Education funding 'biased' against poor regions

By SIMON COLLINS, science reporter

The head of a regional polytechnic says new tertiary education funding policies are biased against poor regions.

Dr Reynold Macpherson, chief executive of Rotorua's Waiariki Institute of Technology, said the new policies were "expanding the gap between the haves and the have-nots, between the poor and the rich".

He was speaking after Waiariki failed to make a shortlist for funding to boost its community health courses under the "Partnerships for Excellence" scheme, which offers state money to match donations from the private sector.

The only other two applications under the scheme from polytechnics - an engineering research centre in New Plymouth, and expanded forest industries training shared between Waiariki and Auckland University - also failed to make the shortlist of four from 11 original applications.

Auckland University has won three of the four shortlisted proposals. The fourth is a proposed horse research centre at Cambridge backed by Massey University ($1 million) and the racing industry ($6.5 million).

Dr Macpherson said Waiariki's proposed Centre of Community Health and Wellness Education would have aimed to double the nurses and primary health workers graduating in the region from 287 to 593 a year.

The plan included a primary health clinic and a "wellness clinic" on the Rotorua campus, and would have cost $11 million. The polytechnic sought half of that sum from the Government and planned to raise the rest from donations and borrowing.

Dr Macpherson said the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) told him the proposal did not meet one of their criteria of contributing to tertiary education "at a system-wide level".

"I'm just stunned by this," he said. "Auckland University is the richest university of New Zealand, yet it's getting even more capital funds provided from this fund ...

"This funding system that the TEC uses for tertiary education institutions does not reflect the poverty and health status of the regions being served."

There was "something deeply wrong" with a funding system that was "tilted in favour of large and metropolitan institutions".

"The fund required you to have private sector involvement. That effectively excludes the poor parts of New Zealand. Why would the Government want to do that?"

Ironically, two of the three shortlisted Auckland University proposals also aim to help disadvantaged New Zealanders.

The new School of Population Health at Tamaki is seeking $15 million to endow research in areas such as primary healthcare, and the "Starpath" scheme seeks $5.25 million for a trial scheme paying university students to work as mentors in nine primary, intermediate and high schools in West and South Auckland.

Starpath manager Justine Munro hopes the Auckland model can be taken up later in other regions.

"It starts with this Auckland partnership, but what we are concerned about is national results. If we are going to do anything about that, we have to inspire others," she said.

A spokesman for Tertiary Education Minister Steve Maharey said Auckland University should not take it for granted that its three shortlisted proposals would be accepted, because ministers did not have to follow the TEC's advice.

"The Partnership for Excellence fund, unlike other tertiary funds, is decided by the Cabinet rather than by the Tertiary Education Commission."

Rotorua Labour MP Steve Chadwick said that if ministers also rejected Waiariki's proposal, the institute would be free to try again in the next funding round.