Simmonds should listen to constituents, not consultants.

News that a razor gang of consultants has been hired to make cuts at Te Pūkenga is a worrying sign for communities waiting on Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds to reveal her plans for vocational training in regional New Zealand. 

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union holds grave fears for the future of regional vocational training. “The Minister is focused on cuts, not courses,” says TEU’s Daniel Benson-Guiu, Te Pou Ahurei Takirua - Ahumahi | Assistant National Secretary – Industrial.

“People living in regional New Zealand are worried about having the skilled tradespeople they need for their communities to thrive. We need more nurses, plumbers, builders and mechanics and we need them in every part of the country. Cuts to regional vocational training would mean more young people leaving home to get trained, increasing the risk they will never come back. 

“The Minister is leaving communities in limbo by delaying the release of her plans. The Government put this work on their 100-day plan. But nine months on, we are still in the dark. It doesn’t help that the Minister refuses to meet with key stakeholders including the TEU.

“It’s time for Penny Simmonds to front up with her plans and it’s time for her to listen to the people most affected by her decisions - the communities served by Te Pūkenga. More cuts driven by consultants who will walk away when their work is done won’t deliver the vocational training we need for a strong economy and healthy society,” says Daniel Benson-Guiu.