Surplus requirements: how NZ universities try to turn a profit

Massey University vice-chancellor Jan Thomas controversially decided to end engineering courses. (Image: NZME)

Thu, 28 Mar 2024

Universities are predicting they will achieve a surplus again in 2025 – a return to form after an average annual surplus of $146 million from 2018 to 2022 is set to be punctuated with two years of projected deficits.This is mainly dependent on cuts to spending on staff, which represents 55% of universities’ total expenditure, according to the Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) chief executive, Tim Fowler. Totalling $2.4 billion in the year ending Dec 31 2022, employment expenditure has increased by $523m since 2012, a...

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