Toi Ohomai Cuts Threaten One-Of-A-Kind Campus

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is slamming cuts currently proposed by Toi Ohomai that, if confirmed, would see up to 20 jobs lost and the end of highly valued courses that industry leaders say they can’t do without.

Courses at risk across campuses in Taupō, Tokoroa, Rotorua, Tauranga and Whakatane include Apiculture; Makeup and Skin Care; Forestry; Forest Management; Timber Machining; Hairdressing; Health and Rehabilitation Studies; Health and Wellbeing; Sterilising Technology; Pest Operations; Social Work; Youth Work; Whānau Ora; Secondary Tertiary Exploration Programmes; Primary Industry Skills; and Supply Chain Management.

If the proposal goes ahead, it may result in the closure of the Waipa campus – a dedicated training facility that currently operates a working wood manufacturing plant.

Kerry Parker, a Senior Academic Staff Member in Forestry and Wood Manufacturing says “our Waipa campus is the only facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and once it’s gone it will never come back. If it closes there will be no timber machining or saw doctoring block courses left in Aotearoa.”

“Industry leaders are distraught. They strongly prefer the on-campus delivery we provide over on-the-job training. They describe Toi Ohomai graduates as tradespeople whereas those trained on-site are more operators. And they are angry there has been no consultation or communication with them.”

“I train students who have come from Invercargill right up to Kaitaia. About 40 of them are currently part way through their qualifications, some with 3 years to go to complete their trade, and they are really upset about the possibility of being left out to dry.”

Additional proposals have the rumour mill spinning that Taupō campus, in the heart of the North Island, is also at risk of closure.

TEU’s Te Pou Ahurei Takirua – Ahumahi | Assistant National Secretary – Industrial, Daniel Benson-Guiu says "educational provision across Aotearoa is at risk - and campuses outside the big cities, like the Taupō campus, is a case in point.”

"We need institutional leaders to come clean about their plans - and importantly they should be consulting early with Iwi, industry, local councils and affected communities. These campuses, and the training that comes out of them, are the lifeblood of regional New Zealand.”

“These proposals also come at a time when there is no clarity from the Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills about what the future holds for Te Pūkenga. So decisions like this being made now will be inherited by future institutions and will result in a weaker vocational education and training system.”

TEU has received 18 letters of support from forestry industry leaders strongly advocating for the retention of the current course offerings at Waipa. These are available to media on request.

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