Unclear impacts at NMIT amid Te Pūkenga axing

Support for Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) staff and learners is the priority in light of the government’s plans to disestablish the Te Pūkenga entity.

Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, says she has begun the process to axe the super-institute, which combined 16 polytechnics and nine workplace training providers, including NMIT, in January this year.

She says the replacement would be eight to 10 institutions.

“The council of Te Pūkenga has been asked to cease any activities that are inconsistent with disestablishment. This includes recruitment and staff restructuring activity, and other actions that will make it difficult to re-establish former ITPs as institutions,” she says.

“The management of Te Pūkenga will be expected to focus on ensuring students, employers and staff are well supported through this next phase. Students will be able to continue their courses as normal. I have asked my officials for advice on the programme of work required to support the government’s new agenda, including the legislative timeline.”

Penny says parts of that advice would include ensuring financial stability, and restoring regional decision-making for local institutions to ensure they can better respond to education needs.

Te Pūkenga’s Region 3 executive director, Olivia Hall, who oversees regions such as Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka a Māui (Top of the South Island), says Te Pūkenga had halted all work to implement an organisational structure supporting a nationwide network.

“Further progress will need to be made on developing this new direction before the impact it will have on business divisions, such as NMIT, can be fully understood,” she says.

“Our immediate focus is on supporting [its 374] kaimahi {staff} and [6292] ākonga {learners} through this change in direction and working to provide certainty on what this means for them.

“It is our commitment to ensure ākonga can enrol or continue studying, confident that any organisational change required to meet the government’s expectations does not impact the learning, skills and qualifications they will receive.”