Staff cuts despite growing student numbers have dragged most New Zealand universities down in the latest world rankings.
The biggest six of the country's eight universities have all tumbled in the London-based QS rankings, which are regarded as the most important for attracting international students.
Only our two smallest universities, Waikato and Lincoln, have moved up the ranks.
Seven New Zealand universities were marked down this year on their academic reputation, based on asking 83,000 academics around the world to list the top universities in their fields.
Six declined in a survey asking 30,000 global employers which universities provided their most competent, innovative and effective graduates.
But New Zealand's worst result was on staff/student ratios.
"The increase in enrolments - and the decrease in faculty numbers - reported by the country's universities sees all eight receive a lower score for faculty/student ratio," QS said.
Universities NZ director Chris Whelan said this reflected a funding squeeze.
"Over the last 10 years we saw a relatively steep real decline in per-student funding in the first half, reversed slightly in the second half. In the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Budgets there were increases that were slightly ahead of CPI [consumers price index]," he said.
"But university costs go up about 1.5 times the CPI because CPI doesn't include salaries or construction costs or IT, which make up 80 percent of our actual costs."
This year's Budget gave the universities no increase in per-student funding at all, the first nil increase in at least 17 years and a cut in real terms of $5 million to $10 million for the University of Auckland alone.
Auckland is still easily New Zealand's top-ranked university, slipping only three places to 85th in the world, followed by Otago (175th), Victoria (221st), Canterbury (231st), Waikato (274th), Lincoln (317th), Massey (332nd) and AUT (464th).
Waikato University is the standout success this year, jumping 18 places overall and climbing into the top 100 (92nd) for citations per academic in international journals.
Its acting vice-chancellor Professor Alister Jones said the university had pursued a strategy of boosting international staff and students, encouraging research that "makes an impact" and building global links.
Last year it became the first NZ university offering full degrees in China.
"The strategy is making sure that we are publishing in the appropriate places. That is making a difference," he said.
"Appointing the right people is also important in that process, and making sure that people are engaged in research that is making a difference."
The QS data shows that 41% of Waikato academics hold foreign citizenship - a proportion that is even higher at Otago (60%), Canterbury and AUT (both 47%) and Victoria and Massey (both 45%).
The worsening staff/student ratio in New Zealand universities was entirely due to cuts of 203 academics at Massey and 74 at Lincoln.
Massey communications director James Gardiner said staff were cut last year in science and health faculties, but the main reason for the big drop was that Massey excluded "non-research-active" staff this year.
- By Simon Collins
