Sandra Grey
Cabinet papers reveal 550 polytech courses and 900 jobs gone
Newly released cabinet documents reveal the extent of cuts in the Polytech sector: 550 courses abolished and 900 full time jobs gone. Audio
Morning Report Essentials for Tuesday 15 July 2025
In today's episode, Auckland risks being cast into obscurity as "a global city" according to a just released report; The Commerce Commission is filing civil proceedings against Foodstuffs North Island… Audio
Tertiary Education Union on govt plans to unwind Te Pūkenga
The future of four polytechs is uncertain as the government moves to un-wind the merger of Polytechs into the super-institute Te Pūkenga. Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sandra Grey spoke… Audio
Australia looking more enticing to students and older NZers - migration stats
Tertiary sector leaders are warning the exodus of young people from the country will worsen if a funding reduction for the sector goes ahead, with the cost of studying in Australia getting close to… Audio
Government instructs Te Pūkenga to halt transformation
The new government has instructed Te Pūkenga to halt its multi-million-dollar transformation - putting hundreds of jobs in limbo.
The organisation's chief executive told staff on Thursday they were… Audio
Union 'dismayed' at National's involvement in proposed medical school
The Tertiary Education Union says it's dismayed at the extent the University of Waikato's Vice Chancellor worked with the National Party on its proposal for a new medical school in Hamilton.
… Audio
Te Pukenga survey reveals staff fear, anxiety and frustration
A newly released survey of staff at Te Pukenga finds one in three staff do not believe they have a future with the new mega polytech, and the vast majority would not recommend working there to family… Audio
University union members planning to strike
Union members at all eight of Aotearoa's universities will strike for higher pay later this week.
They're calling for a pay increase of eight percent to match the rising cost of living, and action… Audio
Deepening economic impact of Coronavirus
The country's biggest university has imposed a hiring freeze, Air New Zealand has asked staff to take voluntary leave without pay and small tourism operators are struggling to cope as the impact from… Audio
Uni & polytech staff struggling with mental health
The mental health of university and polytech staff is declining seriously according to the union representing them. The Tertiary Education Union says it's currently surveying staff across the sector… Audio
Controversial uni course survey will be published
The Tertiary Education Commission says it will publish controversial survey results evaluating university qualifications, despite criticism from Universities and tertiary staff that the results are… Audio
Commissioner on the cards for Unitec
The Government is considering appointing a commissioner to run Unitec in Auckland. The process has been undertaken by the government after it was revealed the institution was expected to make deficits… Audio
Unitec in financial trouble, tertiary union responds
The country's largest polytechnic, Unitec, is in financial trouble. It's facing a $31 million deficit and lost 660 full-time students last year, about seven percent of its total. The president of the… Audio
Dropping enrolments, major deficits in polytech annual reports
Dropping enrolments and multi-million-dollar deficits at some institutions have been revealed in the polytechnic annual reports. The institutes have begun publishing their 2017 results and they show… Audio
Fears of book burning as Auckland uni closes libraries
Staff members at the University of Auckland are worried it will burn thousands of books if it goes ahead with plans to close down it's specialist libraries. A staff member who helped close down the… Audio
Shakeup at University of Auckland School of Music
The University of Auckland School of Music is about to undergo a major restructure that could see five staff members lose their jobs, including one of the school's two professors, Uwe Grodd, an… Audio
Struggling polytech sector holds crisis meeting
Hard on the heels of news of the Government's $33 million bailout of the West Coast's Tai Poutini Polytechnic, Polytech leaders are holding a crisis meeting to discuss how to save the struggling… Audio
Ardern's first public speech at union conference
The story goes, the last time a Prime Minister made an appearance at the Council of Trade biennial conference 8 years ago, a delegate threatened to throw a shoe at him. No such reception this time for… Audio
More allegations of tertiary education problems
Academic staff say government targets and tight finances are resulting in dumbing down and dubious practices, as our education correspondent John Gerritsen reports. Audio
Lecturers say govt targets forcing them to pass students
The tertiary education union which represents academics & university lecturers says its members are increasingly feeling pressure to pass incompetent students. A survey of just over 1000 of its… Audio