There just aren't enough job and education opportunities in Wanganui to keep talented young people in town.
That is the heartfelt concern of Wanganui High School principal Garry Olver. And it was his message to Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce when he and about 30 other educators met Mr Joyce in Wanganui on Thursday.
Mr Olver said UCOL "winding down" was a big worry. "We can't afford for that to happen. All the schools have had amazing NCEA results - every one of them. Their achievement is amazing compared to other schools of our decile and size across the country.
"These wonderful young people that we put a lot of time and effort into educating leave our city because tertiary and job opportunities are limited. We need something more."
Mr Joyce admitted numbers at Wanganui's UCOL polytechnic had slipped from 1000 to 600. He said he would like to see them build up, especially to train people for existing jobs in industry and management.