Policy, Management & People

1. Budget Announcements There were Ministerial announcements on tertiary education spending and savings, science and engineering courses, PTE funding, Youth Guarantee places, science and innovation spending, and Māori cadetships . RNZ gave a good overview so we didn’t bother with other coverage.
2. Budget Reaction The TEU said there were more cuts in overall spending. Universities NZ generally welcomed the Budget. This Rural News story has good science reaction based on deeper SMC info. Commentators noted at interest.co.nz pointed out how much student support contributed to Budget savings. EXMSS said it was an attack on part-time students. AUSA said students’ fears were confirmed. A grad wasn’t worried about repayment rate rise. Fairfax chatted to three students – 2 against, 1 for the Budget. The PPTA said Youth Guarantee places would rip funding from secondary schools. Waikato DVC Alister Jones also wrote a great Budget preview.
3. Budget Protests 60-100 students in Wellington and 400 students in Auckland protested Budget cuts to student support. The latter group closed a busy intersection for some hours, causing traffic disruption. Here’s their rationale (AUSA, WATU Wellington) and here’s some coverage – NZN, Stuff, Stuff, RNZ, NZ Herald and TVNZ.
4. Nursing Waiariki comments on the nursing situation.
5. Extras: Whitireia part of Wellington China delegation.

Research & Innovation

1. Extras: WelTec collaborating with commercialisation firm; Waikato lecturer gets record deal; Victoria’s Val Lindsay has written a report on doing business in India; more on AUT rocket tracking; NBR on poet’s residency; Otago Uni work in Cambodia.

Public Issues

1. Urewera 4 Auckland’s David Williams on Urewera 4 sentences.
2. Budget Comment Otago Uni academics offer thoughts on tobacco tax increases. Auckland’s Raymond Miller on dealing with super (as did Canterbury’s Eric Crampton).
3. Budget History Victoria’s Sydney Shep has found a Budget relic.
4. Extras: Canterbury’s Chris Gallavin on plea bargaining; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on Shane Jones issues; Victoria’s Jon Fraenkel on PNG politics; Auckland’s Rochelle Constantine on whales.

Students

1. Extras: more on Massey nude calendar; UCOL artist. NorthTec carpentry apprentice in comp.

Stakeholders

1. Extras: Canterbury’s Jim Tully judges newspaper awards; poetry workshops at Victoria.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Otago Foreign Policy School focusing on Middle East; school students doing NMIT foundation course.

Policy, Management & People

1. Indian Nursing Students I was quoted yesterday in a TVNZ story on Indian nursing students. While only a few of my comments made it to air, my overall views are that the ITPs involved could still improve their marketing materials a bit but this problem is almost entirely due to the Nursing Council changing the rules for registration. We are going to rely on offshore health workers for decades and if the Nursing Council and other bodies need to align their work with that of education providers. A grandparenting arrangement could easily have been put in place. To be fair, here’s the Nursing Council’s view.
2. Uni Finances Steven Joyce and TEC released data on universities’ 2011 financial results yesterday, but managed to avoid any comment on Canterbury’s $115m asset write-down (NZN). There were good surpluses, which the TEU thinks bodes well for wage negotiations.
3. Budget NZUSA predicts a bleak Budget. TEU covers planned student protests.
4. Pasifika Trades BETA and CPIT running an event for Pasifika tradespeople in training.
5. Extras: ESITO on 50 new Maori cadetships; sewerage leak closes Victoria field; Otago Poly had a good year; funky SIT tutors; full house for Waikato’s Prof Douglas Pratt’s inaugural lecture; blog post on enrolment trends.

Research & Innovation

1. Rocket Tracking AUT’s space rocket tracking got more coverage (3 News, release, Fairfax, TVNZ, NZ Herald, SMC).
2. Virtual Spider…has been developed at Canterbury.
3. Cool Photos Otago Uni staff and students set up explosions and so on for filming purposes.
4. Marlborough Capital Massey’s Kerry Griffiths reckons Picton is still the capital of Marlborough.
5. Extras: more on sealion by-catch work at Otago Uni (ODT); Waikato’s Prof Peter Molan wins award for honey research; Massey’s Jean Margerison doing calf study; Swiss academic, based at Otago Uni, on dairy conversions; long slow quakes on Alpine Fault (NZ Herald, RNZ); Canterbury pianist; Canterbury’s Chris Gallavin on a rare legal charge; award for Otago Uni ocean team; Massey research on fitness and obesity and empathy in multimedia conferencing; Canterbury’s Jeffrey Paparoa Holman gets US residency.

