Tertiary Education Union national women's vice president Jael Reiri, who is also a lecturer at EIT, says the lack of assurance is very concerning. Photo / Warren Buckland
Tertiary Education Union national women's vice president Jael Reiri, who is also a lecturer at EIT, says the lack of assurance is very concerning. Photo / Warren Buckland
There is a growing sense of anxiety and deflation among many staff at Eastern Institute of Technology as no assurance has been given about jobs and courses for next year, a union representative and lecturer says.
EIT is among the 16 polytechs and institutes of technology across the country beingmerged into one mega polytechnic called Te Pūkenga.
That transition will come into effect at the start of 2023.
It was revealed earlier this year that Te Pūkenga has been struggling with its finances and its CEO Stephen Town has taken indefinite leave - marking a rocky start for the organisation.
A lot of work still needs to be done ahead of the merger and the Te Pūkenga acting chief executive Peter Winder says "I do acknowledge the impact this uncertainty is having on our people".
He also says about 70 per cent of qualifications "will continue in their current form".
He will be visiting the EIT Hawke's Bay campus on August 31 to answer questions from staff including how EIT will function next year.
Tertiary Education Union national women's vice-president Jael Reiri, who is also a lecturer and Kaitiaki Māori in EIT's nursing school, said there was a lot of uncertainty around what will happen next year.
Reiri said it was taking a toll on her colleagues and other union members, and many questions had gone unanswered during a nationwide meeting of staff held online this month.
"I don't know how they expect us to carry on and be the great educators we need to be for our students.
"It is deflating. It is not mana-enhancing at all."
She said she was initially excited about the merger when it was announced back in 2019.
"During the initial stages of the merger we were all quite optimistic.
"I know I was because I enjoyed looking at it and seeing that Te Tiriti o Waitangi was going to play an important role in the designing of policies."
She said that optimism had now faded.
Reiri said EIT had done a lot of good work to build a good reputation across Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, and the impact of the merger on its reputation was concerning.
EIT chief executive Chris Collins said "we are certainly conscious that this is a time of uncertainty for many staff".
"Te Pūkenga will be engaging here with staff at EIT on its new operating model from Monday August 15 to Friday September 2," he said.
"This engagement will provide staff with an important opportunity to gain a better understanding about the future, which involves EIT dissolving as a separate legal entity and becoming fully part of the national entity Te Pūkenga."
Winder said an announcement around "leadership structure" and "business groups" would be made on Monday.
He said Te Pūkenga was working through a process to unify the 1357 separate qualifications delivered across its network.
"Over 300 programmes are expected to be replaced with 47 new unified programmes which will be delivered for the first time in 2023," he said.
"Around 70 per cent of qualifications will continue in their current form for 2023 while the unification process continues."
He said he did "acknowledge the impact this uncertainty is having on our people across the network".
"I know that staff have questions, and am hoping to address many of them when I visit all major delivery sites ... and meet with staff."
