’Crisis Near’ Over University Staff

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32118, 14 October 1969, Page 36

’Crisis Near’ Over University Staff

(New Zealand Press-Association) AUCKLAND, October 13. A crisis was near over the quantity and quality of staff in New Zealand universities, the deputy president of the Auckland University Teachers’ Association (Professor B. Brown) said today.

Professor Brown said (thoughtful New Zealanders should heed the warning of the Governor-General (Sir Arthur Porritt) about the dangers in the alarming negative balance between immigration and emigration, especially of the skilled craftsmen and professional classes. For university staff, and others who could do better for themselves in Australia and i elsewhere the “horse and i buggy salaries criterion of internal relativity,” seemed (sadly out of date. ! The president of the National Union of Teachers (Mr 18. Brooks) said the union ! feared New Zealand was fast

becoming the Scotland of the Pacific—renowned for scenery and the export of'brains.The union viewed with concern tiie increasing and accelerating brain drain from tertiary education. A lowering in university standards could start a descending spiral that affected all levels of instruction. All teachers and the community at large had a vested interest in maintaining the highest level of qualified staff in the universities. Mr Brooks said this would be initially achieved by raising university salaries to parity with those obtained in Canada or Australia.