#opinion Polytech reforms arent fixing anything

The government has continued to disadvantage Māori through their reforms to vocational education by removing references to Te Tiriti and diluting outcomes for Māori learners.

Labour Spokesperson for Tertiary Education Shanan Halbert says: “The Minister’s reforms do not fix the core issue for our Polytech’s, – long-term financial viability – and now she is making vocational education worse for Māori”.

The Education and Workforce Select Committee have reported back to the house their recommendations on the vocational reforms, informing by a scathing departmental report from the Ministry of Education.

When Labour introduced Te Pukenga, it ensured that Māori had a guaranteed voice at the decision-making table, making sure that vocational education was delivering for Māori and honouring Te Tiriti.

Halbert added: “The government’s choice is out of step with what staff, students and industry want. Submitters on the bill were strongly in favour of the inclusion of Te Tiriti provisions to ensure that there would be appropriate representation for Māori, as well as Pasifika and ethnic communities”.

According to the Tertiary Education Union:

“It suggests a shift from a Treaty-based relationship to a transactional, non-binding one, which risks treating Māori as stakeholders rather than as Tiriti partners.”

Despite Minister Simmond’s claiming she was regularly consulting Māori on the reforms through the Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group, their own submission says that they were not effectively engaged in the drafting process.

Government members voted to remove the section of legislation that promotes Māori representation on polytechnic councils, alongside removing Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments for the new Industry Skills Boards.

Penny Simmond’s has eroded Māori voice in vocational education without mandate or consultation. Now, we are seeing the same in the draft Tertiary Education Strategy.

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