Alliance Party Leader and Dunedin electorate candidate Victor Billot says the Alliance is backing for the campaign to make the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka an Accredited Living Wage Employer. The Living Wage campaign is calling on the University to commit to paying all directly employed and contracted staff at least the 2026/2027 Living Wage rate which will be set at $29.90 an hour from 1 September. “It is disgraceful that frontline workers keeping our lecture halls and residential halls clean and safe are denied the dignity of a living wage.” “Every dollar paid in a living wage goes directly back into local cafes, shops, and Dunedin families. The Alliance stands for a fully funded tertiary sector, tax justice, and immediate Living Wage accreditation for Otago University.”