Introduction

This paper asks how tertiary education can deliver better value to the economy. It is based on a presentation given at the New Zealand conference of the Association of Tertiary Education Management in Auckland in July 2010.

The paper begins with a review of the evidence for the influence of education on economic performance. It then looks at where New Zealand is placed with regard to tertiary education attainment and economic performance. This is followed by a discussion of the issue of productivity, and why productivity is such a large part of the debate. This leads into the question of whether there is unmet demand for tertiary qualified people in employment. And finally, the paper touches on the issue of innovation. It finishes with a discussion of what this means for tertiary education.