Mixed reaction to semester move
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash wants to shift the university year so students can work in February and March, but some industry figures aren’t jumping at the idea.
Nash suggested moving the university year by about six to eight weeks, solving a ‘‘whole lot of issues’’ with worker shortages over summer.
‘‘Imagine if university finished in . . . the beginning of December, and they went back . . . let’s say at the end of March,’’ Nash said yesterday.
The tourism industry did not start picking up in earnest until about mid-December for the season, as did a lot of horticultural work.
But Pierce Crowley, the president of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association, was sceptical that the proposal ‘‘would lead to any material increase’’ in the number of students taking up work in those sectors.
‘‘I personally would not enjoy taking a final exam midDecember in the sweltering heat, and I imagine most students would feel the same,’’ he said.
It would also cause disruption to the currently structured academic year and graduation processes and would require changes in industries that offer workintegrated learning experiences and internships over summer, Crowley said.
Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association president Ralph Zambrano said students wouldn’t jump into seasonal jobs just because the university year changed. ‘‘It’s not the kind of work we want. Students want to utilise their passions and the degree they’ve gone into debt for,’’ he said.
Nash said he had spoken to ‘‘a couple of vice-chancellor friends of mine’’ who said that, hypothetically, there was nothing to prevent a shift in the timing of the university year, but there would be work to do because academics would have to alter their planning.
However, the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee ‘‘has not previously heard Mr Nash’s suggestion and therefore has neither considered nor discussed it’’, said Chris Whelan, the chief executive of Universities New Zealand.
‘‘Until that discussion takes place, it is not clear how feasible such a change would be.’’
The suggestion was met with a mixed response from industry figures. Cromwell cherry orchardist Tim Jones said the university holidays currently sat well with the peak demand in December and January.
However, Simon Webb, who grows summer fruit in the area, said later university holidays would mean more workers during their peak season of February and March. ‘‘It would help us a lot.’’
‘‘Normally when students and school kids leave, we employ more backpackers, but there’s not a lot in the country now.’’
James Dicey, the owner of Cromwell vineyard development firm Grape Vision, said the critical period for vineyards in Central Otago was from late March through April and into May. Workers were also needed in November.
‘‘I appreciate the minister’s thinking, but from a Central Otago perspective it’s reasonably unlikely to actually make a big difference,’’ he said.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White said any increase in the availability of student staff members over summer would be helpful.
‘‘Minister Nash should be commended for thinking outside the square. Everything helps at this point of time.’’
Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods said Queenstown was at its busiest in February and March, a popular time for overseas visitors to travel, so more staff would be welcomed.
However, many students chose to attend summer schools or preferred to stay in their home cities with families, he said.
“We need a longer-term solution. All it will give us is an extra four weeks.”
Recently released Tourism Industry Aotearoa figures show that 75% of tourism businesses are currently recruiting for employees.