Road blocked by New Zealand students in loan protest

(New Zealand) Students took to the streets and tipped over rubbish bins to protest against the changes to student loans.

About 400 University of Auckland students gathered on Symonds St for the Blockade the Budget protest, closing most of the busy road to motorists and buses.

The Government yesterday outlined the changes to student loans including increasing the student loan repayment rate from 10 cents to 12 cents, removing the voluntary repayment bonus and removing eligibility for student allowances for postgraduate study.


Student activist Jai Bentley-Payne said the Government was trying to take away their right to an education and was trying to make it a business.

"The Government is taking punitive measures and is saddling students with more debt ... education is being re-coded away from what was once a social good for the benefit of a healthy democratic society into something that's basically for a few wealthy people."


Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the changes would save $240.3 million this year with a further $65 to $74 million a year of operating savings over the next four years.

"We have one of the most generous student support systems in the world. Rebalancing it allows us to free up money we can reinvest in improving the quality of tertiary education we provide, and help our overall fiscal position," said Mr Joyce.