Waipareira loses $2m in Govt training funds

By JON STOKES


The Tertiary Education Commission has withdrawn more than $2 million in Government funding from troubled Maori urban authority the Waipareira Trust.

The Government's tertiary funding agency has told the trust's training arm, Waitec, to refocus to regain funding.

It is a further blow for the troubled West Auckland authority, which is embroiled in controversy that led to the resignation from the Cabinet of the trust's former chief executive and Labour MP John Tamihere.

A TEC spokesman confirmed yesterday that the 2005 profile submitted by Waitec had been declined.

The profile set Waitec's policies and proposed courses for the next three years and included performance measures and targets and short and medium-term strategies.

The spokesman refused to detail the reason for rejecting the profile, or to explain how it was assessed.

However, he said both parties would continue to meet to develop a training proposal better suited to "the skill requirements of employers in Waitakere".

Around 80 students are enrolled at Waitec, studying courses ranging from computer and business administration and retail and distribution training to automotive engineering.

Waitec general manager Bruce Gage said the TEC decision had forced his organisation to refocus its training.

"The chances of getting long-term sustainable or meaningful employment in things like computing and hospitality in our area are not great.

"If we go into trade training we have people who then go on to apprenticeships and to higher fields from there.

"Yes, we have not got funding for next year, but we have [the] opportunity for funding in other types of training."

Mr Gage said he was confident once industry research had been completed and recommendations by TEC had been met that further funding would be secured in the new year.

He expected student numbers to drop to around 50, if Waitec's new profile was accepted.

Waipareira chief executive Reg Ratahi said "three or four" Waitec staff were told on Tuesday their jobs would not be renewed.

He said all Waitec tutors were employed on one-year contracts that were renewed if courses continued.

Mr Ratahi acknowledged the trust's education arm had struggled in the last few years but, with 90 per cent of enrolments filled this year, he believed it remained viable.

The trust has been racked by months of wrangling over financial management.