RE SuziQ #209, National got rid of the "Family Benifit" of approx. $50 per child under 18 in Ruth Richardsons 1991 "Mother of All Budgets" - don't you remember? Labour bought in it's "replacement" with the current "Working for Families" package. After inflation it is quite a bit less than what Ruth cut, but more targeted to the medium to lower income families. If you were paying 21% mortgage rates in the early 80's, then if you are tertiary qualified, and you didn't even pay for any of it, so get off your conceited high horse. If you're so staunchly "user pays", then pay for your own medical bills and retirement, give back your gold card, and harden the f up.

Wow! We are creating another bunch of free loaders! The country does not owe you anything - you are getting an eduction, at no interest, which I as a tax payer are funding and you pretty much can pay it back at your leisure - if at all.

Most of you will leave anyway, go to work in OZ or beyond, using an education we as NZ ratepayers have paid for. How fair is that?

Clearly the education your are getting is not increasing your ability ro reason!

Mark #203

Other lenders don't charge fees because other lenders charge interest. Funny that...

Oh, and my GE interest free loan has a $35 loan andministration fee too, so...

Trueblue144# Nursing and teaching were taught on the job as well as at tertiary places. Other courses were taught in polytechnics or university of which you actually had to work to get there no such thing as open learning if you didn't make the grade well you didn't go to Uni end of story. There have always been costs in going to higher education and back when I was a student there were no student allowances and all books cost a fortune as well as course fees maybe not as high as now but fees just the same. I am tired of this generation of whingers who want it all. Baby boomers had no Working for Families, Paid Maternity Leave (in fact most didn't even have unpaid maternity leave), no free 20 hours childcare, cheaper doctors visits they paid for everything as well as having to contend with 21% interest on a mortgage to boot add in a wage freeze, recession and yes if they are retiring now probably not a great deal left in savings. Also clothes, shoes etc were far dearer in relation to wages than they are today so you younger people are proving to be the most selfish generation yet. As most of you seem to think that going to Uni is an excuse for a booze fest at the taxpayers expense is it any wonder there is little sympathy for you in the real world. Get over it and just suck it up like the rest of us have to do.

The move to remove interest from student loans was just LUNACY and should have been reversed long ago.

I agree in part to not being charged interest while studying, but interest should accrue from the moment of graduation. As someone who has had a student loan in the past, it was the interest that was accruing at 7.5% on ~$33,000 that actually gave me the incentive to pay it off!

I made significant sacrifices to pay mine off as quickly as possible. I stayed living in a student flat, eating student meals driving a beat-up student car while all my friends went on their OEs, moved into plush apartments and upgraded their cars. I was debt free within 2 years and most of my friends are still battling with their loans or have only recently paid them off (I'm 30).

If there had been no interest on loans when I had one, I'd still be drip-feeding it through at the minimum rate possible... at great cost to the taxpayer.

So all these people complaining that you didn't sign a contract for $50 fees, well a lot of you signed a contract to pay interest. None of you complained about the government changing the terms of your contract then. You can't have it both ways.

$50 on top of the huge $600 levy I have to pay to Canterbury Uni yearly as well And don't say transfer, I can't, no other Uni in NZ has Astronomy papers.

Revenue gathering is revenue gathering, albeit called an emissions scheme, higher acc levy, higher witholding tax level, an additional student loan administration tax, or by any other name.

I studied nursing and have a $40,000 loan.. because my parents work average jobs both fulltime (therefore not eligible for student allowance)..

Starting wage for a nurse in NZ = $42k a year.. in aus I am getting paid $69k (NZ) a year.. go figure why no one wants to stay in NZ.. I'm pretty much going to be paying off my student loan forever anyway.. Whats the point! Should have just come to aus and got an unqualified job in the first place.. even they pay HEAPS!!

Other lenders manages without a fee, the govt should be no different. Stop being politically correct, and charge interest on all loans. That's where cost recovery comes from. If the govt wants to be nice to student debt carriers (and i am one of them), then charge interest at the rate of inflation plus admin costs rather than the ridiculous high rates they usually set. I agree the govt should not lose money on the scheme, but they should not make a profit either, so lower the interest and apply it to all. And students, don't complain if you have to pay low interest. That will be the best loan you'll get in your lives, and remember you actually get something for it (education).