Academic keen to push tertiary education

A Northland academic is attempting to push tertiary education.

Ngapuhi reo and tikanga and pre-employment classes were among the things the Kaikohe community said they want in any tertiary institute in the town.

And now a working party under the Far North District Council (FNDC) has been set up to get the higher education ball rolling.

Peter Harwood prepared a seven-page proposal for tertiary education in Kaikohe after he became aware of the many social issues faced by the community while visiting his wife's marae.

A key aspect of the plan would be the establishment of Te Whare Wananga o Ngapuhi - a centre teaching the tikanga and language of Ngapuhi. Last week he put his ideas to the community.

"They were really supportive of the whole concept of a Ngapuhi Wananga. They thought teaching (Ngapuhi) tikanga and te reo was important and they talked about the importance of getting youth interested," he said

"They also liked the idea of pre-employment classes."

Dr Harwood is an emeritus professor at Auckland University of Technology, a retired Dean of Arts and a former professor at Monash University in Melbourne.

The meeting was attended by a range of Far North District Councillors and staff, including CEO Colin Dale, a representative from Tuhoronuku, representatives from Te Whare Wananga o Aotearoa, Te Puni Kokiri, the University of Auckland and local schools and community boards.

He said about 45 people from the community also went along to hear the plan and discuss some of the issues Kaikohe faced.

"A lot said it was really difficult to get youth involved in things and that sometimes having people travel elsewhere for education wasn't the best option."

Dr Harwood said in Kaikohe NZQA currently has six providers registered, with most training at level 1 and 2 but Dr Harwood said people in the region needed more advanced education opportunities. He said a key part of the meeting was the establishment of a working party under the guidance of the FNDC to work towards the goal of establishing tertiary education in Kaikohe.

"I'm based in Auckland so I believe this is something that needs be carried on by the local community," he said.