Wananga attacks 'guns blazing' policy

Rongo Wetere listens to evidence at the Waitangi Tribunal hearing. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Te Wananga o Aotearoa head Rongo Wetere has attacked the Government over a "guns blazing" policy targeted at scaling back the organisation.

Dr Wetere was among submitters on the first day of an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim lodged by the parent body of the wananga, the Aotearoa Institute, against the Crown for breach of a 1998 Treaty settlement.

The institute claims the Government plans to slash the wananga's size and scope and restrict it to Maori students only. The tribunal agreed to urgency following claims by the institute that the Government had taken effective control of the wananga through a majority on the five-member council and the appointment of a Crown manager.

Dr Wetere said the Government was intent on reducing the size of the wananga and forcing it to become a Maori-teaching-Maori organisation.

"We have Pakeha managers in the wananga going hell for leather making changes, intent on downsizing us."

He said Government moves were prompted by a desire to cut tertiary numbers and save money.

Dr Wetere said 94 per cent of the wananga's 60,000 students did not pay fees.

"The wananga has been about affordability designed to reach all people in the community."

He said Government council appointee Wira Gardner, who was tipped as a possible commissioner for the wananga, and Crown manager Brian Roche were leading Government moves to cut the wananga's size.

He said it was disappointing that a further hearing was needed before the tribunal in reference to the wananga's successful 1998 claim.

"Let's have a true partnership. Let us have true equality. If it is good enough for universities, then it is good enough for wananga Maori. We are the largest in the country, and we have earned our right to a partnership."

He said moves to downsize the wananga would kill the organisation.

"We are at a crossroads. We either are going forward or going down."

The tribunal has declined to hear claims relating to payment of a $20 million suspensory loan - part of the Treaty settlement - and compensation for losses suffered due to negative publicity driven by the Government, after the Crown successfully argued that many of the issues were being dealt with by the Auditor-General in a report due this month.

The three-day hearing runs until tomorrow.