Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Preserve Waiariki's culture

Waiariki has a special cultural identity, that must be protected, says Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

Collaborate, co-operate and partner by all means, but I do not want to see the Waiariki Institute of Technology merge with the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. I agree with the growing number of views being expressed now particularly by former mayor of Rotorua Grahame Hall, who is also a past Waiariki board chairman, and those of Tamati Coffey.

The proposed merger is light on detail for the public to evaluate its merits and to get a good understanding of the gains for our local and international students and community at large.

If Waiariki has a communication strategy, it isn't working. I would be very interested too in hearing what our past, present and future students think of the idea.

I hope they were canvassed for their views. Last week a young former Waiariki student that I spent the morning with, said she would never have studied anywhere else than in Rotorua. Tauranga does nothing for her. I did say I'm sure Bay of Plenty Polytechnic has quality courses as well, but she explained that it wasn't just about courses. Waiariki was "ours, here in Rotorua, it belongs to us". She was clear and emphatic on that point.

Because in her mind Waiariki Institute of Technology doesn't belong to the Ministry of Education or its current board, it belongs to the community. It has everything to do with identity. Waiariki is an expression of our local identity. "This is where I am from and who I am".

The buzz word at present is collaboration, not merger. Even government departments are being asked to work collaboratively across sectors, and that appears to be easier said than done. But to expect the community of Rotorua, and the outpost communities of Tokoroa, Taupo, Whakatane, Opotiki, Turangi and Kawerau to give up something they clearly identity with and to embrace a, as yet unnamed, new entity is to be rallied against.

As Tamati Coffey stated "in a merger, someone always ends up being second best". Well Rotorua should not put their hand up for that role.

What Waiariki has at its heart, that the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic never will, is he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

It's the people and the very distinctive culture of the place. This can never be replicated in another city. When you have people on the board who don't live in Rotorua and a CEO who is a recent arrival from overseas, of course they won't appreciate why we place such importance on identity.

You can talk all you want about increasing the range and number of courses. About putting a case for merger, made on grounds of economic efficiency. But Waiariki has something extra. It is strong and well connected throughout the district by identity.

Waiariki, like any school of learning, is far more than bricks and mortar however historically significant. It's the people not just the present board, staff and students but the community of which the institution is an integral part. And all the graduates who have carried the institution's traditions out into the world.

I believe Waiariki's cultural identity must be protected at all costs. For there is perhaps no educational institution in this country that has played a greater role in reflecting cultural identity, and Maori cultural identity in particular, than Waiariki. I think in particular of the part the institute has played in the education of journalists.

They have had a central role in informing and enriching our society through their work.

Waiariki is well connected with our schools and businesses. It can harness support and collaborate with local and external organisations. It has successfully enabled disconnected youth into higher learning. And over the years encouraged a "whole of community" effort in the learning and training of its students.

What's at stake with the proposed merger is the loss of Waiariki's unique identity. It is not for sale or transferable.

-Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.