Nearly 700 university staff are losing or leaving their jobs because of a financial hole left by falling foreign enrolments.
The cuts began last year and many are being made through early leaving or voluntary redundancy schemes as universities try to offset the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.
The Tertiary Education Union warns universities are losing many of their most experienced lecturers and researchers and more positions could go before the end of the year.
Here's RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen.
