Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones meets with SIT boss

Thursday, 18 July 2019

The message has been delivered loud and clear that Southern Institute of Technology is performing well and Shane Jones says there is now a push for some 'carve out space' for SIT in the proposed merger.

The Regional Economic Development Minister was in Invercargill on Thursday where he announced a further $1.7 million of funding for Southland from the Provincial Growth Fund.

He also spent some time discussing SIT's situation.

As details of the draft Cabinet paper on the proposed polytechnic merger surfaced this month, SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds indicated she wanted to talk to Government coalition partner New Zealand First about whether it would go into bat for SIT.

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She got her wish on Thursday.

Jones took some time to meet with Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt and Simmonds as they voiced their concern to him about Minister Chris Hipkins' merger plans, and what it meant for Southland if SIT lost its autonomy.

Simmonds was pleased with the meeting and was confident New Zealand First was advocating for the regions and they were keen to see autonomy remain with the SIT.

SIT officials put in a submission which asked for the SIT to be left out of the merger and Jones indicated that was what Clutha Southland based New Zealand First MP Mark Patterson had also called for.

'Both of them [Shadbolt and Simmonds] pointed out to me that the global model ought not to undermine the provinces that are succeeding. I think the message has got through to senior politicians that you have a successful model down here,' Jones said.

'Some of our provincial polytechs are in the doo-doo, unfortunately, mine is one of them from Taitokerau. 

'But you have a more robust and successful model down here and Mark [Patterson] has obviously been advocating that we find some carve out space for this polytech [SIT] and not have it globalised to the point where you find its no longer a local asset,' Jones said.

Patterson made it quite clear where he stood after Jones called on him to offer up his thoughts on Thursday.

'If it ain't broke don't fix it,' Patterson said.

'[SIT is] performing strongly and that's certainly what we've been advocating for within our remit. We are supporters of the regional polytechnics and keeping them, in particular, the southern ones that have been performing.'

Invercargill-based Labour MP Liz Craig was also called on by Jones to offer up her thoughts.

'I think the most important thing is we get a strong regional polytechnic that can look after our workforce needs. Because we've got a lot of shortages across construction and our primary industries.

'Having a polytechnic down here that can deliver that is important. I think the other thing that is important is to make sure our local community can have a say, in terms of our workforce needs and make sure it's responsive to the working needs of the south,' Craig said.