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Minister needs to end Bay of Plenty merger uncertainty
7 December 2015
Media release
The New Zealand Union of
Students' Associations and the Tertiary Education
Union
Minister needs to end Bay of Plenty merger uncertainty
The people of the Bay of Plenty deserve to
know when Steven Joyce will decide if Waiariki Institute of
Technology and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic should
merge.
Rory McCourt, the president of the New Zealand Union of Students NZUSA, and Sandra Grey, the president of the Tertiary Education Union TEU, say people in the Bay of Plenty need to know what is going on.
“The minister need not rush his decision, but he does need to urgently let people know what his timeframe is,” says McCourt.
“There are mere days left in the year and what happens to Waiariki and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic next year affect people’s lives, their jobs and their studies,” says Grey.
Neither TEU nor NZUSA have supported a merger of the two polytechnics and both believe that the argument for a merger is weak.
However, the two organisations say, whatever the final decision, the current uncertainty is stressful for students and staff.
McCourt says it is clear, with the short amount of time left in 2015, that a viable merger can no longer take place at the start of 2016.
“The minister may need more time and information to make the right decision. If that is the case, he needs to let people know when he will make his decision and, if he consents to the merger, what the timeframe will be.”
ends
NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations
We stand for opportunity, for all.
NZUSA is the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national body that represents New Zealand's students' associations and the interests of New Zealand's 400,000 students at universities, polytechnics and in trades training.
We conduct original research, advocate to Government and through the media, and support New Zealand's students' associations to be more effective on behalf of their members. We advocate alongside Te Mana Akonga – The National Māori Students' Association, and Tertiary Women New Zealand – The NZUSA Women's Caucus.
Since 1929, we've believed in a society rich in opportunity, where anyone from anywhere can become any thing. We support accessible, affordable quality public tertiary education.
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