Music school cuts
Your letters pages show widespread public concern about the planned cuts to the Waikato University Conservatorium of Music. This groundswell of support will be welcome to the dedicated and talented staff there who have given so much to the cultural life of Hamilton and the region. The strength of feeling expressed by many correspondents is a marvellous testament to how the conservatorium is valued by the community.
A sound public submission has been made to the university. It includes some strategies to deal with the financial dilemma facing the university, which we believe will achieve a secure and viable future for the conservatorium. I am confident that the submission will be treated seriously as there is genuine goodwill amongst management, who individually also appreciate the enormous value of music in our lives.
What is clear from the many exchanges of information during this debate is that the university is being forced to operate within severe financial constraints. These constraints have been imposed on it by central Government and are damaging all departments at universities. For example serious concerns have been expressed to me about the state of research funding in the sciences. Therefore it is my view that the focus of the debate about the conservatorium must now be firmly on