What do we want? Time for political parties to step up.

TEU is calling for members to take action and make their voice heard in support of our TEU General Election 2020 pledges to keep tertiary education public and to ensure equitable workplaces in our sector.

Staff in the tertiary education sector are at the frontline of Aotearoa New Zealand’s social and economic recovery from Covid-19 because we provide pathways that inspire people to train, gain new skills and knowledge, and reconnect into employment and social activity.

Tertiary education staff will train the builders, nurses, social workers, scientists, mechanics, and many other workers who will be crucial to the country’s wellbeing in a post-Covid world.

The importance of the role of tertiary education must be firmly acknowledged by political parties in this General Election.

“Together we have to speak up and make sure proper funding of the tertiary education sector reflects the real cost of running the sector” says TEU National Secretary Sandra Grey.

“The wellbeing of learners, their whānau, and staff in tertiary education is being compromised by year-on-year underfunding. Communities are losing campuses, learners are losing opportunities, and staff losing their livelihoods because of the underfunding and it must stop.”

TEU is asking that political parties pledge to support accessible and inclusive quality public tertiary education by pledging for a new funding model to be in place by 2022, increasing funding, and removing unnecessary auditing measures from the sector.

TEU is also asking that political parties pledge increased funding in support of paying the Living Wage to all tertiary education staff as the minimum rate, and to address inequality in the tertiary education sector by requiring all investment plans to include equity implementation plans for Māori, women, and Pasifika staff and learners.

Together we can tell Aotearoa New Zealand’s major political parties that pledging to support accessible, inclusive, and quality public tertiary education for all New Zealanders, and equitable workplaces for staff, is key to our social and economic recovery, and our shared future.

Take action now and sign the TEU election pledge.