The Aotearoa Tertiary Students’ Association (ATSA) President Julie Pettett delivered a three foot debt bomb to Parliament today to highlight the message that solving the problem of student debt rests in the hands of politicians. The debt bomb was removed by parliament security guards as a threat to national security.

Pettett said that delivering the time bomb was a symbolic act that demonstrated the seriousness of five billion dollars of student debt. “Student debt is out of control. Nearly one in every ten New Zealanders now has a student loan. Student debt grows by nearly three quarters of a million dollars a day. What we want to know is, when will the government do something about it?”

“We have taken the debt bomb to Parliament in order to show politicians that they cannot continue to hide from student debt. Just like the rest of us, MPs are affected by this ticking time bomb which threatens to explode in our faces in the near future,” stated Pettett. “Politicians, our elected representatives, have the chance to make a difference. The introduction of a Universal Student Allowance would reduce the size of this debt, and help defuse the Student Debt Bomb.”

“ATSA has delivered the debt bomb to Parliament as a challenge to politicians to do something to stop the growth of Student Debt. Parliament security took the debt bomb away. Ordinary New Zealanders are not so lucky – they cannot hand over their debt burden any time soon. That is, unless a newly elected government takes immediate action in the best interests of all New Zealanders.”

ENDS

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