Polytechnic and Cardinal Form Partnership

Crucial step in the development of Canterbury's hi-tech cluster

Christchurch Polytechnic and Cardinal today signed a unique agreement that will see the two organisations working in partnership on technology and education projects.

Three key elements make up the partnership: the joint development of JADE-based education management software to be marketed internationally by Cardinal, co-operation on the development of distance learning technologies and ground breaking initiatives in computing curricula.

"The JADE-based Jasper software we are developing with the Polytechnic will be ahead of anything else available on the education market. It is custom-built for education providers operating in the age of the Internet, and will deliver a significant advantage over our competitors, whose offerings are distinctly pre-Internet," says Gil Simpson, Chief Executive of Aoraki Corporation, Cardinal's parent company.

"We believe this partnership is the first of its type in New Zealand, where a private sector organisation and a tertiary education provider have formed such a deep partnership on both business and curriculum levels.

"Strong education-industry partnerships have been crucial to the success of hi-tech clusters such as those in California and Massachusetts, and this partnership will be a major contributor to the ongoing development of Canterbury's hi-tech sector.
"The other feature of successful international clusters has been the willingness of publicly-funded organisations to buy locally made technology rather than go offshore. We are delighted that Christchurch Polytechnic has shown the vision to choose JADE-developed software. They will reap the benefits of choosing software from a world-class local supplier."

Christchurch Polytechnic Chief Executive, John Scott, says "The importance of this relationship comes back to the customer; our students. This custom-built student records system software will ensure we attend to students' needs more efficiently, enabling us to better streamline the process, from enrolment through to graduation.

"Of great importance to us is to provide a relationship which will also engage our students in the practical side of software and technological development. The future developments of new qualifications relevant to the needs of student and the technological environment will benefit both JADE and the Polytechnic."

About Christchurch Polytechnic
Christchurch Polytechnic is one of New Zealand's largest higher education institutions delivering technical and arts training from certificate to degree level. The Polytechnic currently has approximately 17,000 students enroled, including about 900 off campus. Christchurch Polytechnic prides itself as a national leader in technological initiatives and in applied education.

About Cardinal
Cardinal is one of Australasia’s leading providers of information technology services. Through a grouping of partnerships similar to that of a law or accounting firm, Cardinal provides services such as consulting, software development and systems management to large corporates throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is a division of Aoraki Corporation Limited, a privately owned company headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand. It employs around 400 staff throughout the world and has combined group revenues of more than NZ$60 million per annum. Aoraki also has a software product division called JADE.

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