9 May 2018
Chlöe Swarbrick accepts petition calling for postgraduate allowances
NZUSA National President Jonathan Gee (left) with Greens’ Education Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick MP
Students have found an ally in Chlöe Swarbrick, who received a petition last night calling for the urgent reinstatement of student allowances for postgraduate students. The allowance was
scrapped by the previous Government in 2013.
The petition, created by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), received 2159 signatures in little
over a month.
‘During our meeting, we passed onto Chlöe some stories from students who have struggled through postgraduate study due
to the lack of an allowance. These are our future psychologists, teachers and leaders – restoring the allowance isn’t
just good for them but good for the country,’ says National President Jonathan Gee.
In the 2017 general election, the Greens released their student policy which included allowances for all postgraduate students. Universal postgraduate allowances go one step further than
Labour’s tertiary education policy, which simply calls for postgraduate students to be eligible for allowances, which are currently means-tested.
‘We’re pleased to have found an ally in Chlöe to make education more accessible for all New Zealanders. Our support is
growing and we hope that the Education Minister takes notice.’
‘Regardless of what happens in the Government’s Budget announcement next week, we will continue to fight to remove the
barriers that students face during tertiary study.’
ENDS