Near the university, New Zealand political parties announced new policies to win more votes. According to the New Zealand Study Abroad Network, the day before yesterday, Russel Norman, co-leader of the Green Party, appeared at the University of Auckland and announced a new policy called "Student Green Card" to more than 200 students. If you are a student, you will enjoy free public transportation during off-peak hours. New Zealand New Deal students take public transport free of charge during off-peak hours.
Russel Norman said that travel expenses often account for a large proportion of students' weekly expenses or student loan living expenses, even exceeding 25%. According to this new policy, students can take free trains, buses and ferries from 9 am to 3 pm and after 6 pm, so that students can save about NZ $ 35-40 per week; Moreover, the free plan also applies to weekends and public holidays.
Rick Zwaan, vice president of welfare of the Victoria University Student Union, said that the association has been "fighting" for fairer fares of public transport for several years, and it is good to see politicians respond to this. Of course, they also want to enjoy these benefits during peak hours. "About one-third of students travel during peak hours, so we need to provide this service for them."
Julia Tavella Ghent, spokesperson for the Green Party's transportation affairs, said that the "student green card" was issued to students from universities, polytechnics, Maori universities, private training institutions and New Zealand apprentices, benefiting about 350,000 people. For this policy, the government will spend about NZ $22 million to NZ $28 million each year, which will come from the National Land Transport Fund. In fact, the total cost of policies that can benefit so many people is not as high as the cost of national highway planning for one kilometer.
Julie Genter also said that they hope to extend the benefits of this policy to middle school students, primary school students and welfare recipients, and will make great contributions to reducing the cost of public transportation.
In this regard, Monique Liebenberg, a 20-year-old student at the University of Auckland, said that this year was her first time to vote, and the Green Party's policy deeply attracted her: "This is something closely related to my daily life. I spend about NZ $7 on public transportation every day, so I think it will save me money. " AJ Essex, a 22-year-old biology student, also said that it would be better to enjoy the free policy during peak hours.