Auckland Students welcome Labour’s Tertiary Policy

Auckland Students welcome Labour’s Tertiary Policy

University of Auckland students today applauded the announcement of Labour’s tertiary education policy, commenting that it would go a long way in working towards reducing the drivers of the $7billion nationwide student debt.

“We applaud Labour for taking action on the issues of student debt”, said Auckland University Students Association President Greg Langton. “This is a major step in finally addressing what can only be described as a generational crisis, and we certainly hope that it signals a longer term commitment by the party in this area”, he said.

“Obviously we are disappointed that there was no change to the Fee Maxima system, which is a bit of a joke given the fee increase exemptions that the Tertiary Education Commission are only too keen to give out”, said Mr Langton. “But we certainly do think that this is a significant development, and we would be very keen to see it implemented, to the benefit of students, graduates and their families”, he added.

AUSA Education Vice President Xavier Goldie added that students had been campaigning long and hard to make the Government listen to them about the societal impacts of debt. “We’ve made it clear that student debt is preventing graduates from buying a home and starting a family”, he said. “It’s good to see that Labour are joining the ranks of the Greens, United Future and New Zealand first in recognising that it’s about time for the Government to step up to the plate and make a real change in this area”

ENDS