Merger focus should be about student pathways, says Rotorua Mayor

Enhancing student learning pathways should be the major focus when considering possible amalgamation of regional tertiary institutes, says Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick.

“If you are looking at what is needed in the future, surely lifting the availability and access for locals to learn in their own cities and towns will improve education and employment opportunities across our region,” says Mayor Chadwick.

Her comments follow the recent announcement that the councils of Waiariki Institute of Technology and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic are recommending joining forces - possibly as early as January 2016.

Amalgamation of polytechnics in New Zealand is also currently being considered by tertiary institutes in Dunedin, Aoraki (Timaru) and Christchurch while in Wellington Whitireia and Weltech now have shared governance and leadership.

Merger

Mayor Chadwick has previously submitted a view to the Waiariki and BOPP proposal and has recently spoken broadly with representatives of Waiariki to understand how their formal proposal might benefit the region’s communities, particularly Rotorua.

“We are all for strengthening the delivery and options for students and any change has to be about taking the opportunity to enhance the local and regional tertiary education offerings to our community,” says Mayor Chadwick.

“We are concerned we don’t know all the details as yet, but my view is this cannot simply be about patch protection. If we are truly looking at collaboration that needs to be about a broader view and pathway through tertiary and an opportunity to look for a cohesive joined up strategy across the North Island.

“I want to make sure that all regional opportunities for tertiary collaboration or partnership have been thoroughly explored and considered.

“By also adding a willing partner like the University of Waikato in this mix there is an opportunity to collectively identify the big issues and enhance regional offerings and stair-casing available to students and their prospective employers.”

“Many of our children have had to leave the region for their education while some just can’t afford that path. Would it not be better to offer those pathways through collaborative partnerships locally?”

Mayor Chadwick strongly believes the name and identity of Waiariki remains significant for current and future students and the wider regional communities.

“Since its early days Waiariki has played an important role in our region, it is more than just a brand - it has an identity that has regional reach and a distinctly bicultural strength that sets it apart from others. The Waiariki name has grown to an international education brand that is rich with local flavour - what would be the sense in changing that?

Mayor Chadwick said she understood there was no desire to strengthen either the Tauranga or Rotorua campus over another but that scenario still remained a concern for many in this community.

“We see from a business perspective any merger has potential to drive increased efficiency but we have also stated we do have reservations this proposal could have some detrimental impact for the Rotorua district.”

Mayor Chadwick believes the development of a new tertiary training facility in Tauranga signals a significant increase in the level of investment and provision of tertiary training opportunities in that part of the Bay of Plenty.

That investment, along with the population growth in that part of the region creates the invariable expectation that Tauranga would be the logical centre for the merged organisation.

“It’s a real concern that there could be a reduction in levels of staff employed in Rotorua, and even more concerning, a shift in emphasis away from the needs of this District in favour of Tauranga. We see these possibilities as being very concerning at a time when Rotorua is moving from strength to strength.

It is acknowledged the culture, needs and economic drivers for the Waiariki region are distinct and quite different from those of the Western Bay of Plenty.

Mayor Chadwick believes merging would have shortcomings if governance oversight was provided by a ‘homogenised’ Tauranga based board.

”It remains crucial that the current and future needs of this district be represented and catered for through tertiary education available in Rotorua so that our residents and industry can reach our potential and challenge our future aspirations.”

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