As we head to the end of the year, I wanted to wish you all good luck with exams, and hopefully a restful summer before as many as possible of you return in 2026.
It has been a difficult year for universities in Aotearoa. The year began with us still reeling from the government’s decisions to exclude Humanities and Social Sciences from the Marsden Fund, one of the main sources of research funding for blue skies research. This was, and is, a terrible decision, excluding some of the researchers who hold the key to solving the big challenges of our time from being supported to do their work.
Throughout all of this our staff and students have continued to produce exceptional research. We are heading towards close to our best ever year for external research income. With fewer staff and more students, we still see superb teaching experiences, and breakthrough moments for students. I want to give a huge shout-out to our amazing kaimahi in every sphere.
The Budget in May brought more difficult news. Although we all mostly reacted with a collective “it could have been worse” the net result is that universities will receive less funding per student than we did in 2025. This comes at a time when costs are rising for everyone, and when we are stretching our dollars ever thinner. It means more tough decisions and trade offs after several years of tough decisions and trade offs. This includes student fees – the government is allowing for them to be increased to partially offset the other funding cuts. It's not the place any of us want to be in.
Recently a major report on the future of Universities and one on the future of the science (research) system have been released with very limited coverage in the media. The future of universities matters so much for our society and economy, yet we hardly merit a mention in the news.
And that got me thinking about next year. It is an election year. We will all have particular issues that we think are important and we want to see in voters and politicians minds. Will support for universities, research and students be among those?
Between the university administration, staff and students we will not agree on everything that we think should happen – but there is plenty that binds us together. We need properly funded universities, resources for high quality research and students supported for their living costs. I think we should make 2026 the year when we put our future as universities front and centre. This is not about voting for a particular party – it is about how we use our collective voice to make sure that what happens here at Otago and universities around Aotearoa is valued and supported.
So, my best wishes again. Thanks for being a part of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka in 2025, and here’s to a new year of positivity, possibility and kotahitanga in 2026.