Open letters to the Tertiary Education Commission and the Minister of Education.
Add your name to our open letter to save tertiary education in New Zealand! Chronic underfunding from successive governments is destroying our universities.
"The government has a critical opportunity to fulfil its responsibility of safeguarding Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington and Otago University, staff, current and future generations of students and the entire tertiary education sector. By taking immediate and decisive action, we can prevent these staff cuts and establish a sustainable funding model that avoids such risks to tertiary education in the future."
"In 1996, Grant Robertson, former NZUSA and OUSA president, highlighted that “students were not satisfied that universities had made all the efficiency gains they could, but the real problem was inadequate government funding of tertiary institutions.” In 2001, Chris Hipkins, former VUWSA president, called for serious change to the tertiary sector, stating, “The days when University Councils were encouraged to act like businesses and return substantial surpluses are over.” Two decades later, the message remains unchanged, but now it resonates within a context where we are witnessing the consequences of inaction."
The new policy governing public sector use of cloud services downplays Māori data sovereignty and favours US big tech firms, critics say.
"Any jurisdictional risk needs to be considered alongside other risks and benefits relating to cloud. Using cloud services presents productivity, digital and service transformation, cost, and enables cyber security benefits," the ministers wrote.
Meet Sirocco – a charismatic kākāpō, national treasure and media superstar
Meet Sirocco – a charismatic kākāpō, national treasure and media superstar. He's also New Zealand's official Spokesbird for conservation.
Sirocco had an uncertain start to life, suffering a respiratory illness at three weeks old while being reared by his mother, Zephyr. Subsequently, he became the first male kākāpō to be hand reared.
Sirocco was eventually deemed fit and ready to survive in the wild. He was released to roam the island, but the call of the wild wasn’t so loud for Sirocco. His intensive hand-rearing and lack of kākāpō company had led him to imprint on humans. He was more interested in us than his own kind and was unlikely to breed.
One of the more than 10,000 designs submitted to the Flag Consideration Panel was Lucy Gray’s ‘Fire the Lazer’ (Laser Kiwi). While many entries featured the colours red, blue, white, black or green and iconic symbols such as the Southern Cross, silver fern and koru, Laser Kiwi and other quirky entries, such as Jesse Gibb's ‘Sheep and Hokey Pokey’, captured the public imagination.
Laser Kiwi lived on after being ruled out of the running to become the alternative New Zealand flag. After the second referendum, Radio Live produced a GIF showing Laser Kiwi shooting down a flagpole holding the Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue).