Dr Paul Hutchison MP National Party Tertiary Education Spokesman

25 June 2008

TEC - Labour's poster child of bureaucratic excess

The Tertiary Education Commission's appetite for excess knows no bounds, says Nationals' Tertiary Education spokesman Paul Hutchison on learning that the departing CEO will be rewarded with a performance bonus.

Today it was confirmed that Janice Shiner's performance bonus would be between $40,000 and $41,000 even though she is shortly leaving New Zealand and will not remain accountable for the changes she has made.

"The TEC continues to gorge itself on more bureaucrats, consultants, and contractors. Last year it spent 300% more than it estimated on contractors and consultants, so this year it has simply trebled its budget.

"In just four years, since its establishment in 2004, the TEC has burgeoned to 287 full-time employees and a further 19 who are part-time.

"Today the Minister confirmed that TEC's new structure could have 341 full-time employees, but said they hadn't finished hiring staff.

"In 2007 there was a 69% rise in TEC bureaucrats earning over $100,000, and in 2008 a 16% rise.

"The constant reforms of this sector will be remembered not for any improved efficiency but for reckless waste. The 2008 Budget fuels the situation by increasing the operational funding by a huge 37%.

"Labour's record of building massive wasteful bureaucracies is without precedent.

"The TEC is its poster child."

ENDS

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