New collective employment agreements have been ratified for academic and general staff at New Zealand’s eight universities.

97 per cent of those participating in ratification ballots voted in favour of settlements at Auckland, Waikato, Massey, Victoria, Canterbury, Lincoln, Otago and AUT Universities. This will mean salary increases for academic staff of between 5.2 and 6.2 per cent and between 3.73 and 4.73 per cent for general staff over the course of the year.

The settlements comprise a salary component funded by each university, and another from a new government funding package of $20 million, allocated through the Universities Tripartite Forum this year. This will explore and create opportunities to increase the competitiveness of New Zealand universities, through recruitment and retention strategies.