Staff and students shouldn't be competing for the same money, says TEU national secretary Sharn Riggs.

Ms Riggs' comments were made in response to a suggestion by University of Auckland vice-chancellor, Stuart McCutcheon, that the 'balance of investment' in universities needs to shift to the maintenance or enhancement of quality rather than student support.

"Yes, universities will suffer if we do not invest to keep good staff here in New Zealand. Yes, there are overseas universities keen to recruit our best staff. Yes, salaries do need to rise. And I don't think anyone wants that to be at the expense of an accessible and equitable tertiary education system at which the children of all our families can aspire to study."

"The government's role is not to take money off students and give it to vice chancellors, but to recognise that putting money into the whole tertiary education sector and the people who work there is not a cost but a high paying investment," said Ms Riggs.