| 1972 |
| Labour Party promised in its General Election Manifesto to introduce a Standard Tertiary Bursary for all students. |
| May 1973 |
NZUSA May Council: National officers asked to investigate the possibility of hurrying up the Labour Party on implementing this promise. |
| July 4, 1973 |
NZUSA delegation to Mr Amos who promised a white paper for early August 1973. |
| September 1973 |
NZUSA writes to Mr Amos, regarding the promised while paper who said that the situation was more difficult than he had expected. |
| November 13, 1973 |
Mr Amos again wrote to NZUSA. Me said, 'I am expecting to receive the paper from my Department in the near future. I believe that adequate progress should have been made at the beginning of next year for my Department to invite submissions from the NZUSA and the interested bodies.' |
| February 28. 1974 |
NZUSA again wrote to Mr Amos inquiring after the whereabouts of the promised white paper. |
| Late March, 1974 |
Reply received from Mr Faulkner, Acting Minister of Education, who said that the Department was prepared to receive submissions from the NZUSA |
| April - May |
NZUSA, STANZ, NZTISA representatives visited the Department of Education and put forward our proposals for a common tertiary bursary system. Mr Renwick, Assistant Director General of Education, said we could expect 'broad outline proposals toward a policy.' |
| June 11, 1974 |
A letter was received by a Canterbury student from Mr Amos stating that the Department had agreed to prepare a paper giving more detailed information prior to the NZUSA council in August 1974. This was in contradiction to the above statement. |
| June 27, 1974 |
NZUSA wrote to Mr Amos inquiring as to what sort of proposal could be expected in August. |
| Late July 1974 |
Reply received from Mr Amos in which it is confirmed that we can expect a 'broad outline proposal towards a policy.'
NZUSA found out inadvertently that teacher's organsiations had been given a preliminary paper on which to comment. This had been withheld from NZUSA STANZ, NZTISA.page break.gif) |
| August 1, 1974 |
NZUSA again went to see Mr Renwick and asked when, if ever, we were going to get our preliminary paper. We were told we would have received this by August 15. |
| August 14, |
NZUSA received from Mr R Renwick a two page letter with two single page appendices. It told us little more than we could have guessed:
| (1) |
bursary support is to be the same for all tertiary students with the actual grant to be calculated on the number of weeks in each year the student is pursuing a full-time course of study.
|
| (2) |
Bursary to apply only to students following full-time courses of a year's duration.
|
| (3) |
Additional allowances for students following costly courses (eg $700 pa for fine arts at Canterbury) to be paid to help them overcome these costs.
|
| (4) |
Boarding allowances not to be paid. Arrangements to be made to meet the needs of married students on an individual basis.
|
| (5) |
Bursary only available to students qualified to enrol for a particular course and to such adult students as are granted provisional admission.
|
| (6) |
No bond.
|
| (7) |
Bursary rates proposed for purposes of a feasibility study to be the current rates of Unemployment Benefit,
(single -20 yr $20.50
20 + $26.85
married $44.70)
|
| (8) |
Supplementary allowances and tuition Tees to continue without change.
|
| (8) |
Limited provision to be made for students entering university from the sixth form.
|
|
| October 3, 1974 |
NZUSA received a letter from Mr Amos stating that the Standard Tertiary Bursary would not be introduced at the beginning of the 1975 academic year 'in view of the current economic situation. |
| October 16, 1974 |
NZUSA National Executive met with Mr Renwick to discuss the proposals for the Standard Tertiary Bursary with him, and presented to him our submissions on this bursary. |
| October 17 1974 |
Letter was sent from the NZUSA National Executive to all MPs expressing dissatisfaction with the government's behaviour. Several sympathetic replies were received, especially from the Opposition Education L.W. Gandar. |
| December 3 1974 |
Mr Amos refuses to meet NZUSA to discuss the Tertiary Bursary. |
| December 1974 |
NZUSA met the chairman of the University Grants Committee and proposed:
| (1) |
An interim increase in boarding bursaries.
|
| (2) |
Introduction of a hardship allowance for students in difficult circumstances, such as women students living away from home.
|
| (3) |
Immediate introduction of the clause of the Tertiary Bursary proposal, regarding payment of fees for costly courses.
|
|
| December 18 |
UGC notifies NZUSA proposals 1 and 2 had been turned down and proposal 3 was still being considered. The final decision would be made by the Minister |
| December 19 1974 |
NZUSA is again refused an interview with Mr Amos. |
| December 23 1974 |
NZUSA receives the report of the Advisory Council on Educational Planning recommending the introduction of a Standard Tertiary Bursary. |
| January 11 1975 |
NZUSA National Executive meets to consider further action. It is decided:
| (1) |
to call for a meeting with Mr Amos on February 14 to discuss the bursary situation.
|
| (2) |
To conduct a campaign with its students to force the government to recognise its election promise and duty to introduce a Tertiary Bursary System in 1975. It is supported, by STANZ and NZTISA in this.
|
|
| 12-30 January 1975 |
Major press campaign seeking support for the students' case for a bursaries increase. Statements of support received from the press, L.W. Gandar. N.C. Phillips, and university accommodation services. |
| January 13 1975 |
Mr Amos is interviewed on an NZBC 'Checkpoint' programme, and states there is no doubt there will have to be some form of interim assistance for students. |
| January 15 1975 |
A letter is sent from NZUSA to all Vice-Chancellors and university councils seeking support for our case for a bursary increase. |
| January 15 1975 |
Mr Amos sends a letter to NZTISA stating that there will be no increase in bursaries |
| February 14 1975 |
NZUSA National Executive meets Mr Amos. The Minister was evasive and totally unhelpful. He told us the letter received on August 14 could not be regarded as a proposal for a tertiary bursary. Rather it was a 'feasibility study' and he would make no guarantees that any tertiary bursary would be based on this study. Basically this means that we are back to square one. |
| February 15 1975 |
Education workshop discusses the bursaries situation and proposals for a major campaign involving leaflets, posters, forums and mass based action |
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