‘Broken system’ in for overhaul
All 16 New Zealand polytechnics will merge into a single entity under a massive overhaul of the sector proposed by Education Minister Chris Hipkins.
With polytechnics and training organisations facing what one commentator called a ‘‘perfect storm’’ of demographic shift and government policy changes, Hipkins yesterday released his proposal to strengthen the ‘‘broken’’ sector.
Three key proposals – merging New Zealand’s polytechs, creating a new vocational education funding system, and making industry training organisations responsible for 140,000 trainees and apprentices to better align on- and off-thejob education – aim to prepare the system for an economy in which Kiwis are likely to retrain throughout their working lives.
Merging the polytechs into a single entity, tentatively called the New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology, is a step further than the consolidation of core academic functions that polytechs and the Tertiary Education Commission had suggested, but Hipkins said it would help address ‘‘weak governance and management capabilities’’ in the sector and reduce the cost to taxpayers.
The sector as a whole lost $53 million in 2017, and four polytechs – Greymouth’s Tai Poutini, Wellington’s Whitireia and WelTec, and Unitec in Auckland – received a total of $100m in Crown bailouts last year.
By late last year, all polytechs’ finances were worse than forecast and most were ‘‘not expecting a major material turnaround in fortunes for 2019’’, a Cabinet paper issued yesterday said.
‘‘At a time when we’re facing critical skill shortages, too many of our polytechnics and institutes of technology are going broke,’’ Hipkins said.
‘‘Instead of our institutes of technology retrenching, cutting programmes, and
‘‘At a time when we’re facing critical skill shortages, too many of our polytechnics and institutes of technology are going broke.’’
Education Minister Chris Hipkins
closing campuses, we need them to expand their course delivery in more locations around the country.’’
The New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology would be able to address skill shortages through ‘‘regional leadership groups’’ that match training opportunities to local economic development, he said.
Ara Institute of Canterbury’s chief executive Tony Gray said though he knew broadly what changes might occur, there was a ‘‘significant lack of detail’’.
The proposals have been cautiously welcomed by the Tertiary Education Union, Employers and Manufacturers Association, and Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, which saw them as an opportunity to better align tertiary education to industries’ needs.
Others were less convinced. Industry Training Federation chief executive Josh Williams said the proposal was a ‘‘major shake up’’ and believed a more considered process was needed.
National tertiary education spokesman Shane Reti said regions would suffer under a single polytechnic structure.
‘‘Businesses and the regions know what demand there is for skills in their own backyard. But this Government wants all of the decision making to be done by a centralised body in Wellington,’’ he said.
Public consultation is open for six weeks until March 27. Fabric, craft and homewares retailer Spotlight is building a $20 million flagship store in central Christchurch – its biggest outlet yet in New Zealand.
The Australian retailer is calling time on its lease at The Colombo mall in Sydenham, and hopes to be in its new store at the Harvey Norman Centre on Moorhouse Ave by Christmas.
At 5000 square metres, the new store will be twice the size of the existing outlet. Construction has just begun.
Spotlight Group owns the whole block, including the premises of tenants Harvey Norman and CityFitness gym. Further buildings, demolished after the earthquakes, previously held stores including Freedom Furniture and Moorhouse Furniture and the Rialto cinema.
The new building will house Spotlight on the second level, with two other homeware-type stores yet to be named on the ground floor, and a glass foyer. It will extend from opposite the Harvey Norman store to Durham St.
The development will also include a new frontage for Harvey Norman, a new cafe, entranceway, and more parking.
Spotlight Group owns the chain of 130 Spotlight outlets in four countries, which