2025 – A year in review.

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 29, No 23

Ko tēnei te mihi maioha e te whanau

I have been given the task of writing the introduction to the last Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update of 2025. As is our custom, it will be a countdown of our ten most read stories of the year. And as always, the stories you ‘clicked’ on the most are a very good cross section of the year we had, and the issues that defined our mahi as a union.

But first, a farewell from me because this is the last time I will write to you all as Tumu Whakarae – Māori | National President – Māori.

My time in this role has been one of the most exciting, frightening, and empowering journeys I have ever been on. Being the first Tumu Whakarae – Māori beside Dr Julie Douglas Tumu Whakarae – Tiriti – my mentor, comrade, and friend has definitely been a learning experience. My excitement came through exposure to new and interesting situations.

People are my passion and this amazing role enabled me to engage and support people in our union. And at the same time, it has further developed my existing skills while providing new skills through mentoring/tuakana teina concept, he mihi arohanui.

The mana of leadership through co-governance of TEU is still on its journey, and being tika and pono through one’s practices will ensure growth. To grow well we must encourage more members to share roles within institutions and enable the member voice to be heard and actioned.

TEU has been strong and consistent with its own campaigns and we tautoko many other campaigns and union activations. Many branches expressed the value of senior leadership visiting institutes. We have a duty to demonstrate manaakitanga, tautoko, and awhi – adhering to TEU’s Whāinga and Mātāpono.

Kia ora kōrua Garrick and Ti – your individual skills, commitment, and awareness of issues will stand you in good stead for your roles as the incoming co-presidents. It will be an excellent opportunity for both of you to put your own stamp on the very important role as ngā tumu whakarae.

Finally, I genuinely appreciate all the mahi our TEU staff do for our members and those who hold National Officer roles, he mihi mahana ki a koutou. Tena kōrua Matua and Taua for your wisdom, knowledge and demonstrating leaderful practices, he mihi arohanui ki a kōrua.

And without any further ado, read on for the stories that mattered to you in 2025.

Mauri ora,

Huhana Watene.

10. Why I’m striking on Thursday.

When Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union announced that as many as 1,600 members at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland will strike for four hours in March, a member of the union negotiation team, Dr Sean Sturm, said he was striking for his lowest paid colleagues, many of whom are also students:

“These colleagues are currently being denied the equivalent of a living wage. We’ve been told that they are “only students,” not breadwinners in their whānau, it’s their first job, etc., etc. I just don’t buy that – and it’s a bit rich coming from those on huge executive salaries. These colleagues have really been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. Management needs to do better by them.”

9. AI and secure work hui: Energising TEU events.

Matt Russell, a TEU member at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University, wrote about two Fridays he spent at our AI and secure work conferences in November:

“For me, the link between these two events is clear. The drivers of mass casualisation are the same ones allowing automation, surveillance, and outsourcing to accelerate unchecked. These are not separate fights, but two fronts in the same struggle over who shapes the future of tertiary education, and how.”

“I logged out of both events feeling inspired by our members who are not waiting for ‘solutions’ to drop from above. Our task is to support and harness that energy: advancing union-led AI policy, coordinating an evidence-driven campaign on precarity, and ensuring technology strengthens, rather than replaces, the staff who make education possible.”

8. Confused minister announces privatisation plans.

In April, TEU was appalled by a work-based learning announcement by the National-led government that disadvantaged polytechnics in favour of for-profit private providers making money from Aotearoa’s apprentices, trainees and employers.

Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey said the announcement was confusing:

“Te Pūkenga divisions are going to be trusted to take new apprentices and trainees but the ones they currently care for and teach are going to be ripped away from them in a messy transition. Current apprentices and trainees will be uprooted midway through their learning journey. This isn’t good for them or the employers they work for.”

“At a time when resources are extremely limited, we should be focussed on collaboration not duplicating and fragmenting a desperately needed sector delivering the work skills Aotearoa needs.”

7. Tertiary education broken up for spare parts in reshuffle.

In February’s cabinet reshuffle, the tertiary education sector was split into two ministerial portfolios. Dr Shane Reti has been handed responsibility for universities, while Penny Simmonds retained responsibility for polytechnics as “Minister of Vocational Education.” It was unclear at that time which minister, if any, would be a voice for wānanga.

Tumu Whakarae – Tiriti | National President – Tiriti Dr Julie Douglas described it as “a dog’s breakfast.”

“It’s ridiculous to break the sector up like this. We now have two ministers competing for funding, one in cabinet and one outside. One on a tunnel-visioned mission to break up Te Pūkenga no matter the consequences and the other demoted from the health portfolio, which is where his heart lies. Students, employers, and the public need to see consistency across the sector and this is a good way to deliver the opposite.”

