Government policy blamed for wananga course closure

Government opposition to Maori teaching non-Maori is behind the loss of 62 jobs at Te Wananga o Aotearoa's Kiwi Ora programme, says its head.

Staff learned this week that their jobs would go, after failing to secure Tertiary Education Commission funding beyond 2007.

No new enrolments will be taken, with the door set to close when existing students complete the course by November next year.

Susan Cullen, daughter of former wananga chief executive Rongo Wetere, labelled the way Kiwi Ora had been treated as appalling and criticised Government policy for the job losses.

Crown submissions at a Waitangi Tribunal hearing taken by the wananga against the Government last year highlighted its opposition to Maori teaching non-Maori.

"This is about Maori offering non-Maori courses. I think the failure to get funding confirms the Government's non-Maori student policy."

The wananga's non-Maori student numbers are expected to halve as a result of the programme closure. The course makes up about 10 per cent of the wananga's students.

The home-based Kiwi Ora is targeted at migrants wanting to learn more about New Zealand. More than 30,000 students have enrolled in the course, which has a 75 per cent completion rate.

The Kiwi Ora closure ends all association with the wananga for Ms Cullen, who is the author of a number of the Maori tertiary education courses, including Mahi Ora.

"I am sad for my staff. This seems to be a political move, and they are caught in the middle."

A spokesman for Tertiary Minister Michael Cullen said continuation of the programme was a matter between the wananga and Ms Cullen.

TEC spokesman Andrew Bristol said the course was more of an information course than an educational one.

He said the decision to phase out the programme was made by the wananga.