Otago Polytechnic To Stand Alone But Deep Concerns Over Federation
However, we are deeply disappointed to see that we have been included as part of a federation model.
We believe we are in a similar financial position as other ITPs (polytechnics), and have a clear pathway towards financial viability from 2026.
Otago Polytechnic currently boasts one of the highest learner completion rates in the polytechnic sector (source: TEC survey), and we are concerned that the federation model would dilute this offering and impact our organisation's proud reputation and future success.
The federation model risks undermining our learner success rates and the quality of teaching at Otago Polytechnic, and ultimately risks undermining our independence and future viability as a regional institution.
We are still seeking further clarification around the Minister's announcement that the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand will be the anchor polytechnic of the new federation, which includes Otago Polytechnic and UCOL, so we can understand the impacts for us in terms of local governance and our programme and service provision.
Ultimately, we will pursue a path towards independence, and would welcome the support of the government and our local community to get there.
We believe choosing this decision would give us the opportunity to become a strong, independent and sustainable organisation that contributes to a responsive and thriving vocational education sector across Aotearoa.
Standing alone would mean the autonomy to make our own decisions and the ability to respond to the needs and aspirations of our ākonga (students), our kaimahi (staff), our local communities and employers.
It would also provide us with an enhanced ability to innovate and shape our own future, and to be able to make a stronger contribution to Dunedin's brand as New Zealand's premier education destination.
I have thanked kaimahi for their dedication and hard work to get us to this point. Our organisation has been through many challenging and uncertain times, but our kaimahi have continued to deliver the exceptional education and outstanding ākonga experience we're renowned for.
However, I've acknowledged there will be more challenges to come as we continue working towards the financial viability and long-term sustainability of Otago Polytechnic. We will continue to review programmes and staffing levels on an ongoing basis to ensure we can continue to be self-sustainable.
An Advisory Group is being established, and we expect a larger governing body to be put in place to oversee the transition.
We plan to prioritise engagement with kaimahi, ākonga, mana whenua, Pasifika communities and other community partners and stakeholders throughout this process.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
‘Otago is being overlooked'
A new medical school will be established at the University of Waikato. File photo The government's backing of a third medical school at Waikato is yet more evidence it cares little about Dunedin, opponents say. Health Minister Simeon Brown said yesterday Cabinet had approved $82.85 million in government funding towards the project, with the university chipping in more than $150m. The numbers differ from National's policy heading into the 2023 election. Then, it pledged $280m for a third medical school at Waikato University, with the university to raise a further $100m. The school would also open in 2028, a year later than National had promised, but still with an initial roll of 120 students. The University of Otago and University of Auckland — which run the country's two existing medical schools — had submitted to the government they could train more medical students for significantly less than the cost of establishing a new medical school. Megan Pōtiki. PHOTO: ODT FILES Otago Polytechnic executive director Dr Megan Potiki said she was surprised by the decision, "which even Treasury had described as unaffordable". "Otago Polytechnic has concerns about the potential impact on clinical placements for our nursing ākonga [students], and on the long-term security of our industry-leading nursing programme." Dr Potiki's comments come after the government's decision to place Otago Polytechnic in a federation model rather than being fully stand-alone. "It appears Otago is being overlooked by this government with their recent decisions, and Otago's proud tertiary track record is being undermined." Otago University, which had been strongly opposed to the idea, yesterday had a mixed response. . Megan Gibbons. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Pro-vice-chancellor for health sciences Prof Megan Gibbons said the university was disappointed the government did not follow the alternative and more cost-effective option of further increasing the intakes into the country's existing medical schools. "However, any investment that supports growing and sustaining the health workforce is a step towards strengthening care for our communities — particularly in rural and under-served regions." Otago was committed to working alongside others in the sector to ensure the best outcomes for the health of all New Zealanders, she said. Auckland University dean of medical health services Prof Warwick Bagg would not comment on that university's previous opposition to the plans. Instead, Prof Bagg looked towards the positive. "Today is a historic day for medical education in New Zealand. The government has made its decision, and the good news is the extra 120 students." Others were not so sanguine. Bryce Edwards. PHOTO: ODT FILES Director of The Integrity Institute Dr Bryce Edwards issued a scathing