UCOL in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley
National Party candidate for Whanganui, Carl Bates, says his party would roll back the centralisation of UCOL into Te Pūkenga if it is elected to Government.
Bates has started a petition demanding more local control of UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui following news that its campus cut four courses for 2023.
UCOL is now a part of Te Pūkenga, an amalgamation of 16 tertiary institutions around the country.
The petition aims to “send a loud and clear message to localise control of our polytechnic back in Whanganui”.
Bates was on UCOL’s board from 2003 to 2007, when he said there was “a really rosy future”.
“We had the school of design at the time and I think there was an opportunity for that to be really leveraged, it was one of the top 10 design schools in the world. That was something truly, uniquely, Whanganui,” Bates said.
“Today, when you look at the campus, you’ve got courses being cancelled and decisions being made out of town about what’s right for Whanganui.”
Last month the Chronicle reported that four courses had been binned in Whanganui for 2023 - security, cookery level 4, hairdressing and the certificate in music.
There were 259 equivalent full-time students (EFTS) at UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui in March.
At the same time last year, the campus had 335 EFTS.
As of Monday 200 people had signed the petition, Bates said.
The petition is hosted on the National Party’s website and says “by signing you agree to receive emails from Carl Bates and the New Zealand National Party”.
Bates said that option could be stopped by unclicking the boxes on the form.
“The key there is that we can update people on the progress with the petition.
“When we are achieving particular milestones, like handing it over to government, we can communicate that and tell them what’s happening.”
Whanganui MP, Labour’s Steph Lewis, said the petition was the kind of thing that could be expected in an election year.
“It’s a way to try to increase your profile and he’s exercising his democratic right,” she said.
“Anybody who signs it is exercising theirs too.
She said she had spoken to the Whanganui campus manager.
“I know they’re doing a lot of work to try to attract new students in what is a really tight market.”
Lewis said nursing, manufacturing and trades were skills that industries in Whanganui wanted and needed, and a focus of Te Pūkenga was to map those skills with local education and training.
She didn’t agree with Bates’ claim that Whanganui wouldn’t have a voice in regard to its campus under the Te Pūkenga framework.
“I absolutely think Whanganui will be heard.
“There is scope for more collaboration with Palmerston North, and my personal view is I’d like to see some Palmerston North students coming to Whanganui - an exchange.
“We need to play to our strengths - focus on what we’re good at and they focus on what they’re good at.”
Whanganui’s UCOL Te Pūkenga campus manager spent the day at the VR (virtual reality) Career Expo in Whanganui last week, Lewis said.
“She said it was their single best day for enrolments.
“It might potentially suggest that some of the more traditional courses that have been offered aren’t necessarily appealing to young people that are looking at leaving school and entering the workforce.”
Bates said low student numbers meant an uncertain future for the Whanganui campus under a centralised system.
He said one example of how Te Pūkenga could improve the Whanganui campus was to make it a hub for specialised manufacturing, something the city had “a real art in”.
“If you want to attract students to a city you’ve got to have a point of difference. There’s no point just putting up a sign and saying ‘Hey, we’re open’ and expecting them to come,” Bates said.
Bates said he wanted the petition to demonstrate that Whanganui wanted to be part of the conversation and wanted to have a voice at the table.
He would be presenting it within a month after this year’s general election, to whoever the minister in charge of tertiary education was.
“If National doesn’t have the privilege of being the government after October 14, then I would want to see this petition have such support from our people that we can demand the Labour government give us that ability to influence the future of our polytechnic.”
Deputy chief executive of ako delivery at Te Pūkenga, Gus Gilmore, said the Whanganui campus would continue to put a priority on responding to and meeting regional needs, and Te Pūkenga was required to do so by its founding charter.
“We are currently engaged in a wide-ranging community engagement process, which includes the Regional Skills Leadership Group, on future options for learning and training that will help determine how to best meet the needs of the region,” he said.
There were regular reviews of courses that had low enrolment numbers, Gilmore said.
“We also meet growing demand in other areas such as engineering and construction and have added new programmes in carpentry and automotive, electrical and joinery.”
Gilmore said Te Pūkenga wouldn’t be commenting on Bates’ petition.
That sentiment was shared by UCOL business division executive director Brian Trott.
However, Trott said UCOL Te Pūkenga had already put plans in place for a community engagement hui focused on its Whanganui campus.
“The Matapihi ki te Ao community engagement hui will allow all those involved, including ākonga, (students) kaimahi, partners, iwi, and whoever chooses to engage, to identify the opportunities, options, and a future-focused view for building strong regional delivery of tertiary and vocational education,” Trott said.
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