Government committed to a strong future for Victoria
The Government is committed to a strong future for Victoria University of Wellington, says Associate Education (Tertiary
Education) Minister Steve Maharey.
Students and from staff Victoria University's School of Earth Sciences protested at Parliament this afternoon over
proposed staffing and subject cuts. Mr Maharey said that the Government had had several meetings with university
representatives and had impressed upon them the need to take a long-term strategic approach to the future development of
the institution.
"The future of Victoria University of Wellington is very important to this Government.
"Final decisions about staffing and teaching programmes are the responsibility of the university's Council and I am not
legally able to direct it. However, I have taken the oppportunity to emphasise to university Council, management, staff
and student representatives the Government's vision for tertiary education and the strong future which Victoria has
within this framework.
"The Government is developing a cooperative and collaborative nation-wide system of tertiary education. We are rapidly
moving to develop a new funding system which will give specialist centres of research and teaching long-term financial
security. New funding arrangements can be expected from our next budget.
"Within this framework, I would expect all tertiary providers to think very carefully about shedding the programmes
which make them distinctive. My on-going discussions with Victoria representatives have indicated very clearly that they
have the long-term academic and financial interests of the university at heart, and that this accords very well with the
tertiary vision of the Government.
"Victoria suffered annual funding cuts across the nine years National was in power and is in an understandably difficult
financial position. The new Government has begun to turn these cuts around and we are committed to getting all our
tertiary instituions back on a strong footing again," Steve Maharey said.
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