assessment of the decision that said it had been political rather than one made in the best interests of the health system or the education system. "It's a stark contrast to have the new Dunedin hospital really restrained in its build and essentially funds cut back, producing a less than optimal new hospital at the same time that $83m is going to be spent elsewhere in the health system that, frankly, very few experts believe is a good spend of money. "The people of Dunedin and Otago should feel aggrieved." Taieri MP Ingrid Leary, of Labour, said nothing about the decision had been transparent. "There's nothing rational about it either. "Given the cuts to the new Dunedin hospital, the vindictive and appallingly communicated decision last week by Penny Simmonds regarding Otago Polytechnic, and now this decision that effectively kneecaps our medical school, it is clear that Christopher Luxon and his three-headed government don't care one iota about the deep South." In August last year, Treasury shared the concerns of the existing medical schools saying the plan was unaffordable and that there were other ways to achieve the government's goal of increasing the number of rural GPs. Green MP Francisco Hernandez said the government had committed to yet another irresponsible, white elephant project. "The quarter of a billion dollars on just capital costs for a third medical school would have been more responsibly spent on boosting the number of doctors that Aotearoa needs from tried-and-true training facilities at Otago and Auckland." University of Waikato vice-chancellor Prof Neil Quigley said it was "a landmark moment for New Zealand". "We will be offering a programme that selects and trains doctors in a fundamentally different way and will complement New Zealand's two existing medical schools."
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Polytech merger leaves MP baffled
Penny Simmonds had already seen Otago Polytechnic plans to erase a $10 million shortfall before placing it in a "federation" of underperforming institutions. The savings would bring the polytechnic back into surplus, which would be necessary for it to stand alone. Slashing courses has already saved it $4m and it is targeting another $6m of savings by the end of the year, documents leaked to the Otago Daily Times reveal. The documents showed the latest Otago Polytechnic "Road Map to Viability" had targeted savings of $10.5m to bring it back into surplus by December. Published in May, the documents said the polytechnic had already made savings of $4m, meaning it needed to find about $6m in savings over the next six months. The road map document said the savings so far had been achieved through several measures, including cutting 21 "non-performing programmes", drastically downscaling the Capable NZ programme, reviewing its Cromwell campus operations, selling buildings and capping staff numbers. Ms Simmonds, as vocational education minister, announced the breakup of mega-polytechnic Te Pukenga on Monday. Otago Polytechnic was named as one of the 10 regional polytechs (ITPs) to be returned to regional control, but it will not fully stand alone and instead be part of a "federation model" alongside the Open Polytechnic and Universal College of Learning (Ucol). Green Party MP Francisco Hernandez said he could not understand why Otago Polytechnic needed to be part of the federation. "It's baffling they've been forcibly merged with the federation when they had a pretty plausible pathway to autonomy. "Rather than going ahead with their agenda of disruption, forced cuts and forced mergers, the government must invest in Otago Polytechnic so that learners can get the education they deserve." The document also trumpeted Otago Polytechnic's past successes, and said pre-Te Pūkenga, the Dunedin campus added more than $967m to the city's economy from 2017-21. Te Pukenga brought together the country's 16 ITPs five years ago. Tertiary Education Union general secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said he had been asking for these reports "for months". "We're asking Otago Polytechnic to open up the books — show us what your budget is, show us who has told Otago what it needs to save, and why." Instead of cuts, Otago Polytechnic should focus on reconnecting with the community, he said. Otago Polytechnic executive director Megan Potiki has called for a meeting with Ms Simmonds about the situation. "There has been very little direct guidance from the minister to Otago Polytechnic about requirements for a pathway to full autonomy," Dr Potiki said. "On Wednesday, we reached out to the minister, seeking an urgent meeting to explain the decision, and requesting details around the specific criteria and processes for exiting the federation and regaining true independent status. "We are still waiting on a response," Dr Potiki said. She said all ITPs were told that if they were not financially viable, being included in a federation model was a possibility. "However, we have never had any indication from the Tertiary Education Commission or the minister that Otago Polytechnic was at risk of not reaching the targets set for our financial viability." Ms Simmonds said she had seen the document, as well as information from the TEC and Te Pūkenga. "Supporting Otago Polytechnic to achieve a surplus is critical. "I have met Dr Megan Pōtiki a number of times and with the support of a soon-to-appointed establishment advisory group, I am sure Otago Polytechnic will continue to progress along their financial viability pathway. "At that stage, they would not require the support of the federation if they did not wish to use it."
