The Save Tertiary Education Kōrero was organised by the Protect Otago Action Group (POAG), who previously marched to protest against staff cuts and called for an independent review of the university’s financial management.
The co-leaders were joined by a panel of speakers that included Tertiary Education Union University of Otago co-branch president Brandon Johnstone, Otago University Students’ Association president Quintin Jane and POAG representative Lynley Edmeades.
Mr Shaw said the funding model from the Government had put universities and tertiary education in a precarious position and he was not surprised universities were in this situation.
"The design of our universities was built in this perfect world where everything worked and the moment any part of that doesn’t work, the whole thing falls apart.
"The disruption of Covid changes and so on and so forth, has meant that there is no buffer, there's nothing available."
The Green Party’s position was and had always been that tertiary education was a public good, Mr Shaw said.
"Treating things as public good is the core function of development to ensure that we invest properly in those things that are collectively good for all of us."
Mr Shaw said his main purpose at the meeting was to listen and understand what was happening at the University of Otago.
University staff, who preferred to stay anonymous for fear of losing their jobs, said there was a cultural problem at the university and they felt undervalued.
"Our expertise is being wasted at Otago in ways that I’ve never experienced before and it’s just outrageous how the money is spent by the institution and we can’t get our voices heard by the leadership.
“They hire all these consultants when they have all this internal expertise and they’re taking no personal responsibility for the issues they have caused."
Another university staff member said there was an expectation that redundant staff would continue to support students.
"They’re playing on the goodwill because they know we care about our students."
Other issues discussed included New Zealand’s research funding model, the Tertiary Education Commission and University Council focusing on fiscal success rather than student outcome, and the merging of polytechnics into Te Pukenga.
There was a call for a nationwide commission of higher education that examined these issues and was lead by experts in higher education.
