Starting January 1, 2025, first-time tertiary learners in New Zealand will benefit from a new Fees Free entitlement of up to $12,000 for their final year of provider-based study or the final two years of work-based learning.
This initiative, announced by Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds, is designed to reward students’ commitment and encourage them to complete their qualifications.
“Targeting funding to the final year of study rewards students’ hard work and dedication, motivating them to complete their qualifications and achieve their goals,” said Simmonds.
The final-year Fees Free entitlement applies to learners studying at Level 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. Payments will be available from 2026 for studies completed in 2025, ensuring students are supported as they approach the culmination of their educational journeys.
This policy replaces the existing first-year Fees Free scheme, which will end for new learners at the close of 2024. The change fulfills a commitment by the National-New Zealand First Coalition to implement a final-year model, approved by Cabinet in April 2024.
The new approach focuses on incentivising educational success and ensuring that tertiary education funding delivers the maximum benefit for learners and their communities.
“This decision reflects the Government’s focus on incentivising educational success and ensuring funding delivers maximum value for both learners and communities,” said Simmonds.
The policy will be administered by the Tertiary Education Commission and Inland Revenue. Eligible learners can claim their entitlement through the myIR system starting in early 2026, supported by streamlined data-sharing processes.
“This Government is focused on fostering educational achievement, rewarding perseverance, and preparing learners for bright futures,” Simmonds added.
Image credit: Joshua Hoehne
All making people pay student fees for already publicly funded tertiary education institutions, is, in essence, imposing a double tax levied on families, who are the future of this nation. I never agreed with it when it came in, in the 1990’s and I still don’t today.
This is a ersatz measure that, in a grudging, mean spirited way, reflects how dissatisfied with the Yank style neo liberal users pays model of tertiary education. A model that no doubt drives people off shore so they can earn as much as they can to pay the usurious thing back.
Fully agree.
Putting students in debt, the equivalent of a mortgage with no asset backing, is iniquitous and shortsighted.
There are no “free” fees. There is no “free” anything. The government is not a business, it sells no product, it generates no revenue. They CANNOT make something “free”.
All they’re doing is shifting the fees onto the already overburdened tax payer (which is all they EVER do BTW).
And labelling the sector “education” is a massive stretch these days as well. You wouldn’t believe the college graduates I interview from time to time who are dumb as rocks.
Have you seen some of the ridiculous ‘game shows’ recently that involve general knowledge?
Sometimes I’ll turn on the tele at the end of these game shows to see the propaganda otherwise known as TVNZ ‘News’ and what I’m seeing on a regular basis is shocking and at the same time mind-numbing.
I’m surprised that western societies can even function based on the ingrained and taught deflective stupidity that I’m seeing on a regular basis now, especially in the U.K.. Most of those ‘contestants’ can’t even name who the next King will be!
In keeping with parallel similarities, the U.S. is attempting to do the same with ‘Student Loans’.
Let’s see what happens when CBDC via Bitcoin enters into the picture for cashless societal transactions.
Will ‘Student Debt’ be erased using the same? OR-
Will the Student Debtors receive full forgiveness of any and all debt if they sign-up for the WEF’s dystopian dream as envisioned by Klaus Schwab, a WHO steered by Bill Gates, and a NWO fundamental economy managed by engaged Nazi George Soros (REAL J3wi$h name; Georg Schwartz)
Pay as you go IF you can.
Those with insight in the U.S. first take-up a trade and work in that until they have saved enough $ to enter Uni of ‘college’.
They then go on and do their ‘degree’.
Hence, those Yanks with any insight use this methodology to prevent going into debt with student loans (usury), and they also apply for both Grant and Scholarship $ as well (which one does not have to pay back…)
Then, if the student loses his / her job in the degree’d profession, they then can fall back on their previously-learned trade skills.
BUT-
There are no jobs at any level in the U.S. anymore…only minimum-wage part time jobs, operating in the ‘Gig Economy’ as designed by the Zionist Controlled Elements that are deeply entrenched in the U.S. at all levels, especially in the universities and ‘colleges’ where they ‘screen’ the students. If the students are J3wi$h, they then get EVERYTHING!
This is why many Yanks have exited the U.S. and now work overseas.
Communist U.S. President Obama (Soetoro from Kenya…another ‘illegal President’ and predicted by Credo Mutwa, Nostradamus and Baba
Vanga) also passed additioonal ‘laws’ oppressing Yanks living and working overseas with forcing them to pay U.S. tax and ‘reporting of overseas assets’ so that the U.S. Government can impose additional fines, penalties, and various forms of ‘double taxation’ which is illegal and un-Constitutional in the U.S.!
Based on these tools of oppression, many Yanks have renounced U.S. Citizenship, and are the citizens of other nations.
Obama made the living conditions of Americans living overseas so untenable to the point that the paperwork that the IRS requires foreign banks to ‘report on American-held bank accounts’ overseas so terribly complex that many nations no longer allow Americans to open foreign bank accounts.
This is why Tina Turner became a Swiss Citizen, and renounced U.S. Citizenship based not only on the illegal privacy-invading reporting and double-taxation requirements that pevented her and other ‘celebrities living overseas’ , but also on the Talmudic fraudulent system of banking and taxation that the U.S. has!
Trump said that he would put a stop to double taxation on Americans living and working overseas, but I seriously doubt it. J3w$ will use every opportunity to bilk and steal property and money in any way they can, wherever the property and money are located!