6 November 2001 Underfunding of 'urgent' attention – universities needs Council resolution

A resolution urging the Government to address the problem of the underfunding of New Zealand universities "as a matter of urgency" was passed by Lincoln University's Council today (4 December) at its final meeting of the year.

The resolution said that Lincoln University recognised the current underfunding of New Zealand universities and "draws the attention of the Government to the detrimental effect this has on staff remuneration and the quality of education and research".

Council members had before them individual letters from the Lincoln branch of the Association of University Staff which asked the Chancellor and Vice-chancellor to recognise publicly the “difficulties resulting from the current funding formula."

While acknowledging that the tertiary sector was “cash-strapped”, the letter said the declining remuneration of academic staff relative to other groups of employees, cost of living rises, academic salaries overseas, and the incomes of comparable professional groups in New Zealand, was of “great concern to AUS members” and an escalation of industrial action was planned for 2002.

Forty members of AUS attended the Council meeting in support of the letter but neither it nor the University's resolution drew any debate from Council members.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.