Education Minister Chris Hipkins grilled by concerned Southern Institute of Technology backers

Friday, 1 March 2019

Education Minister Chris Hipkins has been grilled by a group of passionate Southlanders who are concerned what impact a proposed polytechnic merger will have on the province.

Hipkins arrived in Invercargill on Friday morning to a sea of orange with protesters wearing orange T-shirts at the airport.

The Government announced last week a proposal to merge 16 polytechnics and institutes and run them under one centralised organisation. It spurred a Stand Up for SIT campaign to be started in Southland.

Many in the Southland demanded the minister visit Southland and speak on the matter, which he agreed to.

**READ MORE:

* Don't try and fix the Southern Institute of Technology that is not broken

* Stand back and take a deep breath as we consider polytech reform

* Stand Up for SIT campaign organisers sorting 'sea of orange' for Education Minister's visit**

He met with the SIT council, SIT staff, before he spoke at a public meeting in front of a packed out Hansen Hall on Friday afternoon.

Those present rose to their feet when Hipkins started to speak and stayed standing when Hipkins offered people a chance to sit.

It was to symbolise the crowd was standing up for SIT.

For an hour and half Southlanders questioned him on the proposal, with most pleading for him to leave SIT alone.

HWR Richardson Group director Scott O'Donnell was MC for the public meeting and told Hipkins he believed the management of the failing institutes is what needed to be sorted.

O'Donnell said SIT did not fall into that category and instead other organisations should learn from SIT rather than merging them.

Various Southland leaders across the business and politics sector, as well as students, spoke passionately to Hipkins about the role SIT plays in helping grow the province.

Throughout the day Hipkins tried to address fears by saying there had not been any decisions locked in and plenty of detail still needed to be worked through.

He said Southland would be able to retain its $36m cash reserves and other assets it already had.

However the Education Minister would not guarantee the SIT's unique Zero Fees scheme and accommodation supplement would remain in place, but said it was a goal.

He was unable to provide any detail around what decisions would be made locally or nationally in the future.

The SIT2LRN distance learning programme would remain at SIT, he said, despite speculation that it would be scrapped.

'I want to reassure them that some of the assumptions being made, for example that SIT wouldn't be able to do distance learning, are incorrect.

'In fact potentially there could be expansion for distance learning.'

Hipkins was asked if he would resign as minister if the merger turned out to be a flop, and he answered by saying he would.

Despite a full day of talks with Hipkins, SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds said she was no more clearer as to the detail of the proposed merger and how it would affect SIT.

'I don't think we are any clearer from his visit. I think there is a lot of detail that has not been worked through.

'In some ways I feel a little more confused. Things that we read and thought we understood, and now we are getting told something different,' Simmonds said.

Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt echoed those thoughts.

'I'm very unclear. I've had two sessions [with Hipkins] and it doesn't really inspire you with much confidence.

'It is the beginning of the consultation process to be fair…. who knows, miracles happen.'

The SIT was working through its submission on the merger before the consultation period closed later this month.

When Stuff asked Simmonds if she believed Hipkins could be swayed on his plans, given Southland's strong stance, she was not confident it would.