1. Advocating for universities in the public arena – the Universities New Zealand perspective
Chris Whelan, Executive Director,
Universities New Zealand
National Conference on University Governance – October 2018
Te Pōkai Tara
Universities
New Zealand

2. Universities NZ New Zealand university sector has just 8 universities
Universities New Zealand – eight VCs
Key roles;
Quality assurance (statutory function)
Sector coordination (14 sub-committees, etc)
Sector interface to Government.
Media commentary and public outreach
Coordination role around international education.
Vice-Chancellors meet six times a year.
Chancellors join VC meetings twice a year.
‘Engagement Strategy’ drives UNZ’s advocacy
Owned by the Vice-Chancellors.
Updated with the Chancellors annually.
Based on understanding and aligning the objectives of all key stakeholders…
Before talking more about the sector I’d like to introduce Universities New Zealand.

3. Engagement Strategy – High Level
Universities
World-class teaching & research with sufficient resourcing.
Government
Innovative, productive workforce.
Ideas and knowledge transfer to drive economic, social and
cultural outcomes.
Public
Relevant useful education that opens doors to successful lives and careers.
Industry
Flow of skilled capable workers.
Useful ideas & knowledge.
Engagement Strategy Key Themes
1. Universities a key part of the success of NZ and NZders
2. A university education is the best investment a person can make in their future.

4. Example – students… Universities Government Industry Students-
Want to attract students to;
- Fulfil core teaching mission
- Support
research
- Drive
revenue
Government
- Wants employable work ready graduates.
- Supply to
broadly
match
demand
Students-
- Qualifications that make them stand out to employers.
- An education that sets them up for successful lives & careers
Industry
- Work ready graduates
- Productive, innovative, value-adding employees
Public advocacy based on
- University graduates enjoy excellent life and career outcomes.
- University education will be more important in future.
- Graduates are career and work ready (even if not always job and/or task ready)
- NZ university education one of most efficient & effective anywhere.
- Need for investment to maintain & grow.

5. How do we advocate in practice?
Cynical and doubting Government, industry, media, and public
Frame all advocacy through the lens of what our audiences want more of (or fear losing).
Evidence-based, reasonable, and reasoning approach.
Focus on mutual wins.
Avoid crying wolf – focus on real issues only.
Be constructive – be the people that Government, industry bodies, and media can and want to work with.
General philosophy;
Govt cares about things that the public and employers care about.
So, general messaging about value of universities and university education to the public and employers.
And, targeted messaging to Govt about investment opportunities and improving outcomes.
Before talking more about the sector I’d like to introduce Universities New Zealand.

6. What it looks like in practice
Public messages
Government messages
Graduates earn $1.4m more over their working lives than school leavers (12% ROI).
1.5% unemployment rate & low under-employment.
Economy and job market is evolving – 1996 to 2013
It is now almost impossible to get into half of NZ jobs without a degree.
As for public messages plus…
NZ funding per student below OECD average (75% of Australia)
Funding levels now a serious constraint.
Many students missing out or failing because of resourcing.
University a key area for investment to drive economic, social and cultural outcomes.

7. Universities New Zealand Work Programme
Evidence and analysis to Government mostly focused in growing shared understanding of two things…
1. Intervention logic
Understand what sits at the intersection of VC objectives and Government objectives and why.
Understand how all the different elements of teaching, research, knowledge transfer, rankings, international education, (etc) feed off, compliment, and amplify each other.
2. Investment logic
Pretty much everything is a “private-private-public-public” problem. Private = universities, students, academic, businesses, etc. Public = Government, industries, society, etc.
Incentives are frequently misaligned. For example – International Collaborations….
NPV of increase to GDP after 15 years for every $1.00 dollars invested
Collaboration Activity
Total NPV =
NPV for Uni +
NPV for Indiv +
NPV for Public
International research collaboration
$2.46 =
$0.25 +
~$0 +
$2.21
Academic staff exchanges
$0.61 =
$0.06 +
$0.55
Student exchanges – short term (semester)
$1.06 =
$0.43 +
$0.63
Work placements
$5.87 =
$2.94 +
$2.94
Before talking more about the sector I’d like to introduce Universities New Zealand.

8. 5. Domestic & International student numbers (Postgrad & Undergrad)
Getting Govt to understand uni business model
Quality & Volume-Driven University Business Model
(hugely simplified!)
1. Attract & retain world class academic staff able to do quality research & research-informed teaching (half from overseas now)
3. University's international research quality profile (drives majority of rankings - 60% QS, 76% Times HE & 90% ARWU)
6. Income at a level where quality of staff, teaching & research is maintained
2. Domestic reputation re quality & relevance of courses & degrees. And, perceived ‘student experience’
5. Domestic & International student numbers (Postgrad & Undergrad)
4. University's international quality reputation & rankings (all NZ universities now in top-500 of QS)

9. (no we can’t prove causality!)
Results?
(no we can’t prove causality!)
2017 survey of 1000 parents of school age kids – would you encourage your kids to go to university?
Yes No
Overall
86% 6%
Under 40 Yrs Old
92% 5%
Over 60 Yrs Old
80%
With a degree
93% 1%
School qual only
74%
15%

10. But challenges remain…
Ministerial advisors count re-tweets, comments, story pick-up rates and use this to assess public opinion.
Traditional media channels declining in reach. Editorial policies focus on controversy, conflict, competing views.
Other social media channels heavily fragmented and focused on entertainment.
NZ Business mostly small companies – fragmented and hard to reach.
It’s not clear what advocacy in the public arena will look like in future.
Before talking more about the sector I’d like to introduce Universities New Zealand.

11. UC Futures - Commercial in Confidence