3. Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party) Link to this
to the Minister for Tertiary Education
Is he satisfied that New Zealand universities are fulfilling their equity obligations under the tertiary education strategy; if so, what response does he have to the situation at Auckland University, which one newspaper today summarised as: “Fears held for poor, Maori and Pacific Islanders”?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister for Tertiary Education) Link to this
The member asks an important question. The answer is yes, mainly because there will be more university places next year than this year, and more places still the following year. There is an increase in access to universities in this country.
What action will the Minister take to ensure Māori students are not being disproportionately disadvantaged by the restricted entry policy of Auckland University?
The member may not be aware that every university is required to show how it will increase participation and achievement of under-represented groups, including Māori and Pacific Island students, in its investment plan. Every university does so.
Dr Ashraf Choudhary Link to this
Has the Minister seen any reports on the increases in student numbers and in funding to New Zealand universities?
The funding increase over the past couple of years has been about 18 percent or 19 percent. The increase in student numbers from last year until next is forecast at somewhere about 4 percent or 5 percent. So the number of full-time students will increase, it is thought, from about 107,000 to 112,000.
Judy TurnerIs the Minister satisfied with the direction of the tertiary education strategy for regional polytechnics, and will he assure the House that the strategy will not suck young people out of the regions into major cities, increasing the unlikelihood they will ever return?
I think if there is any trend at all in the way the polytech funding and plans are going, it would be to increase the amount of in-region activity, not to decrease it. So, all other things being equal, that would see the opposite effect to the one the member suggests.
Given the response to my question, how then will the Government honour its commitments in its tertiary education strategy to support affordable, equitable access to tertiary education across the sector?
The member will be aware of 8 years of activity to increase the affordability of education for New Zealanders. In the case of university students, the number of Māori students has increased in recent years—it is now up at around 13,000; it used to be 12,000 or thereabouts a few years ago. For Pacific Islanders the increase has been even greater. It has gone from about 6,000 in 2000, to about 9,000 now. These are useful increases. I am not for a minute suggesting that they are sufficient increases, but certainly the increase in Māori and Pacific Island participation is something this House can be very proud of.
What response does the Minister have to Efeso Collins, who believes that students from poorer backgrounds would be excluded under the new regime at Auckland University, describing the outcome of the actions as creating “an underclass”—an analysis confirmed by both the Auckland University Students Association and Dr Bedggood, a member of the Association of University Staff of New Zealand?
I think what has happened is that a number of these commentators have made an understandable mistake in thinking that the number of places in our universities or polytechnics are somehow being capped at their current level and that, therefore, because of an increase in demand some students would be excluded who otherwise would not be. The truth is a little different. The truth is that we are moving from unplanned and open-ended growth, to planned and managed growth but growth nonetheless, and as a result of that we will see more students in polytechnics and universities next year than we have in this year.
Hon Georgina te Heuheu