Pee Kay: Tertiary Education, an Expensive Political Battleground.

Student Debt: Crown Asset or Financial Fiction?

Last week it was supermarkets, this week it is Student debt/University Fees! It seems there is absolutely no systemic crisis that our politicians can’t fix with a sweet, shiny new election campaign spreadsheet tweak.

Last week political parties all painted supermarkets as the whipping boy and took to flailing them with gusto. This week they are scattering lollies in front of a very receptive audience who, no doubt, will be very happy to trade debt for vote!

Last Sunday Chris Hipkins unveiled Labours plan new election proposal on student fees during the Labour Party’s official election campaign launch.

Kerre Woodham: The failure of Fees Free

Do you want another example of Labour's ideology over pragmatism? I really, really hope that the previous Labour ministers have learned from their previous terms in government that thought bubbles and bright ideas do not sound policy make.

Remember Fees Free? The policy was introduced in 2018 and was a key part of Labour's election campaign. The first year of tertiary study would be free for students. It would progressively roll out to cover three years, which never eventuated. We, the taxpayer, provided up to $12,000 in tuition fee payments for the first year of provider-based study or the first two years of work-based learning. The idea behind the objective was sound and worthy.