CLOSES SEPTEMBER 21ST 2026 - Petition link: https://petitions.parliament.nz/dcc78884-1a1b-4388-a0d3-08dedd9e54a0?lang=en

An update on fees free...

In July, the UCSA President made a submission to the Education and Workforce Committee on behalf of the UCSA. This Committee is a parliamentary group that looks at laws, policies and matters related to education, amongst other things.

In the ongoing meetings that the UCSA Executive have had with MPs, it is clear that an avenue for grandfathering (essentially asking for a phase-out instead of the planned immediate ending of the policy) of the Final-year Fees Free policy needs to be explored. We are advocating for this grandfathering within the submission, and the President has requested an audience with the Committee to talk about this in person. 

We have also released an official parliamentary petition, which goes to the House of Representatives, and we encourage you to read this and sign it.

You can read the President’s full submission to the Committee on our Transparency webpage. The Committee has acknowledged receipt of the letter. The Committee has no business open related to the matter UCSA has raised, and they have indicated that they will reach out to UCSA should a relevant item arise in future.

We strongly encourage tertiary education students across the motu to read our submission and sign our petition.  

Let’s work together to get the best possible outcome for students who have undertaken a degree under the assumption of receiving their final year fees-free.

Instagram update released on August 5th: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dboi-7vG6Eh/