1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Student numbers continue to grow. Seven of our eight universities 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: have seen an increase this semester Auckland, our pet Canterbury 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: up over six. Victoria's international numbers are up fifty percent. 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,879 Speaker 1: The problem is that with all these enrollments, the government 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: projections turn out to be wrong, which means the funding 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: is wrong. They're short of money. Chris Williams, the chief 7 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: executive of Universities New Zealan and Chris, morning to you. 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,080 Speaker 1: But modern they're fifty percent from Victoria. Is there anything 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: specific there is that weird? 10 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 2: Look, individual universities are focusing the rebuild of the international 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 2: education market in different places. It's not surprising to see 12 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 2: some quite big increases as universities get back into some markets. 13 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: Are we getting people in universities because they genuinely want 14 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: to be there or because they can't find a job? 15 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: Look, it's always going to be a combination of the two. 16 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 2: The world's changed a lot over the last twenty years. 17 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 2: Half of all students now are mature age students coming 18 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 2: back to university after time in the workforce, and obviously 19 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: it's very hard to predict who's going to do that 20 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 2: and when they're going to do so. 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: What are you going to do with funding in that sense, 22 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: because I mean the government can quite rightly ask, if 23 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: you've just got a whole lot of people sitting around 24 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: bums on seats, why do we need to give you 25 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: more money as opposed to genuinely educating the country or 26 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: would you argue differently. 27 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 2: Well, look, we would argue that we are genuinely educating 28 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 2: the country. Two thirds of all jobs and the economy. Now, 29 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 2: if you're entering the workforce for the first time, two 30 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: thirds of all jobs you now have to have at 31 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: least two years of post schooled education. So it's now 32 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: kind of the pathway into successful lives and careers. We 33 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 2: need to be funding these places so that people are 34 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: able to get those kind of qualifications and the skills 35 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 2: and knowledge that come with them. 36 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: Always good to have you on the program. Chris Wheelan, 37 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: Chief Executive Universities in New Zealand. Katie and I we're 38 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: talking this week. I might raise it after eight half 39 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: the people at university aren't going to have work anyway. 40 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: If you're a lawyer, you're in big trouble. Why AI, 41 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: the future is the thinker, is the philosopher, is the conceptualizer, 42 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: the person who just goes, hey mate, do that, read 43 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: that and then write something down. They're done for so 44 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: it's a big question Mike universities in the future as well. 45 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 46 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: News Talks at B from six am weekdays, or follow 47 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.