Massey cuts outrageous and short-sighted.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union will continue to fight back in the wake of more extensive proposed cuts that were announced at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University today.

Vice Chancellor Jan Thomas has unveiled a new proposal to cut staff numbers by over 60% across the schools of Natural Sciences and Food and Advanced Technology; and end provision in Auckland for all courses offered in these areas. Her proposal would also see the end of Massey University teaching Engineering, Plant Science and other areas while closing down the Massey Genome Service and Manawatū Microscopy and Imaging Centre.

If confirmed, these proposals will cause over 100 job losses.

Kaiwhakahaere | Organiser Ben Schmidt describes the proposals as “outrageous!”

“Two weeks out from a general election, with new funding having been recently committed by the government with the express intention of stopping this kind of provision loss, and with a comprehensive review of all tertiary education funding getting underway, the Vice Chancellor appears determined to push through her austerity agenda.”

“The TEU has always fought hard for equality of access to provision, wherever it is in Aotearoa a student might live. It’s not fair to tell ākonga in the Manawatū and surrounding districts that if you want a career as an engineer you must leave your home and family and move to another part of the country. Nor is it good sense to end Natural Sciences and Food and Advanced Technology provision on the North Shore – one of Aotearoa’s most populous and fastest growing areas.”

“All Vice Chancellors and Chief Executives of the sector need to stop and wait for the funding review to run its course before continuing to make short-sighted decisions such as these ones.”