Media Advisory:
New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA)
Te Hautū Kahurangi | New Zealand Tertiary Education Union (TEU)
Voices of the Sector Forum – Tuesday, 17 November 2002
Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau | Auckland University of Technology
The Voices of the Sector Forum 2020 brings together leaders in the tertiary education sector to discuss the issues and opportunities for international education in Aotearoa.
Tertiary education students, staff, senior leaders, government officials, and business leaders will meet to focus on a sector in disarray.
The forum participants will talk about the cascading complications of COVID-19 and the cracks it has revealed in the operation of the international education sector. The closure of borders due to COVID-19 has led to a funding crisis and has called into question the stability of the sector.
In the lead up to the forum TEU President Michael Gilchrist states “Our sector has experienced genuine hardship due to failed market policies of previous governments. Now, urgent action is required from the government to make up the funding shortfall and avoid a deterioration in the quality of tertiary education provision for domestic and international students and in the overall development of our institutions.”
NZUSA National President Isabella Lenihan-Ikin goes further stating, “Students are prepared to stand up for all in the sector to ensure that the quality of tertiary education and the student experience is not diminished. The high cost of student education is hurting both students and staff. We will not keep paying the price for poor decision making, we need a new vision for the future that does not include higher fees, cuts to courses or institutions scrambling to protect future revenue.”
“The future cost to education and livelihoods is too great. We need new ideas and new solutions. Revenue from students must not be the only lever to fix a broken system. We must change the idea of what success looks like and students must be involved in any change process as we are literally paying for it.”
Students and staff are united in the demand that we build back better. COVID-19 has made crystal clear the value of tertiary education to the future of Aotearoa and staff and students are now on the frontline of building back better. Collectively, we will not accept the same solutions to old problems within the sector – Voices of the Sector Forum provides an opportunity for timely solutions.
Voices of the Sector Forum 2020 is closed to all media.
An all-of-sector statement will be given to media at the conclusion of the forum on 17th November. Any media commentary will be available after 4pm at AUT South Campus.
Media Contact: Michael Gilchrist - 027 899 4256
Voices of Sector Forum 2020 Participants:
Jill Milburn - Ara Institute of Canterbury
Beth Knowles - Ara Institute of Canterbury
Derek McCormack - Auckland University of Technology
Dr Nimbus Staniland - Auckland University of Technology
Rachel Simpson – Business NZ
Vicki Fox - Eastern Institute of Technology
Pii-Tuulia Nikula - Eastern Institute of Technology
John Goulter - Education New Zealand
Paul Irwin – Education New Zealand
Laura Simpson – Education New Zealand
Chlöe Swarbrick – Green Party of Aotearoa, New Zealand
Gus Gilmore - Manukau Institute of Technology/Unitec
Tere McGonagle-Daly – Massey University
Michael Quinn - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Belinda Himiona – Ministry of Education
Andy Jackson - Ministry of Education
Shingai Muchecheterwa - Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
Sabrina Alhady – New Zealand International Students’ Association
Afiqah Ramizi – New Zealand International Students’ Association
Isabella Lenihan-Ilkin - New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations
Nigel Rawhiti – NorthTec
Mary-Liz Broadley – Open Polytechnic New Zealand
Doug Standring – Open Polytechnic New Zealand
Oonagh McGirr – Otago Polytechnic
Patricia Quensell – Otago Polytechnic
Nohorua Parata - Te Mana Ākonga
Murry Strong – Te Pūkenga
Stephen Town - Te Pūkenga
Tim Fowler – Tertiary Education Commission
Jared Commerer – Tertiary Education Union
Lee Cooper - Tertiary Education Union
Dr Michael Gilchrist - Tertiary Education Union
Sandra Grey – Tertiary Education Union
Amanda Hickman – Tertiary Education Union
Fiona McDonagh – Tertiary Education Union
Samantha Stephen – Tertiary Education Union
Sarah Proctor-Thomson - Tertiary Education Union
Leigh Paterson – Tertiary Education Union
Hūhana Wātene – Tertiary Education Union
Peter Richardson – Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Ruth Thomas – Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Sarah Hardman – Unitec
Tina Smith – Universal College of Learning
Chris Whelan – Universities New Zealand
Ainslie Moore – University of Auckland
Dr Svetlana Kostrykina – University of Auckland
Libby Passau – University of Auckland
Sean Sturm – University of Auckland
Ravi Sharma – University of Canterbury
Craig Marshall – University of Otago
Professor Helen Nicholson – University of Otago
Dr Tawhanga Nopera – University of Waikato
John Macalister – Victoria University of Wellington
John Snook - Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki
Jane Taylor - Whitireia Campus
Jo Douglas – Wintec