Cost-saving cuts hit Polytech staff again
Jackson Payne
Eighteen people are likely to lose their jobs at Tairawhiti Polytechnic in the next two months, with the total number of job losses to reach 30 by 2010.
This follows the announcement of a head of school and academic director being cut two weeks ago.
The proposed job cuts are part of a series of measures to pre-empt a potential $3 million in lost Tertiary Education Commission funding by 2011. A $1m funding cut is certain next year.
Lost positions will be four grounds maintenance roles, a vehicle co-ordinator, four front office staff, two student-support positions and seven academic staff in areas of tourism, weaving, adult education, bar service, rural safety and horticulture.
A weaving course, two tourism courses and one bar service course will be chopped under the proposed changes.
The review, released to staff this week, also proposes selling off part of the $20m-worth of land and building held by the polytechnic.
Chief executive Judy Campbell said the axed positions alone would save more than $1m, and the target number of job cuts was 30 by next year.
“This is a comprehensive realignment of our whole institution — designed to help Tairawhiti Polytechnic not only survive the difficult financial circumstances we find ourselves in, but also to improve the service we offer our students.”
However, New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations co-president Jordan King said the quality of education would be affected.
“Education cuts at Tairawhiti won’t heal and it’s going to have a huge effect.
“In general, the state of the education being offered and the state of education at polytechs has gone down because of funding cuts.”
Education Minister and East Coast MP Anne Tolley said the polytechnic was previously “a basket case” and the Government could not keep “throwing money at it”.
“They are going to lose the money the previous government put in just to prop them up,” she said, referring to the money given to rural polytechnics in recognition that they were harder to run than those in bigger centres.
“That’s not good accounting.”
Tertiary Education Union president Tom Ryan was alarmed at the minister’s comments and said more money needed to be put into tertiary education at a time when there was a higher demand.
“We don’t consider Tairawhiti Polytechnic to be a ‘basket case’. Nor do we think it makes sense to close down programmes in tourism, given the importance of this industry in the Gisborne area.
“Sadly, the loss of 18 jobs is a direct outcome of the Government’s cutbacks to the tertiary sector in the recent Budget. The minister should be very concerned at this many job losses in her home town.”
Employment strategist Clare Radomske said the community needed to get behind the institution if it was to get out of its financial position.
“It’s the original tertiary institution in the region.”
Tairawhiti Polytechnic staff have until November 18 to make submissions on the proposal. Final decisions will be made by November 25.