Ucol has operated in Whanganui since 2002. Photo / Mike Tweed
The plan for a new tertiary education institution in Whanganui must move “at haste”, with the sector’s governing body in the process of dissolving.
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said he met with the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to progress the Whanganui School of Design and Technology.
It would be a locally governed facility with a greater focus on the district’s skill and capability needs, he said.
There was no exact timeline for the project but Tripe wanted to “progress this at haste”.
“Te Pūkenga will be unwound by the end of this year so we need to move fast.
“We will put an investment plan together with TEC for the type of programmes they might fund.
“We are on the ground and listening to the community to know what they need now and into the future.”
Last month, Tripe said the district’s main tertiary provider, the Universal College of Learning (Ucol), had been “very Palmerston North-centric” since it started.
At the time, he said Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds had sent him a letter of encouragement about a new Whanganui facility.
Ucol has been operating in Whanganui since 2002, after integrating with the Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic and Wanganui School of Design.
It is under the umbrella of Te Pūkenga in Wellington, which was established in April 2020 and merged 25 polytechnics and industry training organisations into one network.
In a statement on Monday, July 14, Simmonds said Ucol would return to regional governance from January 1 next year.
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand would be the anchor polytechnic of the new federation, which included Otago Polytechnic and Ucol, to co-ordinate programmes and other services, including shared academic boards, she said.
Simmonds told the Chronicle she had been engaging with Tripe, and TEC was working with him to find ways in which the Whanganui campus could have local input and direction while still operating within the wider Ucol entity.
“Things being considered include a local advisory committee with its chair on the Ucol council, an investment plan specifically for the Whanganui campus, the ability to utilise online offerings from the Open Polytechnic for blended delivery at the Whanganui campus and an ability to market a ‘Whanganui School of Design and Technology’ under its own branding both locally and internationally.”
A Ucol spokesperson said there would be a final decision on its “change process” on Wednesday, July 16.
The organisation announced in April that it proposed cutting up to 17% of its workforce across Palmerston North, Whanganui and Masterton, including two roles in Whanganui.
Whanganui MP Carl Bates, a former board member at Ucol, said he was supporting the Whanganui District Council with its work, and communicating “as appropriate” with Simmonds.
He said Ucol’s return to autonomy meant the potential for Whanganui involvement in its governance.
“The council has additional aspirations for what the Whanganui campus could look like,” he said.
“We won’t end up with two [institutions] in Whanganui. This is about the best way to serve our community, ensuring it’s sustainable, financially viable and it delivers for our students.”
Bates said Ucol staff in Whanganui did great work and the district had a “fantastic history when it comes to polytechnic education”.
“It would be great to see some of that lifted up again,” she said.
“That’s a vision all parties, Ucol included, would support.
“We’ve got to work out exactly how that will be delivered.”
Tripe said Whanganui had a strong, niche manufacturing sector.
“What can we do in that space? And how can we make sure there is a pipeline of talent into that particular industry?
“Design and technology cover a broad area. It is something all of New Zealand needs, not just our community.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.