Radio New Zealand has really done an excellent job of summarising the plight of New Zealand university students—all in less than four minutes. Listen here, to hear how bad it actually is.
There’s an accompanying article if you prefer to read: “students talked of making compromises on food and other necessities, and that living in energy hardship hampered their health.” Students are twice as likely to be living in mouldy apartments compared to the rest of us.
I expect these students to go on to become our leaders, policy-makers and innovators. This generation will be burdened by the impacts of climate change a lot more than mine will. It’s just not acceptable to make them suffer because of some historical put-another-jumper-on bullshit way of thinking that many older New Zealanders inherited from their parents.
Education is important for a nation to succeed. Educated citizens pull us all forward. Students unable to eat properly and getting sick from our badly performing and not fit-for-purpose housing stock won’t be able to do this.