PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2026

AI unlocks information but we still need to open doors

by First Foundation CEO Kirk Sargent

With the emergence of AI, young people considering university today have good reason to be asking questions about their future. Will this degree lead to meaningful work? Will AI change that work before they graduate? Could they learn what they need elsewhere, without the debt? 

Now that AI can explain a concept or even help launch a business and support learning, I hear some people asking if rangatahi lacking financial advantage need to spend expensive years at university.

We should take those questions seriously, but it’s not all that should concern us.

At First Foundation, we think it’s vital to ask, ‘What does a university degree make possible?’ ‘What doors does it open?’ And most importantly, ‘Who gets access?’

Getting information is not the same as understanding how to use it

We’re certainly living in the information age. You can get an answer to almost any question in a few clicks. Knowing whether that answer deserves your confidence requires something further.

Higher education offers an opportunity to develop judgement through sustained study, and expert challenge. Among employers, a university degree helps get you in the door because it demonstrates you have done this work. Graduates have learnt to question sources, weigh evidence and defend their reasoning. They’ve also had to show understanding rather than simply getting outputs from a tech tool.

The digital divide entrenches disadvantage

Without equipping our most disadvantaged young people with the same skills and networks that their wealthier peers develop at university, we may be sleepwalking into a future where the digital divide is too wide to be bridged. While free AI tools exist, they also require stable data subscriptions, access to devices and opportunities to apply the tools. What does that mean in families where these are out of reach?

Universities bring together tools and expertise in a unique way. Some already provide institution-wide AI access at no cost to students with comprehensive teaching on tool use along with guidance on ethics and governance..

That should trouble anyone who wants New Zealand to be a place where anyone can thrive.

The future should be open to all

We already know educational opportunity is uneven. It’s one of the reasons we’re developing a tailored AI literacy workshop for scholars that meets our new Year 13 scholars where they’re at. It’s about informed, responsible participation, not familiarity with another tool.

In New Zealand, 77% of young adults with tertiary-educated parents attained tertiary qualifications. That compares with 39% whose parents lacked upper-secondary qualifications.

First Foundation has always focused on supporting students who are the first in their family to reach university, because we know that impacts whole families and subsequent generations.

University is more than a qualification

Our scholars do not arrive waiting for someone to give them ambition. They bring talent, lived experience, resilience and purpose. They are seeking an opportunity to develop their strengths, reach their full potential and find where they can best contribute.

A degree is not simply about qualifying for something, it is about becoming someone.

University gives them a structured space to test interests before choosing a direction. It’s the right time for guardrails, honest feedback and room to make mistakes. That’s why First Foundation’s support works so well, and why financial assistance cannot be the whole response. We combine dedicated mentoring, exposure to the world of work and pastoral care to connect study with relationships, experience and possibilities beyond the classroom.

AI makes the case for university more urgent

The conversation about AI often centres on keeping up and young people are expected to prepare now for an unpredictable future. Yet research from MIT suggests that 95% of enterprise generative AI pilots are delivering no measurable financial return. It’s a reminder that just because we can use AI doesn’t mean we always should.

I believe that, as a country, our collective ambition should be greater than producing graduates who can adapt. That requires more than knowing how to use a new tool, but knowing when to, and considering the consequences.

AI should not be a reason to accept unequal access to university. Instead, it should add impetus to connect our most ambitious to its benefits, regardless of family background.

Before asking whether young people still need university, let’s ask how we can make sure they have the option of accessing its knowledge, relationships and the confidence to influence what follows.

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