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Undetermined and undermined
What a mess. The years of disruption and uncertainty in the polytechnic and vocational education sector have continued unabated. Despite a flawed and inadequate funding system, Otago Polytechnic was a thriving institution, even generating surpluses, thanks in part to its Auckland campus for overseas students. In February 2019, Labour Education Minister Chris Hipkins, concerned about several polytechnics running large and persistent deficits, triggered upheaval by beginning the centralisation of the 16 polytechnics. This led to the creation of Te Pūkenga and a costly Hamilton-based bureaucracy. The plan was poor, and the execution was a shambles. By July 2022, about $200 million had been spent on reorganisation, and the projected deficit of $110m far exceeded the net deficits before the upheaval. The promises of economies of scale, reduced course duplication, greater expertise, improved consistency and less waste on marketing were alluring. In practice, however, such reforms often lead to additional layers of highly paid management, the dead hand of bureaucracy, and diminished innovation. Compromised were speedy responses, local pride, genuine local community involvement, and even a touch of healthy inter-polytechnic competition. Regional polytechnics will be better attuned to local needs than branch offices operating under Te Pūkenga. The government and Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds have since taken a ham-fisted approach to dismantling Te Pūkenga. Crucial courses have been cut, and many valued staff lost, while restructuring drags on. This week finally brought announcements that 10 polytechnics would return to regional governance. Yet what should have been a positive step for Otago has instead been met with confusion and criticism. Although Ms Simmonds insists Otago Polytechnic will have its own council governance structure with local representatives, it has been placed under a "federation model." Executive director Megan Pōtiki says she has no idea what this will actually mean. In extraordinarily strong criticism, Dr Pōtiki said she feared the federation model would dilute Otago's high learner completion rates and damage its reputation. Its independence and viability as a regional institution were at risk. Ms Simmonds said that being part of the federation — anchored by the Open Polytechnic and including the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) — would enable collaboration in areas such as online learning resources, IT, procurement, and specialist services. This, she argued, would reduce duplication and support financial sustainability. Ideally, such co-operation could occur under regional governance across all 10 "autonomous" polytechnics, not solely through Otago's imposed federation membership. As Tertiary Education Union general secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said, no-one asked to be part of the federation. Is this simply a "race to the bottom"? Will it lead to excessive reliance on online learning? Surely it would have been helpful if Dr Pōtiki had been consulted on both the federation and the supposed "autonomy", which resembles more a halfway house for her polytechnic. As of Wednesday, she said she still had not been contacted by Ms Simmonds about the changes. How can Otago be truly autonomous while the Open Polytechnic leads and provides services to it? It is bound to be both confusing and unwieldy. Given Ms Simmonds' background as a successful head of the Southern Institute of Technology, one might have expected her to bring more of the sector onside as the system reverts towards its earlier structure. At least, Labour leader Chris Hipkins acknowledges the turbulence endured by polytechnics and their staff. He acknowledges that a return to Te Pūkenga-style centralisation would be unwise for that reason if the coalition loses power at the next election. Inadequate funding and a crude "bums-on-seats" model underpinned earlier deficits. For any system to succeed, sufficient resourcing is vital. Otago Polytechnic has a long and proud history. It must be granted genuine autonomy, adequate funding, and space to rebuild its strength, resilience and innovation.