6. Settlements at Massey and Canterbury

After nine months of negotiations and campaigning that included both strike and protest actions, TEU members at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University and Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | The University of Canterbury voted to ratify new collective agreements in March.

Jess O’Connell, a Housekeeper and TEU delegate at Massey described the outcome for her and her housekeeping colleagues, most of whom were paid below the Living Wage before the settlement, as “great! The increase this settlement delivers will help us a lot. For many of us, it will mean not having to work second jobs in order to survive.”

Kaiwhakahaere | Organiser Ben Schmidt said, “This sends a clear message that workers taking action in union gets results.”

5. NorthTec U-turn a win for Northland.

In August, after six months of lobbying, campaigning, and public pressure by members and staff of TEU, Tai Tokerau Wānanga | NorthTec withdrew a proposal to discontinue eleven programmes across Primary Industries and Forestry.

Te Pou Ahurei Takirua – Ahumahi | Assistant National Secretary – Industrial, Daniel Benson-Guiu said “this outcome has not come about by osmosis. Since March, TEU has campaigned hard in Northland, rallying local MPs, local media, local government, the wider community and our members. We have had countless lobbying meetings, gathered over a thousand signatures on our ‘Save NorthTec’ petition and enlisted Iwi and local businesses in the cause.”

“This is not the end goal, however. It will only be a temporary reprieve if we don’t continue the pressure and fight hard for the funding NorthTec needs to continue its crucial work training Northland’s future workforce.”

4. TEU to sue the government over pay equity.

Also in August, TEU announced that we had joined four other unions in a High Court challenge against the Government over its removal of pay equity rights, arguing the amended pay equity legislation violates fundamental rights and discriminates against women workers.

Dadon Rowell, a Teaching & Learning Librarian at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | The University of Waikato covered by TEU’s cancelled pay equity claim says, “I feel extremely proud to see our union take this stand – we're walking the talk.”

“It’s also deeply reassuring to see, as someone who was covered and works with many students who will suffer pay inequity, that our unions in Aotearoa aren't taking the horrific law changes lying down. The fight is on until all our most vulnerable workers are paid what they are worth!”

3. Amy Ross to join TEU as Te Pou Ahurei.

November saw TEU announce that Amy Ross will be our new Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary, starting in late January.

Amy’s previous roles have included working as a frontline senior social worker, an NGO manager, a small business owner, a senior public servant, a union organiser, and until recently she led the Pay Equity Taskforce prior to its disbandment.

Amy described herself as “thrilled, energised, excited, and humbled by the opportunity to lead Te Hautū Kahurangi as its new Te Pou Ahurei. TEU is already a successful union, but we have a lot of hard mahi ahead of us to rise even further to meet the huge challenges we face.”

I see my first job as getting out there and meeting everyone, listening and building relationships. We have a lot of expertise we can harness both within our staff and amongst the membership. But we also have to hit the ground running. We’ve got no choice.”

2. Employers must protect staff who are subjected to online abuse.

In response to a fresh round of public abuse of TEU member Siouxsie Wiles as a result of a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for legal costs, TEU publicly warned Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland to learn the lessons of previous mistakes and ensure they protect all staff who are subjected to online abuse.

Te Pou Ahurei Takirua – Ahumahi | Assistant National Secretary – Industrial, Daniel Benson-Guiu said “these attacks not only raise serious health and safety concerns, but they also have a chilling effect on academic freedom. Online abuse is designed to silence the people who it’s directed at – and it works. Siouxsie and others have talked about the changes to their online presence they have had to make to keep themselves and their families safe.”

1. Mood of the boardroom

While not wanting to get into the habit of agreeing with “the mood of the boardroom,” Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union did find the New Zealand Herald’s annual rankings consistent with our own experience. The survey ranked Minister of Vocational Education Penny Simmonds’ performance 27th out of 28 Ministers, while Minister of Universities Shane Reti didn’t rate much higher at 25th.

Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey said, “in the case of Penny Simmonds, students and staff are paying the price for a minister who is more interested in dismantling Te Pūkenga than she is in building strong and sustainable vocational education provision.”

“In the university space, there is no real plan or vision to make any significant improvements and/or secure the funding necessary to make a positive difference.”

“Overall, these rankings confirm what we see every day on campuses: Access and quality is being undermined and the whole system continues to be jeopardised by a toxic cocktail of inaction and neglect.”

Other stories

Human Rights Commission joins pay equity court case – Newsroom

New tertiary plan blind to some of our most valuable assets – Newsroom

New report says ‘A’s’ set to become most common grade at NZ universities – Stuff

Pay gap pushes women into a month of unpaid work – CTU