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Story: Southland region

Zero fees

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Zero fees

To attract non-Southlanders, the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill introduced a zero-fees regime in 2001. This came under pressure in 2008 when the Tertiary Education Commission cut 1,300 students and $6.2 million from SIT’s budget. Minister of Education Pete Hodgson (seen here) visited Invercargill, but did not revoke the cuts.

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Southland Times

Reference: 117303

by Barry J. Harcourt

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How to cite this page

David Grant, Southland region – Government, education and health, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20131/zero-fees (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by David Grant, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.