Happy days are here again. Well, so some politicians would have us believe. Wonderful stories abound about restructuring and 'think big' strategies. These policies will supposedly cure our economic malaise. Despite calls for further belt-tightening, restraint and patience, we are told that we can be optimistic about our country's future.

Now there's nothing wrong with optimism - God knowns, New Zealanders desperately need a common dream for the future. But let's look a little more closely at what is happening, for there are many people who have no cause to share such enthusiasm. Among these are the nearly one million people involved in some way in the country's education system. 41,000 of them are university students, and they are facing a crisis.