SIT told to embrace new changes
January 30th, 2008, 8:56 am Hobbies News
Her assurances were met with hostility from some city councillors — including Cr Geoff Piercy who said funding cuts to regional polytechnics were %26quot;bleeding heartland New Zealand to death%26quot; .
The councils first meeting of the year was packed with members of the public and SIT staff as the issue of the $6.2 to $8 million cuts to the institute was debated.
SIT management outlined the issues — as they saw them — and indicated that the institute was likely to receive another $636,000 in quality reinvestment funding, although that was a provisional figure.
SIT had applied for about $11 million.
Ms Soper said she refuted in entirety the claim that the Government was attacking all that had been achieved at SIT, through its Zero-fees initiative.
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) had signalled SIT was taking a risk by further expanding its programmes. However, SIT was not under threat of closure and negative vibes and scaremongering from Mayor Tim Shadbolts campaign were only likely to harm the institutes reputation, she said.
SIT needed to build its place in the new system, and was in a strong position to do so. SIT was in line for more quality reinvestment funding for this year, she said.
However, SIT, by having lawyers at every meeting with the TEC, had hindered free discussion which could have led to a better outcome.
After the meeting, she clarified that point, saying SIT had not missed out on any funding due to having a strained relationship with TEC.
City councillors questioned why polytechnic budgets for 2008 had been cut at such a late stage, but Ms Soper reiterated that the move had been well forecasted.
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