Hon Pete Hodgson
Minister for Tertiary Education
27 November 2007 Speech
Association of University Staff Annual Conference
It is a real pleasure for me to be here today at such an important time for the tertiary education sector.
This is my first formal meeting with the university sector as your new Minister and indeed, as the new Minister for
Economic Development, Research, Science and Technology, and Tertiary Education. An exciting and challenging prospect for
me is to use the opportunity the Prime Minister has given me, to explore the synergies that this collection of
portfolios offers up.
The development of human capital is central to all three portfolios, and it is your day to day business. Society has
always looked to universities to lead the development of tomorrow’s leaders. The way you carry out your role impacts on
the skills, attributes and attitudes students develop.
Each year 125,000 students attend our universities. If there is one single factor that will make a difference to whether
they do well in their studies, it is the quality of the teaching they receive and how their learning is managed and
supported.
Through initiatives like the establishment of Ako Aotearoa – the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence – we
are supporting ways to continually enhance teaching excellence.
This is the first centre of its kind in New Zealand and a great initiative for tertiary education. The government is
supporting it to the tune of $20 million over the next five years.
Those of us who have had the opportunity to go to university will remember the power and influence of inspiring
lecturers and the impact they had on the way we thought, how much we learned, and in many cases, what we did next. That
was the case for me at Massey, and at Vic, and as the MP for Dunedin North the views of Otago academics continue to
influence me, albeit informally.
Just last week I released the annual Profile and Trends Report on tertiary education for the 2006 year. The report shows
that more New Zealanders are taking part in all forms of tertiary education, with nearly half a million students
enrolled in formal study in 2006. Forty per cent of us hold a tertiary qualification, compared with 25 per cent a decade
ago, and those with higher-level tertiary qualifications has also increased.
The Prime Minister has referred to my three portfolios as creating, in effect, a Minister of Innovation. New Zealanders
are renowned for innovation – introducing better ways of doing things and finding creative solutions to problems. We
wear this badge with pride across the world and often hear positive comments about our graduates from overseas
colleagues.
The university sector is fundamental to the success of all three portfolios. You are at the forefront of knowledge
development and critical thinking. You also play a vital role in this country’s research and innovation activities.
Research, and research extension into industry, is crucial if we are to increase productivity. To keep us competitive in
the global market place, we need new and more innovative production methods and ways of working.
And we also need to ensure that we are making the best use of the investment we make in research, whether it is in the
university sector or with Crown Research Institutes. We have a lot of collaboration; we need more.
The policy which gave us Centres of Research Excellence – which in an earlier life I had a hand in developing, and aims
to create innovative hubs of teaching and research – underscores the importance that we place on fostering research
excellence.
So does the Performance Based Research Fund, and early signs are that it is succeeding in its goal of increasing the
quality of research. The government has made a commitment of more than $200 million to fund the outcomes of the PBRF
Evaluation this year, and universities receive 99 per cent of this funding.
Over the last two years there has been much change in the sector and great progress has been made toward an improved
focus on student achievement, meeting stakeholders’ needs and developing a culture of continuous improvement, rather
than raw enrolment statistics.
The Tertiary Education Commission has been working closely with the sector and its stakeholders to ensure these changes
are successful.
Yesterday I met with the Tertiary Education Commission Board for the first time and they briefed me on the Investment
Plan process.
The university sector has worked with the TEC in a constructive way, enabling the TEC to have a far greater
understanding of the sector’s work and the issues it faces. This is more than a new funding system. It is a whole change
in the way institutions think about what they offer, how they plan, how they budget and how they contribute overall.
Change is challenging for everyone and it is to the credit of all those involved that the TEC Board was able to consider
all the university plans yesterday, and make decisions – not that I get to know what those decisions are. Those
decisions will be communicated to university Vice Chancellors on or before 14 December. For the first time, an
indication of funding over a three year period will be provided.
When the results of this process are made public, I know that you will see some shifts in the way that universities are
differentiating themselves, as well as a change to working more closely together in the interests of a network of
provision across the country.
I want to acknowledge the work of my predecessors in this portfolio, and to single out Michael Cullen, whose
determination to improve quality and relevance is clear to us all. He left the portfolio with sadness.
I would also like to recognise the contribution of the AUS to the Tripartite Forum – a commitment by union
representatives, government and the Vice Chancellors’ Committee to finding ways of addressing issues affecting the
sustainability and effectiveness of the university sector. Clearly I’m new to the portfolio and not yet fully immersed
in recent history. But it is already clear that the Forum has been, and is, a good thing.
I would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of your departing General-Secretary, Helen Kelly, and would
like to wish her all the best as she takes up her role as the new President of the Council of Trade Unions.
As the reforms progress, I have no doubt that the AUS will continue to contribute strongly on all fronts. And, I would
like to finish today with a challenge.
I challenge the Association of University Staff to keep coming to the table with the big strategic questions. I have no
doubt that you will do this – and that the university sector will all be the richer for it.
Thank you, and good luck with the remainder of your conference.
ENDS