Chamber backs polytech union

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Darrin Walsh said students having access to subjects they wouldn't otherwise is a positive thing. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Rotorua Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of a proposed polytechnic merger, saying "more choice in more locations" was a big positive for students.

The chamber's chief executive Darrin Walsh said Waiariki Institute of Technology and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (BoPP) would have "weighed up the pros and cons" when considering merging.

"The merger means change and people often don't like change but it could mean good things for Rotorua. With these types of decisions the pros and cons are always weighed up and I think there would be more positives than negatives for the students and the economy."

Mr Walsh said students having access to subjects they wouldn't otherwise have was not a bad thing and would mean more growth for the Bay of Plenty region, including Rotorua. "The concerns people have about Waiariki losing its identity and the new entity only benefiting Tauranga are real threats but I think people are jumping the gun before any big decisions have been made.

"Rotorua has a lot of good things going for it and there is a strong case for making Rotorua a major hub for this new entity if the merger goes ahead."

He said the only concern the chamber had was the potential for "economic leakage".

"Capital spend that in the past has been spent in our economy now runs the risk of being leaked into other economies but that is something we can question if the merger actually goes ahead," he said.

Grahame Hall, a former chairman of Waiariki, said he had read the merger business case and while it had "some nice sounding words in it," he still had serious misgivings about how beneficial it would be for the city. "Waiariki is an excellent polytechnic and I am still not convinced they are considering merging for the right reasons. A lot of the business case was about the financial and business gains to be made while very little was about the benefit it will have to students."

Mr Hall said he didn't want to see Waiariki's special character diluted and was concerned nobody would be held accountable if the merger failed.

He said he planned to make a submission before the public consultation period ends, reiterating his position about the merger.

What's next?

September 16: Public meeting, Rotorua Lakes Council Chamber from 6pm.

September 21: Public protest outside Waiariki.

September 22: Consultation period ends, submissions close.

From September 22: Proposal is considered by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce.

What do you think?

Comment below or email

editor@dailypost.co.nz

, write a letter to PO Box 1442, Rotorua or text OP (message) to 021 242 4568.

For more information on the proposed Waiariki and BoPP merger, go to www.tec.govt.nz