PEC to move to MIT, staff not affected

The newly appointed Minister for Pacific Peoples Alfred Ngaro has announced a few changes to the Pasifika Education Centre (PEC).

The Auckland-based Pacific community education provider will now deliver its languages classes through an alliance with Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT).

‘‘I am 100 per cent committed to promoting the languages and culture of the Pacific,’’ Ngaro says.

‘‘I am pleased that the PEC has entered into an agreement with MIT to strengthen the delivery of Pacific languages education in New Zealand,’’ he says.

The Ministry of Education has confirmed funding for 2017 to MIT for the transition and relocation of PEC as a partner in MIT’s new Pacific Community Centre.

PEC’s community language programmes will form part of the wider suite of language courses being provided at MIT, which will be supported by the Tertiary Education Commission’s investment in MIT.

Pasifika Education Centre chair Mele Wendt says the PEC staff are ‘‘unaffected by these developments/activities.

At the end of May, PEC is looking to relocate to the MIT campus when its lease expires.

PEC has found that there is quite a demand and need for the language courses and will continue to deliver them.

As part of the PEC strategy submitted to the government last year, ‘‘we identified the continued need for more community language programmes, cultural training and community development activities’’.

The PEC staff will be delivering community language programmes as per usual at the PEC offices as well as at MIT and other sites.

However, MP for Mangere Su’a William Sio says the Minister still needs to ‘‘front up to the Pacific community and tell us where the $700,000 cut from PEC[’s operational budget] has gone to. He needs to be transparent’’.

‘‘We don’t know if this entire amount is transferred to MIT or not,’’ he says.

The minister has also announced of appointments and reappointments to the PEC Trust Board.

The trustees appointed are Mele Wendt (chair), Sefita Hamuli, Janitta Pilisi, Professor Tania Ka’ai, Everdina Fuli and Annette Karepa. a number