Tokoroa and Taupō u-turn a win for union power.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is relieved to note Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s decision, announced to staff this week, to reverse proposals that would have ended vocational education and training delivery in Tokoroa and Taupō.

If the proposals had gone ahead, they would have seriously undermined the government’s stated intention of shaping a “locally led, regional responsive, and future focused” vocational education and training system.

The win follows collective campaigning and sustained pressure on decision makers and Members of Parliament led by the Toi Ohomai (Rotorua) branch of the TEU.

Branch Co-Leaders Ashton Ledger and Santana Ammunson say “this is a big win for our branch, a positive outcome for our communities, and a welcome relief to all who were impacted.”

“While delivery could look different moving forward, a win is still a win, and this one belongs to us and our communities. We commend the institute's decision to maintain access to public vocational education and training across the Bay of Plenty and parts of South Waikato.”

“This means learners in Taupō and Tokoroa will continue to have opportunities to access localised public vocational education and training, progress made under Te Pūkenga to remove barriers to learning won’t go to waste, and education can deliver equitable outcomes for all learners regardless of where they reside.”

“But as much as we would like to celebrate the wins and embrace the exciting opportunities these changes offer to defend and promote quality public tertiary education that is accessible to all, we are still facing several losses.”

“There’s a lot of mamae out there among kaimahi. In particular, the disestablishment and downsizing of several roles within student support services that are essential to teaching and learning and invaluable to ākonga and kaiako alike.”

To kaimahi in other regions still facing proposed cuts, Ledger and Ammunson say “hang in there and don’t lose hope. Participate in the process and make as many submissions as you can both individually and collectively. Stand up for what matters to you and the communities you serve.”

“Making decisions before new leadership and governance are effective not only risks undermining the government's goals, but also threatens to further reduce opportunities for public vocational education and training across the motu.”

“This disproportionately impacts communities already experiencing higher levels of deprivation and inequity, contributing to the conditions known to push or further entrench people into cycles of poverty – cycles that education seeks to ameliorate, transform, challenge, and ultimately change in service of the public good.”