Press Release: SANITI

Students left out in the cold by budget
 
"Students have been left out in the cold by the latest National Party budget," says Rachel Boyack, President of the Students Association of Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology Inc. (SANITI)
 
Almost every other sector of society has seen some form of relief from the impact of a rise in GST, yet students who borrow to live from the student loan scheme have seen no increase in their weekly living components.
 
SANITI are seeing big increases in students struggling to find work and make ends meet while they study, resulting in many students being referred to WINZ and foodbanks for emergency food grants.
 
"How students are expected to live on $160 a week is a complete mystery to me," says Rachel Boyack.  "And now you add more GST to the mix, it will make it even harder to get by," she added.
 
Regan Oliver, a student in Aviation Engineering at NMIT's Woodbourne campus, is concerned at possible increases in student fees, following the removal of the Fee and Course Cost Maxima policy.
 
"I'm worried that we could see big hikes in our tertiary fees.  Combined with the increases in our living costs, this could make tertiary education totally out of reach for many students," Regan Oliver said.
 
Students were hoping for some bold moves from the budget, but once again, the Government has penalised those who are trying to educate themselves and get ahead.
ENDS

© Scoop Media