Devaluation Affects University Salaries

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31542, 2 December 1967, Page 20

Devaluation Affects University Salaries

“The Association of University Teachers feels that devaluation creates a critical situation in New Zealand universities,” said the chairman of the Canterbury branch (Professor T. E. Carter) in a statement.

“Australian university salaries are now running at 50 to 80 per cent higher than those for equivalent positions in New Zealand,” he said.

“The Australian starting salary is $2400 ahead of the New Zealand counterpart and at the other end of the scale a reader in Australia at even the smallest university college is earning more than a New Zealand vice-chancellor, who is responsible for a multimillion dollar administrative and educational machine. “The Australian reader is also earning considerably more than a New Zealand Cabinet minister,” said Professor Carter. “In view of this, it is reasonable that qualified persons from the United Kingdom, which supplies nearly half of the Australian and New Zealand staff, will ignore positions in this country. Similarly, New Zealand, in what is a very mobile profession and on a sellers’ market, will be looking increasingly across the Tasman.

“The association is fully aware of the economic situation,” said Professor Carter. “It believes the Government has made a real attempt to put the universities on a sound footing. These represent a high capital investment, which the country can scarcely do without if it is to make any sort of industrial progress. “It would be regrettable, if

the achievement in the universities over the last few years were to be lost. It is, after all, a field where recruiting has never been easy and it needs only the loss of a few key staff members for the quality to drop considerably."