Budget 2020: While the cost of Covid-19 means crown debt will increase dramatically, setting the right priorities means the economy can recover sooner. The government should have two priorities in this budget. First, and most importantly, the health system needs to be ready for the medium-to-long term changes that the pandemic has forced on the … Read more
Moving overseas post graduation? Be prepared for your friendly interest-free student loan to become an out-of-control debt monster, writes Chelle Fitzgerald. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s how I found myself an additional $12K in the hole to IRD. It’s a tale as old as time (the ’90s), and many a former student will … Read more
With three out of the five parties in parliament keen on some form of free tertiary education, reform seems inevitable. That might be great news for graduates, writes Jack Close, but for students it’s a raw deal. In June of this year I finished university with a student loan with way too many numbers at … Read more
The National Party has voted: something needs to be done to improve students’ welfare. A new consensus has been formed, which may change the lives of struggling students across New Zealand, writes Jack Close Three months ago, I launched a lobby group named the Aotearoa Students’ Alliance to advocate for change to student welfare law. … Read more
The living costs loan is designed to keep students housed and fed, but in our biggest cities it rarely even covers rent. That’s where a new lobby group for legislative reform to improve students’ welfare comes in, says Jack Close, the group’s founder. Living costs are a student loan administered by StudyLink to cover “day … Read more
The problem with the living costs loan isn’t just that it’s too low, says university student Jack Close. It’s how it unfairly advantages those who need the help least. It’s been nearly three years since I awkwardly navigated the StudyLink website for the first time. Moving to Dunedin from my middle-class home in Wellington, I … Read more