Labour’s big education pitch

Labour has made it’s biggest pitch of the campaign so far with a promise to deliver the first year of three years free post-secondary education a year earlier in 2018 and boost student allowances and loans by $50 per week as part of a big jump in education spending.

Leader Jacinda Ardern released the policy on Tuesday as finance spokesman Grant Robertson updated the party’s fiscal plan that included the extra spending.

The move sees extra education spending jump from $417m this year under Labour’s original plan to $781m and from $1.5b to $2b by 2022 as the fee free promise is fasttracked.

That policy, unveiled by former leader Andrew Little in his ‘‘state of the nation’’ speech in early 2016, promised three years free education for tertiary students and other ‘‘post-school’’ education.

Ardern unveiled the plan at Western Springs College in Auckland to applause from the students, saying it would mean ‘‘more young people can go on to study after school and gain qualifications with less debt’’.

‘‘Students have told us that the priority needs to be living costs. Just getting by week-to-week has become a significant barrier to many people continuing to study,’’ she said.

‘‘Labour will therefore boost living cost assistance for students by $50 a week from the start of 2018.

This applied to both the means tested student allowance and universal student loan living costs allowance, bringing each up to around $230 a week. Following the boost they would remain tied to CPI.

‘‘For anyone out there who challenges that, who says that this is a cynical move or a policy that we shouldn’t be announcing, my response to them is this: it is unreasonable for us to expect that those who are furthering themselves for all of our benefit, should have to live on $170 a week.

‘‘I’m keen to remove tertiary fees as quickly as possible, so I have brought forward by one year our three years’ free policy. From the beginning of 2018, everyone starting tertiary education for the first time will get one year fulltime study fees free.’’

‘‘That will be extended to two years free in 2021 and three years free in 2024. If conditions allow, we will accelerate this policy further.’’

The tertiary policy would prepare students for an uncertain future economy.

‘‘Our job isn’t to gaze into a crystal ball to predict the type of work you will do, which is going to be amazing. Our job is simply to help you prepare for it.

‘‘When you are trained and educated that benefits all of us, and the New Zealand economy as a whole.’’