will be lower quality student services, staff with higher workloads and universities and polytechnics with less money to spend on their core jobs of education and research.”

For more information:

Dr Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz

“Academics and tutors at CPIT just want to retain their existing terms and conditions. They are not asking for anything new or special that tutors around the rest of the country don’t get. They just want to keep their leave and working hours entitlements that are common in polytechnics around the country.” Members have also offered a number of alternatives to CPIT so as to meet the employer’s requirements for productivity gains.

“Many staff here left their respective industries and took pay cuts to come to this job because they wanted to teach, but also because they were willing to trade income for a better work-life balance that employees can have a choice about in their ‘total remuneration’ package.”

“TEU members are frustrated and feel that CPIT is not listening to their concerns or compromises,” said Mr Dodds.

“Its good to see the government responding to public campaigning from tertiary education staff and the wider public,” said TEU national president Dr Sandra Grey.

“But this announcement does not go far enough. Maintaining previous rates of funding will not, for instance, be enough to prevent hundreds of jobs cuts at tertiary institutions around the Canterbury region. The universities and polytechnic will need more financial help because there will be a loss of income from student fees over the next three years.”

Canterbury’s tertiary institutions and their staff have crucial roles to play in helping the region rebuild. Funding them to keep staff and students is a crucial investment, not a cost.

TEU members are currently meeting to plan their on-going campaign to rebuild and protect tertiary education in Canterbury. Prior to his announcement today nearly a thousand people have signed a TEU petition to minister Steven Joyce this week calling on him to invest in the University of Canterbury.

For more information:

Dr Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz

Thanks to Ann (Helen) Devereux at Flickr for the photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/hadevereux/5682638321

TEU national president Sandra Grey says Professor McCutcheon was the third highest paid public sector employee in New Zealand.

“The 6-10 percent increase in his remuneration package is more than the salary for an entire staff member.”

“Many academic staff have gone without a pay rise all year because they will not agree to the university removing important academic conditions from their collective agreement.”

“We don’t begrudge anyone being paid well for doing a tough job,” said Dr Grey, “but the university needs to question whether it has got its priorities right when it further rewards its highest paid staff member while undermining important academic conditions for other staff.”

For more information:

Dr Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098
Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz

The document lays the blame clearly with the government:
“The implicit message from the Tertiary Education Commission and the minister – that if the institution is willing to lead the way with cuts that could easily run to hundreds of jobs – the State may invest in the university once more – is reprehensible.”

TEU national president Sandra Grey says the tertiary education minister, Steven Joyce, has not made a strong enough case to his cabinet colleagues to protect this important national and international asset.

“Cabinet plans to meet in Christchurch next Monday. It is essential that it act now to protect the university from these cuts,” says Dr Grey. “The university is an essential public infrastructure. It has a key role to play in the next year helping the city rebuild. It cannot do that without government support.”

The university says no additional funding has been made available by the commission or the minister other than retaining the Student Achievement Component for 2012. That means a shortfall of $12-18 million.

“Mr Joyce cannot sit by and let one of New Zealand’s most prestigious learning institutions bleed nearly a fifth of its staff,” said Dr Grey.

For more information or a copy of the document:

Dr Sandra Grey, TEU national president, 021 844 176 or 04 801 5098

Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz

Thanks to Ann (Helen) Devereux at Flickr for the photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/hadevereux/5682638321

The polytechnic wants to increase staff weekly duty hours, remove all discretionary leave from new staff and tell existing staff how they can use their discretionary leave as well as claim the flexibility to require staff to work any hours between 7.00 am and 9.30 pm Monday to Sunday.

“Weltec is doing well very with its current staff and current employment conditions,” said Phil Dyhrberg, TEU organiser. “Last year Weltec had a surplus of 3.6 million. It got more revenue both from government and from other sources. It grew its asset base by $5 million. But when it comes to staff it wants longer working hours, the possibility of working late into the evening on Sundays, and less say for staff over how they use their leave.”

“All this means more workload for staff who are already working efficiently and doing a good job,” Said Mr Dyhrberg.

For more information:

Phil Dyhrberg, TEU organiser, 027 430 0564

Stephen Day, TEU communications officer, 021 2900 734 or 04 801 4792

http://www.teu.ac.nz