Mayor’s column: Campaign for NMIT
Mayor of Nelson, Nick Smith. Photo: File.
I have been focused this past month on co-ordinating the campaign for the re-establishment of NMIT as a standalone tertiary institution.
Submissions to the Government closed this week. The Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough councils, our eight iwi, two chambers of commerce, two economic development agencies and dozens of businesses have united in making the case for our polytechnic.
Our NMIT provides the opportunity for residents across the Top of the South to gain tertiary qualifications locally. Many people, due to family commitments or financial constraints, cannot move to other cities. This upskilling helps improve the productivity of our businesses, supports higher incomes and reduces unemployment. NMIT also has a proven track record of delivering skills to support our unique and growing industries such as aquaculture and viticulture.
NMIT is particularly important to Nelson. The local, national and international students bring vitality to the central city. We have a small state sector and the hundreds of jobs at NMIT are also important to the economy.
Nelson City Council provided the land on which the Nelson Technical School opened its doors in 1905. It evolved into the Nelson Polytechnic in 1971 and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in 2000.
In 2020, the previous Government merged all of New Zealand’s 16 polytechnics into Te Pūkenga, citing a number that were in financial trouble. This disadvantaged NMIT, which had a record of sound financial management, high student achievement and nearly $20 million in reserves. Te Pūkenga has been a failure with huge deficits, a revolving door of expensive executives and plummeting staff morale.
The future of NMIT hangs in the balance between returning to a standalone institution that is governed locally or being part of a federation of smaller polytechnics under the Open Polytechnic. I fear the Open Polytechnic will put too much emphasis on distant learning that won’t work for many of our industries’ skill needs. There will be financial challenges in going it alone, but it will be a much better future than being grouped with other smaller, less-viable institutions.
The Government will decide later this year. My goal is a strong, locally governed polytechnic that supports a vibrant city.