The Green Party is disappointed with the Labour Party’s decision to reverse their three free years education policy and back down on their commitment to postgraduate student allowances. 

The Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income to be implemented after the election to help students not captured by the wage subsidy scheme.

A flourishing tertiary education sector is well-resourced, innovative, responsive, and accessible to students. Its institutions reflect the diversity of Aotearoa and champion mātauranga Māori. Aotearoa’s tertiary education institutions have been compromised by decades of corporate behaviour that has prioritised profit over education as a public good. Successive governments have systematically devalued education and its critical contribution to the vibrancy and progress of our communities. Those who teach and research at Aotearoa’s tertiary institutions are often not recognised for the work...

The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt.

Supporting students creates a fairer society and a stronger economy. Tertiary education can help drive the transition to a sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand. Tertiary education should be free Student fees should be capped and progressively reduced. The EFTS and PBRF funding models should be reviewed to ensure universities are adequately funded and incentivised to cooperate rather than compete. Funding should improve staff to student ratios, library resources, and staff retention. Student loans should remain interest free Graduates should be able...

Young people should be empowered to create a better Aotearoa New Zealand and overcome the challenges created by previous generations. Democracy must include young people Young people should have representation or a voice on local and community boards. The Local Government Act should require councils to resource Youth Councils and employ child and youth advocates. Civics, human rights, and environmental education should be taught in schools. The health system should meet the needs of young people Improving youth mental health...

The Green Party announced today that, in government, it will provide genuine support for students by bringing in a universal post-graduate student allowance and increasing allowance rates for all students. “The rise in the cost of living and higher rents are making life increasingly hard for students, and the Green Party has a plan to fix that,” said Green Party leader James Shaw. “We will create a universal allowance for all post-graduate students and increase the base student allowance rate...

Students are the only group in society expected to borrow just to get by. We believe that students should be supported so that they can focus on learning the skills they need to contribute to a smart, innovative economy and a fairer society. It’s difficult to do that when you are constantly worried about making ends meet. Tertiary study should be a way out of poverty, not a way into it. The Green Party will:  Make all post-graduate students eligible...

The Green Party is launching a plan today to help people struggling with student loans get into their first home. Green MP Gareth Hughes’s Student Loan Scheme First Home Repayment Diversion Bill was launched today, the latest in a series of Green Party policies to address the housing crisis. “Many young people are struggling to get a house deposit together and we want to make it easier and faster for them to get a foot in the door,” said Green...