The situation was made worse by the fact Lincoln University had not assured the future of the Telford campus and was relying on discussions with the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) and Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, both of which had expressed an interest in taking it over.
"It's a disgusting situation for us to be in."
The Government was culpable, because it introduced "competitive price tendering", which had "decimated" funding for training at the campus, he said.
When he spoke to staff at Telford, the mood was "dire".
The loss would not just be felt in the Clutha district, as students trained at Telford worked throughout New Zealand's agricultural sector.
"It's a loss more than just for the community, it's a loss for New Zealand."
A Lincoln University spokeswoman said in a press release the changes were necessary as Telford had been heavily cross-subsidised by students living in the North Island taking courses delivered by third parties.
The cuts were required to prepare Telford for a future without
subsidisation, and to make it a more attractive proposition for SIT or Taratahi.
A decision about next year's courses would be made in the "coming days" and depended on the decisions made by SIT or Taratahi.
Lincoln was working with staff, whose options included redeployment, voluntary redundancy and early retirement.
The university acknowledged it had been a difficult time for Telford staff.
Efforts to contact Telford staff were unsuccessful.
