Sign this petition

Sign our call to Luxon’s Government to: 

  • Reverse the decision to scrap Fees Free in Budget 2026 
  • Support students through the fossil fuel crisis by extending and expanding the Winter Energy Payment to cover students 
  • Ensure all forms of tertiary education are accessible for disabled students, consistent with our national and international agreements and strategies 
  • Work towards a quality and fully debt-free tertiary education system 

We need 5,000 signatures
6,077 SIGNATURES

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Not too long ago, New Zealanders not only went to university for free, but were paid to do it. Successive Governments have made cut after cut to undermine access to higher education and saddle young people and those retraining with huge debt. 

The Luxon Government has put the accelerator on these cuts, across tertiary, science, research and development – driving young New Zealanders to flee a country that refuses to invest in their future. 

The shock dumping of the fees free tertiary scheme is the latest in a long line of relentless cuts to the sector, leading to job losses and fewer courses. 

The Luxon Government is callously saddling more students with more debt to pay for tax cuts for the super-rich. 

We support the call made by student associations all around te motu to reverse the decision to scrap Fees Free.  

Instead of cutting funding for tertiary education, the Government should invest more in supporting students, staff and providers.