Peter Davis is right again

Yes, good that NZHerald readers are now informed. But this has been known to researchers for decades, and is same pattern overseas. Zero fees is big middle class subsidy unfortunately. Better to fund low-decile schools and give more options in trades and tech, not just academia!

— Peter Byard Davis (@PeterByardDavis) September 15, 2018

This is about the research by the Herald showing very very few students in elite courses come from disadvantaged homes. Those from rich homes outnumber those from poor homes 10:1

And Peter Davis points out the zero fee policy doesn’t benefit those from poor homes, but is middle class welfare. It is $1.2 billion a year to those from the most well off families, and will in future be even more well off.

Johnston focused on students in law, medicine and engineering. Taxpayers will be paying all their fees in future so taxpayers pay 100% and students 0%. At present it is something like 40/60.

How much benefit will these elite students from wealthy families get from their taxpayer funded degrees? Well over their lifetime their extra earning will on average for a plain bachelors degree be:

• Law $2.84 million
• Engineering $1.86 million
• Medicine $3.58 million

Disgusting isn’t it. Not that they’ll earn that much more. Good on them. That this is where Labour is spending $1.2 billion a year.