Whitireia and WelTec’s creative campus faces potential closure

Monday, 3 February 2025

With Mega polytechnic Te Pūkenga’s disestablishment confirmed by the Government last year, business divisions are looking at what cuts they can make to become financially viable and stand alone. Pictured is Te Auaha, part of Whitireia and WelTec’s central Wellington campus.

Whitireia and WelTec’s central Wellington campus is facing potential closure as mega polytechnic Te Pūkenga continues on its path towards its disestablishment.

The Te Kāhui Auaha – the creative campus, on the corner of Cuba St and Dixon St, opened in 2018.

Five years later, the newly elected Government announced it would be disestablishing Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology in December 2023.

Cuts including Te Kāhui Auaha were being considered as Te Pūkenga’s business divisions fought for financial viability, or else facing potential closure.

Mark Oldershaw, executive director of Whitireia and WelTec – Te Pūkenga’s two Wellington regional based divisions – confirmed on Monday that the closure of the Te Kāhui Auaha campus was being considered.

It was in line with with Government’s plan to review their portfolios of programmes and property to support their longer-term financial viability.

“Part of this process has been to review campus property assets to ensure they meet current and future requirements,” Oldershaw said.

The campus had been underutilised, partly because of the impact of Covid-19 on domestic and international enrolments.

“It is important to note that no decisions have been made on the future of programmes that are currently delivered at our Te Kāhui Auaha campus or the campus itself. All programmes currently taught at the campus will continue as normal this year.”

Mark Oldershaw, executive director of Whitireia and WelTec, confirmed its central Wellington creative campus could face closure as it reviews its portfolios of programmes and property to support their longer-term financial viability. (File photo)

Oldershaw said consultations would be held with staff and they were committed to supporting them and students throughout the process.

“Whitireia and WelTec play an important role in meeting the vocational education and training needs of the Wellington region. We therefore need to ensure we remain financially viable to be able to meet the longer-term needs of our learners, staff and communities.”

The sector was largely left in limbo last year, though in the lead up to an announcement in December, the Minister for Tertiary Education Penny Simmonds, had given a “very clear message” that business divisions, or former ITPs, needed to “right size” to become financially sustainable.

It led to courses and staff being cut and the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) was aware of a “raft of change proposals on the go” which could lead to further job losses.

On the last working day of the year for many offices, and 379 days since its initial disestablishment was announced, Simmonds said the Government had decided to amend the Education and Training Act 2020 to disestablish Te Pūkenga and allow ITPs to be established as autonomous entities, either standalone or as part of a federation – likely under Open Polytechnic.

She expected 10 of the 16 polytechnics to be able to stand alone, while the new legislation meant others could be merged or shut down.

Te Pūkenga was a merger of 16 polytechnics and nine ITOs (industry training organisations).

Decisions on which polytechnics will be established, and in which form, would be taken in the first half of the year, Simmonds said.

“It is important for the sustainability of the sector for this work to be undertaken prior to the re-establishment of individual polytechnics.

“It is my intention that the new system will start to be implemented from 2025, with the first standalone polytechnics in place on January 1, 2026.”