Opinion: When the Government released its Tertiary Education Strategy 2025-2030 this week, it outlined a significant ambition: universities and polytechnics must now play a direct role in enhancing New Zealand’s productivity and strengthening the country’s innovation performance.

It is the boldest tertiary policy shift in years. But buried inside the strategy is a structural blind spot. It describes in detail how science, technology and commercialisation are expected to drive growth. Yet it says almost nothing about how the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS) will contribute, despite the fact that the strategy’s objectives cannot be met without them.

This omission matters. It determines where funding pressure will fall, how the Tertiary Education Commission will interpret performance, how universities will respond, and ultimately how the system will define innovation.