Hundreds of polytechnic staff are paying the price of financial mismanagement at Labour’s Te Pūkenga mega-merger, National’s Tertiary Education spokesperson Penny Simmonds says.

“Te Pūkenga staff around the country are being called into meetings this week and told their jobs are in jeopardy.

“I have been inundated with concerns from staff who say they are in shock at how the process is being handled, with some being given just two hours’ notice to secure a support person before their employment meetings.

“These are people who have given their all to this restructuring process and are now being treated with utter disrespect.

“Hard-working staff are paying the price for what is total mismanagement by Te Pūkenga, its board and the Labour Government.

“This mega-merger was doomed from the outset, with $200 million wasted on set-up costs, including a top-heavy and bureaucratic head office.

“As a result, as many as 1,000 staff around the country could lose their jobs as management attempts to claw back a $63 million deficit.

“Meanwhile, Te Pūkenga still hasn’t met its statutory obligation to submit its 2022 Annual Report to the Government by 30 April this year, meaning we remain in the dark about its current financial position

“The polytechnic sector is now in total disarray. Student enrolments are down 10 per cent, and the very problems that Chris Hipkins said Te Pūkenga would fix, have actually got worse.

“The treatment of these staff also contrasts dramatically with my revelations this week that former Te Pūkenga chief executive Stephen Town was paid $65,000 on five weeks of special leave, before receiving a payout of $195,000 at the time of his resignation.

“A National government would stop the centralisation of the polytechnic sector and focus on educational outcomes for our students.”