Students, communities, and staff rally to stop the cuts.

June 6, 2023

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 27, No 10

Students and staff, determined to “stop the cuts” currently faced by our sector, have been taking to the streets up and down Aotearoa to demand action from the government and university management.

At Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou | The University of Otago, a rally of over 500 students, wider community members, and staff made a big splash on campus last Wednesday. The event was organised by the Protect Otago Action Group, a coalition of students and staff.

TEU Branch President at Otago, Brandon Johnstone, addressed the crowd. His message was “this isn’t a done deal, despite it being presented to us in that way. Our university’s council and its senior management are divided on this. They need to stop what they are doing right now and focus on lobbying the government much harder to fund our sector properly.”

On Thursday, at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University, an end of trimester celebration at Kelburn Campus was turned into a solidarity event as more than 100 people including city councillors, members of parliament, and political candidates attended to express their support for staff fighting for their jobs.

And at midday on Friday, also at Te Herenga Waka’s Kelburn Campus, a large student-led protest gathered at ‘The Hub’ to show their anger with proposed cuts.

Speaking about the rally, organised by a group called ‘Students Against Cuts’, TEU Branch President at Victoria, Dougal McNeill, says “we’re really humbled and inspired by the depth of student solidarity. Labour need to realise that what they are doing by allowing these cuts to proceed is gambling away these young people’s future.”

Also in this update:

Other stories:

When downsizing means destroying our universities – The Spinoff

Action needed to stop cuts at Victoria – TEU

$355 Million for Tertiary Sector Reappropriated – Critic

50 reasons there are no Māori in your science department – E-Tangata