More Aoraki Polytech courses in doubt

National’s Education spokesman Bill English says Timaru people at a recent business lunch could be forgiven for believing they were filling out yet another Aoraki Polytechnic enrolment form.

“Some of the people who attended the lunch had also attended a Parenting with Confidence course where they had fill out an similar enrolment form.”

Aoraki has been enrolling people in a number of courses that would otherwise be unassociated with the Polytechnic.

Mr English says the Parenting with Confidence courses are just one example of many where the polytechnic appears to have enrolled participants in order to receive funding.

Parenting With Confidence Inc has provided parenting courses and seminars since 1994. These courses are usually organised by local voluntary committees.

Mr English says he has been contacted by a number of people in the area who have been enrolled as Aoraki polytechnic students when they attended community events. And he has evidence of more cases that he intends to follow-up.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>