We examine the relationship between the presence of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and local growth, using a sample of 57 New Zealand Territorial Local Authorities (TLAs) between 1986 and 2013. Our models include a large set of controls, including past growth. An innovation of our approach is that we include official population projections as a...

We urge a broad and inclusive definition of 'engagement' and support a selective use of case studies chosen to demonstrate patterns of direct and indirect impact on end-user benefits. We caution about the limits of metrics to adequately represent the quality of our research and the burden on researchers and peer assessors in evaluating peer...

Higher education is on the election radar, but the future of the university and vocational education sectors is far from clear. The Coalition is promising an 'efficient pricing review' by an expert advisory panel, while Labor has pledged to establish a Higher Education Productivity and Performance Commission. But the TAFE sector says its financial future...

A group of elite Australian universities is pressing for an incoming Federal Government to reconsider the uncapped system of student places. The system, which has dramatically increased student numbers in Australia, has failed, according to the universities, to make it any easier for disadvantaged students to get into a degree. The Group of Eight, which...

The financial position of the technical and further education (TAFE) sector has improved at 31 December 2015 compared to prior years. This has been driven by reduced spending in the sector and $159.3 million in additional grant funding provided by the state government to TAFE entities during 2015. The sector recorded a collective net surplus...