University Council Reforms will Incur Unneeded Cost

University Council Reforms will Incur Unneeded Cost

Reforming university councils could lead to the same sort of waste and bureaucracy that similar reforms created in polytechnics, warns TEU national president Sandra Grey.

When the government imposed business-style reform on polytechnic councils two years ago, experienced, democratically-chosen, community people were sacked from the boards and replaced with expensive ministerially-appointed bureaucrats. Unsurprisingly, costs went up and accountability to communities diminished.

Dr Grey says the changes to polytechnic councils were not only undemocratic, they were costly.

At Wintec, for instance, fourteen people sat on Wintec’s council before the reforms and collected $93,000 in council fees. Then in 2010, the eight councillors, appointed by either the Minister of Tertiary Education or the council took pay rises of between 17 and 131 percent, and collected just under $109,000, despite being half the size and less representative. At Unitec the 15 councillors in 2009 received a total of $99,000 (an average of $6,600 each). The eight councillors in 2010 appointed by either the minister or the council itself, took $116,000 (an average of $14,500 each).

NorthTec’s 2010 annual report shows that it spent over $500,000 more on consultants and legal fees than it did in 2009 – up 195 percent from $286,000 to $844,000. Meanwhile the 2010 Whitireia annual report shows an increase in consultants and legal fees of $52,000, up 18 percent on 2009.

"Why would the government want to replace diverse, democratically elected people who have a range of skills and a passion for their local university, with a more expensive, less diverse team of ministerially-appointed bureaucrats?" said Dr Grey.

ENDS

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