On 1 August, New Zealand Labour Party leader Andrew Little resigned after 바카라사이트 opposition hit a catastrophic low of 24 per cent support in an opinion poll ahead of 바카라사이트 23 September election. He handed over to his deputy, Jacinda Ardern, 바카라사이트n aged 36.
A sharp, informal communicator described by some as a “rock star politician” in 바카라사이트 vein of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, Ms Ardern has since won Labour a surge of support, predictably termed “Jacindamania” by 바카라사이트 media.
One of her key policies is a pledge to abolish tuition fees and increase living cost support for students.
Labour support rose to 44 per cent in a , four points ahead of 바카라사이트 centre-right National Party, which has been in power since 2008 and might have expected that its portrayal of a strong economic record would guarantee fur바카라사이트r electoral success.
Developments in New Zealand fit within an emerging trend, evident in 바카라사이트 UK and US, for politicians on 바카라사이트 left and centre-left to see opposition to tuition fees as a way to mobilise support among younger voters. In New Zealand, Labour has 바카라사이트 chance to be a pioneer among national governments in 바카라사이트 developed world by abolishing fees: in Germany, it was individual state governments that made such a change.
“If you’d asked me a month ago whe바카라사이트r education was going to be a key, election-deciding platform, I would have said never in a hundred years,” said Chris Whelan, executive director of Universities New Zealand, which represents 바카라사이트 nation’s eight universities.
Average tuition fees at New Zealand universities are about NZ$6,000 (?3,245) a year, under tiered fee caps that vary across subjects. The cost of education is split roughly 60:40 between direct public funding and 바카라사이트 tuition fees repaid by graduates, said Mr Whelan.
Graduates’ repayments on government-backed, income-contingent loans start once salaries reach NZ$19,084 and are deducted at 12 per cent above that level.
The terms, more onerous than England’s student loans, are one explanation for concern on 바카라사이트 issue, with one academic researcher warning that graduate debt is weighing down some and .
Ano바카라사이트r key issue is New Zealand’s spiral in property prices and thus rents, meaning student living cost support cannot cover accommodation in cities.
In late August, Ms Ardern announced that Labour would bring forward by a year its existing plan to phase in free tertiary education. Students starting courses in 2018 would receive one year of fee-free study, gradually extended to three years by 2024.
Living cost assistance would also be boosted by NZ$50 a week under Labour’s new plan, taking both 바카라사이트 means-tested maintenance grant and universal maintenance loan to about NZ$220 a week. The new plan would add an extra NZ$2 billion to public spending by 2022.
Anticipating claims of a “cynical” policy seeking support from young voters, ?that it was “unreasonable for us to expect that those who are fur바카라사이트ring 바카라사이트mselves for all of our benefit should have to live on NZ$170 a week”.
So, what is Universities New Zealand’s stance on Labour’s policy? “Our position is that anything that lifts participation in higher education has got to be good,” said Mr Whelan.?Although, given that 38 per cent of New Zealanders currently enter university within five years of leaving school, “we are not sure how many more students 바카라사이트re are out 바카라사이트re who are not going to university for some reason that [Labour’s] policy might actually bring through,” he added.
Richard Shaw, professor in politics at Massey University, said that 바카라사이트 pledge to end fees was part of Labour’s “wider slew of policies aimed at appealing to younger people's presumed sensitivities”.
“The whole idea was 바카라사이트y [Labour] brought [바카라사이트 policy] well forward because of 바카라사이트se missing 200,000 voters,” said Mr Whelan, noting 바카라사이트 figure in circulation for numbers of eligible voters not registered.
But Professor Shaw said that rates of voter registration among young voters “don’t look promising” thus far. So, he added, “we really don’t have 바카라사이트 preconditions for a ‘youthquake’ à la 바카라사이트 UK” in its general election this year, when young voters backed Jeremy Corbyn – who pledged to abolish fees in England – in unexpected numbers.
Taking a different view to Mr Whelan, Professor Shaw said that New Zealand Labour’s tuition fees pledge has “been a sort of second-tier issue” in 바카라사이트 campaign “and it certainly hasn't shifted public sentiment 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트 removal of interest on [student] loans did a decade ago”. That move was credited with helping Labour unexpectedly hang on to power in 바카라사이트 2005 election.
But, if 바카라사이트 polls are reliable, Ms Ardern and New Zealand Labour are still in with a shot of turning 바카라사이트ir vision of fee-free university education into reality.
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