Click here for our 2020 Election Priorities for Tertiary Education


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 to earn more before they reach the income threshold to start paying off their loans, and the loan repayment scheme should be progressive.
  • Options to cancel existing student debt should be investigated, including cancelling a portion of debt for every year a graduate stays in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Part time students, students of all ages, and students in lengthy courses of study should have access to student loans and allowances for as long as they need them.

The student allowance should be universal

  • Student allowances should become universal over time, by reducing the age at which parental income testing applies and increasing the parental income threshold.
  • Postgraduate students should have access to student allowances.
  • Living costs payments, course-related costs, student allowances, the accommodation supplement, and the accommodation benefit should be set at fair and liveable levels.

Alternative education pathways should be supported

  • There should be more apprenticeships.
  • The government should work with tangata whenua to provide education services to Māori, including through wānanga.
  • High quality Private Training Establishments should be able to access public funding if they target particular populations or subjects that the public system is not addressing.

Education should be accessible to everyone

  • Tertiary education providers should be covered by a code of practice relating to students with disabilities.
  • The government should fund disability support services and ensure staff are trained to meet students’ needs.
  • Graduates with disabilities should receive support to move into employment.
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Latest Education Announcements

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National’s education policy gets an F

The Green Party has marked the National Party’s new education policy and given it a fail, especially for its failure to address the underlying driv...
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Greens back teachers’ demands

The Green Party backs the demands of the teachers’ strikers.
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Greens back teachers’ strike

The Green Party stands with teachers in their request for fair pay and decision to strike.
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Wage boost for school bus drivers welcomed

The Green Party is celebrating a win following the news that the Government will invest in boosting the wages of rural school bus drivers. 
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Time to support te reo Māori as a core subject and as a medium of instruction

On the 50th anniversary of the Māori language petition, the Green Party is calling on the Government to make te reo Māori a core curriculum subject...
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Pay parity for early childhood teachers, now

A recent decision by the Minister of Education to hold back pay parity for ECE teachers needs changing urgently, the Green Party says.
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Latest Tertiary Education Announcements

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Greens call on Education Minister to bring tertiary sector to the table

The Green Party is once again calling on the Minister of Education to bring union, government officials and sector leaders together to urgently imp...
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Greens back uni strikes and call on Hipkins to bring sector to the table

The Green Party is calling on the Minister of Education to bring the tertiary education sector together so we can urgently improve the pay and cond...
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Inquiry reveals thousands of students living in poverty

The Government must lift student incomes now, says the Green Party, as new evidence shows thousands of students are living in poverty, with many st...
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Greens partner with student unions to launch people’s inquiry into student wellbeing

Green Tertiary spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick has teamed up with student unions across the country to launch a People's Inquiry into Student Wellbein...
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Greens call for immediate student support, launches petition

Green Party Tertiary Education Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick has launched a petition calling for immediate, meaningful support for students, saying ...
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Student accommodation inquiry recommends proactive transparency, independent dispute resolution process

Today the student accommodation inquiry initiated by Green Party Tertiary Education spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick tabled its report in Parliament.
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