Eastern Institute of Technology could return to running its own organisation after a failed merger and “get back to its former glory”, according to the new Tertiary Education Minister.
However, details have yet to be confirmed on exactly how the institute’s leadership model will take shape after Te Pūkenga is disestablished, and whether it will be self-governing or part of a wider group of tertiary providers.
It has been a tough year for Te Pūkenga Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), which is the main tertiary provider for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti (Gisborne).
It has gone through a troubled merger and a cyclone which severely flooded its main campus in Taradale including damaging more than 500 rooms.
An EIT lecturer and union representative says staff are “feeling the uncertainty” after the failed Te Pūkenga merger and a new leadership model being flagged for next year.
At the start of 2023, all 16 polytechs and institutes of technology across the country were merged into one nationwide polytechnic, Te Pūkenga, which has its headquarters in Hamilton.
That process has been fraught with problems and new Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds announced this month that Te Pūkenga would be disestablished.
It was also revealed this month that the education provider would record a loss of around $93 million this year.
Simmonds has flagged plans to move away from a national head office model and give polytechs and institutes of technology more control by “restoring regional decision-making”.
EIT will continue to operate as part of Te Pūkenga until it is disestablished.
Speaking to Hawke’s Bay Today, Simmonds said EIT was in a good position before the merger, and it could become autonomous again.
“I would expect that EIT would return very quickly to its ability to be autonomous,” she said, of its future.
Te Pūkenga Eastern Institute of Technology's main campus in Taradale, Napier, which is being reopened in stages. Photo / Warren Buckland
“It certainly wasn’t under financial pressure prior to the reforms, it had a very solid operating model, it had good buy-in from the community, I see no reason why EIT can’t get back to its former glory.”
She said compared with other polytechs and institutes of technology around the country it would be “one of the easier transitions”.
However, Simmonds would not confirm whether a chief executive would be restored for the institute in the style of former CEO Chris Collins, who held the reins for 18 years before finishing up at the end of 2022.
She also said she wanted “the community to have a say” before decisions would be made.
“I’m really looking forward to being able to give the community of Hawke’s Bay the opportunity to take ownership of their organisation again.”
Simmonds, who is the former chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology, plans to visit EIT by the middle of next year.
Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Tertiary Education Union national women’s vice-president Jael Reiri, who is also a senior lecturer in EIT’s nursing school, said staff wanted more certainty about the plans for the future.
Reiri called on Simmonds to “come and speak to us face to face” at EIT ahead of the next academic year.
“People including myself are anxious about [the future] because we already have a shortage of staff and workloads are just immense,” she said.
“For us at EIT - I can’t speak for everybody - but for union members they are feeling it, feeling the uncertainty.
“And it is driving people away and we can’t afford that.”
She claimed “we have lost a lot of staff” over the past couple of years.
EIT lecturer and union representative Jael Reiri says staff are feeling the uncertainty. Photo / Warren Buckland
“So we do need to be uplifted somehow, and a way to uplift us is to give us some certainty.”
Reiri said students were still choosing EIT as a strong tertiary education provider.
“Because they built a good reputation up until the merger, I think we have held on to that, which is actually really lovely - that we continue to have students come because they know the education they are going to receive, which is really important.
“But they can’t receive it if staff keep resigning.”
Te Pūkenga was contacted about the extent of staff shortages at EIT, but was unable to provide details until after the holiday period.
In an earlier release, Te Pūkenga said the rebuild of the Taradale campus was “progressing well” with “a large percentage of [staff] kaimahi and [students] ākonga due to be welcomed back at the beginning of next year”. The campus has been reopened in stages since July.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
