Latest news with #TePukenga
RNZ News
24-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Midday Report Essentials for Thursday 24th July 2025
sport health 7 minutes ago In today's episode, polytechnics are cutting more than 500 courses and nearly a thousand jobs so they can stand alone financially once mega-institute Te Pukenga closes; A year into a four-year contract worth $24 million, the government is wanting more out of the youth mental health programme, Gumboot Friday; An academic involved in the process of creation of Sport NZ's guidelines for making community sport more inclusive for transgender people, says it's disappointing they've now been scrapped; Consumer NZ is airing some dirty laundry on Thursday with a claim that three detergents are no better than water.
RNZ News
24-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Polytechs to cut hundreds of courses and jobs
education employment 11 minutes ago Polytechnics are cutting more than 500 courses and nearly a thousand jobs so they can stand alone financially once mega-institute Te Pukenga closes. Education correspondent John Gerritsen spoke to Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Cabinet papers reveal 550 polytech courses and 900 jobs gone
Newly released cabinet documents reveal the extent of cuts in the Polytech sector: 550 courses abolished and 900 full time jobs gone. Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds is overseeing huge change in the sector, including the dismantling of Te Pukenga, with the future of four polytechs in Northland, Taranaki, Wellington and Westcoast still in doubt. The cabinet paper shows for the first time how many jobs and courses have gone already. TEU National Secretary Sandra Grey speaks with Kathryn. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Otago Daily Times
23-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Opinion: vocational pathway just as important
The return of local decision-making to Otago Polytechnic took a big step forward last week. Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds delivered her much anticipated dismantling of the failed Te Pukenga centralised model. While Otago has not quite made the grade as a fully autonomous entity just yet, it is to have its own board of local education and industry experts to guide course delivery in tune with Otago skills needs. Once back on financial solid ground, it will become fully autonomous. As a long-standing advocate for Telford, in Balclutha, New Zealand's only remaining residential agricultural training facility, I was delighted to hear Ms Simmonds confirm her commitment to its future. From New Zealand First's perspective, vocational education has long been marginalised as an educational pathway. The entire school system is geared towards an academic pathway, with university entrance the ultimate outcome incentivised. It is the metric schools measure and promote themselves with. This is despite only 30% of students going on to study at university. This is not to dismiss the importance of university education, of particular importance to Dunedin given the University of Otago is such a foundation stone of our city. These reforms are to acknowledge that for the majority of high school graduates, it is not a pathway they ultimately choose. It is critical they have a modern, fit-for-purpose and financially viable vocational training pathway to allow these students, and workers looking to retrain, to get into the trades and service industries. New Zealand needs builders, plumbers, nurses, chefs and electricians just as much as we need university-trained doctors and economists, for example. The list of skills deemed worthy of being prioritised through our immigration system is an indictment on our vocational training performance as a country — especially so at a time when 160,000 New Zealanders are on the jobseeker benefit. We are designing a polytechnic model that prioritises regionally relevant skills training and a pathway to jobs that are in demand. They will be codesigned alongside employers to make sure the qualifications are relevant and fit for purpose. New Zealand is relying on it.
Otago Daily Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Polytech merger leaves MP baffled
Penny Simmonds had already seen Otago Polytechnic plans to erase a $10 million shortfall before placing it in a "federation" of underperforming institutions. The savings would bring the polytechnic back into surplus, which would be necessary for it to stand alone. Slashing courses has already saved it $4m and it is targeting another $6m of savings by the end of the year, documents leaked to the Otago Daily Times reveal. The documents showed the latest Otago Polytechnic "Road Map to Viability" had targeted savings of $10.5m to bring it back into surplus by December. Published in May, the documents said the polytechnic had already made savings of $4m, meaning it needed to find about $6m in savings over the next six months. The road map document said the savings so far had been achieved through several measures, including cutting 21 "non-performing programmes", drastically downscaling the Capable NZ programme, reviewing its Cromwell campus operations, selling buildings and capping staff numbers. Ms Simmonds, as vocational education minister, announced the breakup of mega-polytechnic Te Pukenga on Monday. Otago Polytechnic was named as one of the 10 regional polytechs (ITPs) to be returned to regional control, but it will not fully stand alone and instead be part of a "federation model" alongside the Open Polytechnic and Universal College of Learning (Ucol). Green Party MP Francisco Hernandez said he could not understand why Otago Polytechnic needed to be part of the federation. "It's baffling they've been forcibly merged with the federation when they had a pretty plausible pathway to autonomy. "Rather than going ahead with their agenda of disruption, forced cuts and forced mergers, the government must invest in Otago Polytechnic so that learners can get the education they deserve." The document also trumpeted Otago Polytechnic's past successes, and said pre-Te Pūkenga, the Dunedin campus added more than $967m to the city's economy from 2017-21. Te Pukenga brought together the country's 16 ITPs five years ago. Tertiary Education Union general secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said he had been asking for these reports "for months". "We're asking Otago Polytechnic to open up the books — show us what your budget is, show us who has told Otago what it needs to save, and why." Instead of cuts, Otago Polytechnic should focus on reconnecting with the community, he said. Otago Polytechnic executive director Megan Potiki has called for a meeting with Ms Simmonds about the situation. "There has been very little direct guidance from the minister to Otago Polytechnic about requirements for a pathway to full autonomy," Dr Potiki said. "On Wednesday, we reached out to the minister, seeking an urgent meeting to explain the decision, and requesting details around the specific criteria and processes for exiting the federation and regaining true independent status. "We are still waiting on a response," Dr Potiki said. She said all ITPs were told that if they were not financially viable, being included in a federation model was a possibility. "However, we have never had any indication from the Tertiary Education Commission or the minister that Otago Polytechnic was at risk of not reaching the targets set for our financial viability." Ms Simmonds said she had seen the document, as well as information from the TEC and Te Pūkenga. "Supporting Otago Polytechnic to achieve a surplus is critical. "I have met Dr Megan Pōtiki a number of times and with the support of a soon-to-appointed establishment advisory group, I am sure Otago Polytechnic will continue to progress along their financial viability pathway. "At that stage, they would not require the support of the federation if they did not wish to use it."
