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Now we see him....

A delegation of three - myself, Lisa Sacksen and Bryan Hughes, President of WPSA, entered Parliament Buildings to meet Mr Amos, as had previously been arranged. The angry cries of the students demanding that he address them reverberated through the entire building.

We entered the outer chamber - and were then kept waiting over ten minutes by his excellency - sorry. Honourable Minister. On being admitted at last to the inner sanctuary we presented the Minister with the facecloths, which were returned to the students with his regards!

We then invited the Minister to speak to the students. He declined, stating that as he was meeting STANZ, NZUSA and NZTISA in two weeks this would serve little purpose. When I pointed out that perhaps the students would like some explanation of his actions (or lack of them) regarding bursaries over the past 21/2 years, he smiled benignly. The fact that 3000 voices were shouting 'We want Amos' outside his office window did not appear to penetrate his aura of... .

We then had a more formal discussion, in particular of the inadequacy of the recently announced hardship allowance. To our objections to the stringent means test, Mr Amos said, 'Ah, but student bursaries have always been means tested.' He then, by some devious logic, proceeded to argue that because the boarding allowance was paid to students whose parents lived some distance from a university town, as extra financial aid, this therefore constituted a means test.

NZUSA has been given a copy of the criteria for the hardship bursary. To my question - 'May we publicise this to our members so they will be aware of the basis on which they are being judged?' - the answer 'No."

As to when we could expect a definite announcement on the Standard Tertiary Bursary - 'Hopefully, the end of May.'

Is that definite?'

'No!'

Discussion then moved to a detailed letter NZUSA had sent the Minister the previous day. While he admitted having received the letter, whether he had actually bothered to read it remained unclear. I pointed out that Mr Amos had told a Waikato student that a definite relationship existed between university first and second year bursaries, and technical institute third and fourth year bursaries, and that one could not be increased without the other. Yet two days later he had done just that. He agreed that yes, in two days he had changed the whole basis of the bursary system.

To our request for a paper on the Standard Tertiary Bursary before we meet the Minister on 8 April - 'I will be considering NZUSA's letter with the utmost urgency.' (Now where have I heard that before . . . )

Realising we were merely wasting our own time (Mr Amos' time being of doubtful value) we bade him good-day and went down to speak to the students.