Editor's Introduction

Two years ago my predecessor as editor, Peter Whiteford, wrote of the ‘serious financial challenges that are being faced right now’ in Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and in other universities. While some universities report budget surpluses, the position of the humanities and social sciences, and some other disciplines, remains fragile, to use no stronger a word. Readers will be aware of the serious pressures in the public sector as well, notably the loss of jobs at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. In the end all these crises are driven by government policy.