Wananga head denies Government taking control

Craig Coxhead

Te Wananga o Aotearoa chairman Craig Coxhead denies that the Government has control of the organisation's council, and has distanced it from a breach of settlement claim.

Mr Coxhead was responding to claims by wananga chief executive Rongo Wetere on day one of an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim that the Government has effective control of the wananga through a majority of its five-member board and the appointment of a Crown manager.

The parent body of the wananga, the Aotearoa Institute, has lodged a claim 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.

Mr Coxhead said the council was negotiating with the Crown over the future focus of the wananga, and did not believe the claim was necessary.

"These matters can be successfully dealt with by negotiation and discussion rather than litigation."

He acknowledged that while three of the five council members were Government-appointed, they were compelled to work in the best interest of the institute.

As a board member for almost 10 years, Mr Coxhead said he had shown his support for the institution, a situation confirmed by his appointment as chairman at the urging of Dr Wetere.

Wananga chief operating officer John Mote also rebutted claims that the closure of some wananga courses highlighted moves to downsize the organisation.

"We are continually reviewing the range and scope of our programmes."

He said 18 courses were discontinued this year, 19 last year and 16 in 2003.

Mr Mote also disagreed that the wananga's enrolments were to be slashed, with 25,500 approved for next year, about the same as this year.

He said decisions on the wananga's future were driven by economic realities.

"The financial position of the wananga is not sustainable and major restructuring is required."

Meanwhile, Crown submissions deny that the Government intends to slash student numbers at the wananga.

Secretary of Education Howard Fancy said Government policy had moved tertiary provision away from participation to quality and outcomes.

He acknowledged the " substantial and considerable achievements" of the wananga in attracting large numbers of adult students to tertiary education.

But Mr Fancy said the wananga must now build on its strengths and "high-quality provision".

Concerns had arisen over the wananga's ability to cope with the considerable growth it had experienced since 2001, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Coxhead defended a decision to pay about 1500 wananga staff an $800 bonus.

He said the payment was in lieu of salary rises for union-member staff and was an acknowledgement of the good work they had done despite the huge pressure they had been under.