Government moratorium on universities welcomed

University staff have joined students and Vice-Chancellors in welcoming the Government’s move to place a moratorium on the number of universities in New Zealand.

Neville Blampied, National President of the Association of University Staff (AUS), said in Christchurch today that this decision would allow the newly-appointed Tertiary Education Advisory Commission to carry out its work on the structure of the sector without having to be concerned about Unitec’s application for university status.

“In our view, the qualitative principles underpinning the granting of university status are more important than the question of how many universities there should be in New Zealand.

“This action by the Government will allow time for a realistic assessment of the national commitment of resources we need to make for New Zealand to sustain a university system that compares favourably with overseas counterparts,” said Neville Blampied.

Neville Blampied expressed a note of caution, however: “We do not want this to set a precedent for ad hoc statutory interventions in the university sector.”

AUS Contacts:

Neville Blampied 021 680 475
Rob Crozier, Executive Director 021 375 661

© Scoop Media