The Government has signalled a hardline student loan debt arrest policy could be scrapped as the details of a fourth defaulter’s arrest at the border emerge. The most recent arrest was made in May, but has only just been revealed. Asked if the border arrest policy could be reviewed or abolished, a spokesman for Mr Hipkins said he will ‘‘consider options’’ early next year. A student loan annual report for the year to June 30 shows that the overdue amount was $1.2 billion in the past year, an increase of 12.4% from 2016. The student loan annual report showed the amount of debt wiped because of bankruptcy rose from $17.6 million to $19.9 million.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 20, 2017 19:18 UTC