Head of campus operations at the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus Joseph MacFarlane. Photo / Supplied
Some university tutors are taking volunteer pay cuts to help students facing "hardship" post-Covid to get through their studies.
These hardship funds and extra scholarships are attracting more students to enrol at Bay of Plenty tertiary campuses - with 2021 rolls booming.
Regionally, Toi Ohomai campuses are seeing a more than 40 per cent increase in applications and an increase of 33 per cent school leaver enrolments compared to last year.
Meanwhile, the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus is seeing "generally stronger" domestic enrolment on the back of Covid-19 and a 40 per cent increase in students applying for scholarships.
The university has given more than $600,000 of grants for students struggling - with one staff member who took a pay cut saying "all students are equally deserving of opportunity".
Joseph Macfarlane, who is the head of operations at University of Waikato's Tauranga campus, gave up some of his pay for students facing hardship post-Covid.
He said it was an "easy decision" as he knew that a "slice" of his salary could make all the difference for a student doing it tough.
The money was put into a hardship fund, which helped students struggling with fees or living costs.
"I know it is going to good use."
He had met one student who had benefited from the money and had been able to get into accommodation after sleeping on his friend's couch.
Macfarlane said he "treasured" all students and it was a "joy" being able to help those who needed it in such "trying times".
"All students are equally deserving of the opportunity."
University of Waikato's vice-chancellor professor Neil Quigley said domestic
applications were "generally stronger" as a result of Covid-19 and this was a trend seen in past downturns in the economy.
However, he said it was too early to give exact enrolment figures until February 2021.
He said they were expecting "continued strong growth" in domestic enrolments in Tauranga and continued growth in student numbers.
The Tauranga campus had seen increased interest in its health, sport and human performance, civil engineering, environmental science, psychology, accounting and strategic management, and secondary teaching courses.
He said some of these increases could be attributed to students "considering job opportunities for a post-Covid world".
The university facilitated more than $600,000 of grants from the Government's Hardship Fund for Learners, he said.
In addition, about $300,000 of funding from the Government was spent on devices and internet connections for students during lockdown, he said.
Scholarship applications this year from school leavers were also up about 40 per cent compared to last year, he said.
"Te Ao Marama Scholarship was launched during lockdown to help students who may not have planned to undertake university study, but whose circumstances have changed."
Tauranga man Jack McManaway, who was head boy at Tauranga Boys' College last year, had planned to study in the United States on a volleyball scholarship but after his father suffered a serious heart attack decided against it.
He wanted to study closer to home so applied to the University of Waikato to study business and law.
He was awarded the Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship that gave him $10,000 every year, as well as sport development opportunities.
He said it would be a "massive help" and was happy with his decision to stay closer to home while the pandemic wreaked havoc around the rest of the world.
Tauranga Boys' College principal Robert Mangan said the school had seen a "small increase" in students opting to head to university as gap year plans fell through.
He said this was a result of the "economical climate" and there not being "quite the same level of employment out there".
He had noticed a larger number of students applying for scholarships and universities had "upped their game" when it came to attracting local students.
He said the University of Waikato's senior deputy vice-chancellor Alister Jones had come to their prizegiving as a part of the extra push to get the local kids to the new local campus.
Many of his students saw the local campus as a "viable option" as it allowed them to stay and live at home to save money post-Covid.
Toi Ohomai head of student support Logan Bannister said there was a 42 per cent increase in applicants compared to last year and an increase of 33 per cent for first-time applicants from secondary schools.
There had been 3472 domestic applications for 2021, 908 more than the same time last year.
She said they had seen a "greater increase in the demand to study" in their earlier enrolment season.
When asked whether students were anxious or wary entering study post-Covid, she said that was not the case and demand for work opportunities had remained stable.
The greatest interest had been in the trades training and community support courses, she said, which could be due to the Government's Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund.
Since Covid, the polytech had secured Technology and Hardship Access for Learners funding, which had been a "tremendous support" for students and "widely appreciated".
Tauranga Mainstreet chairman Brian Berry said he was "thrilled" to know that the "snowball" of youth in the city would only continue to grow.
He said university students bought "new energy" into the CBD and this would increase the role the university had as a stakeholder in the city.
There could be further opportunity for more student accommodation if enrolments continue this way, which would be "fantastic" for the local economy, he said.
A $16m four-storey student living facility with 94 studios and separate manager's accommodation at 38 Selwyn St is due for completion in early 2021, and resource consent for a $40m tertiary student accommodation complex with 430 rooms on 145 and 153 Durham St had been approved by Tauranga City Council.
The company behind the developments, Quintex Properties Limited, was pleased to hear about the increase in enrolments and would consider building more student accommodation if required.
"If extra accommodation is needed beyond what is already planned for, we would definitely look at building more," company director John McColl said.
"We want to ensure that students who choose to study in Tauranga have modern, affordable, and accessible accommodation options. They bring energy and vibrancy to our city which can only enhance future development and growth."
A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for the region tonight.