The government has agreed in principle to provide capital support to Canterbury’s three Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) for their earthquake-rebuilding programme. “The University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and CPIT have all recently completed initial business cases for capital investment from the Crown as part of their earthquake rebuilding programme,” tertiary education, skills and employment minister [...]

The Otago Daily Times reports that Aoraki Polytechnic may look to merge with either CPIT or Otago Polytechnic following a second year of large financial losses. Union members at believe a merger or sharing services with Otago Polytechnic are the best options to reverse falling student numbers and a “grim” financial situation at the institution. [...]

Tertiary Update Vol 15 No 25 Labour MP Megan Woods has asked tertiary education minister Steven Joyce to explain how his Skills for Canterbury programme is funded and what the results have been. In Budget 2011 the government announced a $42 million Skills for Canterbury initiative to train people to meet additional labour demand for [...]

Eleven individuals and one close-knit team received Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards this week. The Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards celebrate New Zealand’s finest tertiary teachers and highlight the outstanding quality of tertiary education that students across New Zealand receive. Dr Rhiannon Braund, senior lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at University of Otago, was selected as [...]

Tertiary education minister Steven Joyce has encouraged CPIT to look at options for developing a network of South Island Polytechnics. The CPIT Council notice of meeting for June notes the minister “encourages CPIT to explore options for creating a stronger South Island ITP [institutes of technology and polytechnics] network asking that the Minister’s office be [...]

The government will invest $1 million into Māori trades training at CPIT, the minister for tertiary education, skills and employment, Steven Joyce, announced this week. The new initiative builds on He Toki ki te Rika, a Māori trades initiative delivered by the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), in partnership with Te Puni Kokiri and Te [...]

Minister for tertiary education, skills and employment, Steven Joyce, has continued to appoint people to multiple polytechnic councils. Malcolm Inglis, who is the current deputy chair of UCOL council will now also take on the role of deputy chair of the WITT council for a four year term. Malcolm Inglis is a management consultant providing [...]

Submission of the Tertiary Education Union on Shaping Education Te Tāreinga Mātauranga Directions for Education Renewal in greater Christchurch May 2012 For further information please contact: Phil Dodds TEU Organiser Christchurch Office Ph: 03 3642768 027 4499422 phil.dodds@teu.ac.nz Introduction The Tertiary Education Union Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa (TEU) welcomes this opportunity to respond to the Shaping [...]

The University of Canterbury was trying to offload its theatre and film studies department to the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) according to documents TEU obtained under the Official Information Act this week. The university told staff and students on 26 March that it proposed to close theatre and film studies, American studies and [...]

A lobbying disclosure bill that is to be debated by parliament could impact tertiary institutions that currently pay lobbying agencies to influence politicians.  Last year Tertiary Update revealed that private lobbying and consultancy company Saunders Unsworth lists among its past and present clients Massey University, Otago University, the six metro polytechnics, Victoria University of Wellington, and the Industry Training Federation. [...]