Wananga Cuban course a rort, says MP

Rongo Wetere, chief executive of Te Wananga o Aotearoa (University of New Zealand). Picture / Greg Bowker

New Zealand's largest tertiary institution enrolled students and staff in a Cuban literacy and numeracy course to get more money from the Government, Parliament was told yesterday.

Act's Ken Shirley alleged in the House yesterday there had been 5455 enrolments in the "Greenlight" course, which originated in Cuba and began three years ago.

Mr Shirley alleged the course was sold to the Te Wananga o Aotearoa for "an extraordinary seven-figure sum" by chief executive Rongo Wetere's fiance, Marcia Krawll.

Dr Wetere later disputed the claim.

The allegation is the latest in a string of claims by Act against the Te Awamutu-based wananga.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard has hinted he may intervene in the institution's affairs.

Mr Shirley said it had engaged in a vigorous enrolment drive to get "bums on seats to rort the taxpayer with tertiary graduates, wananga staff and even tutors enrolled in their own course".

He said the 5455 enrolments had brought $15.5 million from the Government.

Mr Shirley tabled wananga email correspondence citing staff concern about the issue.

It revealed that students with previous qualifications, staff and "worse, even kaiako" (tutors) had been enrolled on the course.

Mr Mallard told Parliament he hoped tutors would not be enrolled in literacy courses.

"It might well be that there are cleaning staff or administrative staff for whom literacy courses are appropriate."

Dr Wetere confirmed Marcia Krawll was his fiance, but challenged Mr Shirley to make his claims outside Parliament.

"Let him come outside the House and repeat that. He's getting away with an unusual amount of rubbish and false accusations."

Dr Wetere also denied the wananga had enrolled staff and the course's tutors on the programme.

"I gave a strict ruling that no staff were to enrol in the Greenlight programme. Students are queried as to their needs before they enrol."

Nine Cuban advisers are in the country helping with the course, which teaches English literacy, science and mathematics, and is still going.

Mr Mallard indicated he was preparing to take a harder line on the wananga, which got $239 million of taxpayers' money last financial year.

He told National Radio's Morning Report programme he was looking at what powers he had to intervene in the wananga's affairs, but would not elaborate.

The Education Ministry's tertiary advisory monitoring unit assesses the risk of tertiary institutions and the Education Act gives the minister powers to intervene, including dissolving the institution's council and appointing a commissioner.

On Wednesday Mr Shirley alleged the institution was running taxpayer-funded "rorts" using shelf companies.

He claimed the wananga hired without tender a firm called Gazza's Groomers to clean its fleet of 350 cars.

The firm was owned by corporate services manager Min Marshall's partner, Gary Wood.

Dr Wetere said the decision to engage Mr Wood was made with others in senior management as well as Min Marshall, who separated from Mr Wood last August.

He did not know if the contract was put out for tender but understood it was "made available for others to apply".

Mr Shirley has written to the Auditor General requesting a complete investigation into the wananga.

The office is already investigating conflict of interest claims.

Cuban connection

* The first of nine Cuban teachers arrived at the wananga in 2002 after chief executive Rongo Wetere discovered the teaching method while visiting Cuba for a conference.

* Students are sent videos and audio cassettes which teach English literacy, science and mathematics.

* Act's Ken Shirley said in Parliament that Dr Wetere's fiance sold the course to the wananga for "a seven-figure sum".

* Dr Wetere has denied this.