For generations, New Zealanders have been told that if you work hard, get an education and build your skills, you’ll have the opportunity to succeed.
Today, that promise is slipping away.
Recent stories have exposed a harsh reality, that students are applying for dozens, even hundreds, of jobs without success. Others are skipping meals, struggling to pay rent, or questioning whether they can afford to stay enrolled. In Auckland, where living costs are among the highest in the country, the challenge is even greater.
National promised to tackle the cost of living and grow the economy. Instead, unemployment has risen, youth unemployment has climbed, and businesses have stopped hiring. When entry-level and part-time jobs disappear, students lose the income they rely on to pay for food, transport and study.
At the same time, the cost of education has continued to rise. Fees are increasing, public transport is more expensive, and everyday essentials cost more. Students are being squeezed from every direction.
These choices are short-sighted. New Zealand needs more nurses, teachers, engineers, apprentices and skilled workers. Yet the Government has scrapped Fees Free, cut apprenticeship support, and left tertiary institutions facing growing financial pressure. It is making it harder for people to gain the skills our economy needs.
The consequences reach far beyond campus. More young people are taking on greater debt, delaying study, or leaving New Zealand in search of opportunities they cannot find here.
Supporting students isn’t a cost, it’s an investment in our future workforce and our economy.
If we are serious about lifting productivity and growing New Zealand, we should be making it easier to study, easier to work, and easier for young people to build their future here not forcing them to wonder whether they can afford one at all.
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