Public Issues

1. AFFCO Victoria’s Stephen Blumenfeld on Tainui involvement in AFFCO dispute – personally I think the threat of setting up a new facility was a joke, as the industry is still plagued by overcapacity.
2. Volcanoes Victoria academics giving lectures in Taupo on volcanoes.
3. Extras: Otago Uni/Poly support local liquor ban; varroa mite at Otago Uni hives.

Students

1. $75K Win A student at Wellington’s Elite School of Beauty and Spa Therapy won $75K in a scratchie and the whole class went to the Lotteries Commission to get the payment.
2. Alternative Budget An alternative budget comp was won by Otago Uni students (ODT).
3. Nude Calendars The Massey nude calendars are out.
4. Zoo Dunedin Stadium’s Zoo is popular with students.
5. Extras: Canterbury students testing railway sleepers; MIT butchery student; Victoria singer; Otago Uni ice hockey player; WITT student has a lucky escape; student finding it hard to survive on minimum wage; Auckland hockey coach; Otago Uni students win award for doco; David Farrar on Otago Uni ghosts;.

Stakeholders

1. Unison EIT’s Unison training centre going well.
2. Extras: TEIs hosting school STEM teachers; fair-trade coffee at Canterbury; Otago Uni neurosurgery fundraising (for which there is a preferred candidate); fruitgrowers’ award for EIT’s Brian Calcinai; Lincoln’s Glen Creasy on Canterbury region wines; NMIT gallery exhibition; Massey Christchurch design comp.

Teaching & Learning

1. LLN More on workplace literacy in Northland – they’re doing some good stories.

In recent years, Independent Tertiary Institutions (ITI) – a recognised peak industry body in the Private Training Establishment (PTE) sector – has published annual predictions about what we expect to see in each year’s Budget, particularly in relation to the PTE sector. Here are our predictions for 2012:

• The National Party’s 2011 election manifesto contained a welcome promise to “continue to remove differences in funding treatment between public and private providers.” In Budget 2012, we will hopefully see some reduction in the current funding differential which exists between public and private providers, though any moves are likely to be quite limited. Our analysis shows that PTEs collectively provide excellent value for the taxpayer’s money.
• Unlike Budget 2011, ITI does not expect to see any additional places in PTEs. There will be an increase in student numbers for universities, largely funded from the changes to loans and allowances. These increases will be tightly targeted at Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) courses at Levels 6-10, particularly civil and heavy engineering. While the main beneficiary will be universities, some ITPs may also benefit. We confidently predict the universities will welcome the funding boost but will say it is not enough.
• Level 1 and Level 2 provision will (finally) be opened up to PTEs. However, the details of precisely how PTEs will engage at the foundation level are yet to be worked through and implementation will unfortunately continue to be some way off. This will essentially be an “in-principle” announcement. However, it does signal the Government’s willingness to consider moving existing funding between tertiary sectors in order to get the best value – another election policy for National. ITI has long welcomed flexible funding which follows performance.
• There will undoubtedly be further efforts to provide the skills needed for the rebuild of Christchurch. This may well be an extension of existing support for targeted subjects rather than a new policy. It is not expected that the Government will announce a long-term plan to support PTEs in the affected region. The focus of the recent “Directions for education renewal in greater Christchurch” was exclusively on public providers. It was simply noted in passing that private providers had been hard hit which undervalues the contribution private providers make in Canterbury.
• Last year, Immigration New Zealand managed to obtain substantial funding for a new technology system to replace their rapidly fading IT infrastructure. Budget 2012 may see a similar but smaller capital investment in the Tertiary Future Information State (TFIS) project. Both the Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education Commission are not going to be able to absorb the expected costs of that project within baseline but officials consider it critical to future progress.
• We expect the Budget to focus on the economic contribution which tertiary education makes to New Zealand. This is the clear focus of the National-led Government and it is reflected in recent official statements from the various state education agencies. For example, the Ministry of Education’s Briefing to the Incoming Minister (BIM) listed the first priority of education as to “enhance New Zealand’s economic growth performance and raise labour productivity.” That is a significant shift from previous years. The Minister for Tertiary Education, Hon Steven Joyce, has argued that Australia has already changed the focus of their tertiary education system to economic development.
  

The main pre-Budget announcement for tertiary education related to further restrictions on students loans and allowances. As expected, a number of the usual groups took exception to the proposals though ITI is broadly supportive. New Zealand has a generous (and expensive) student support system and, even with the changes, the overall repayment of loans will only reach 60 cents in the dollar which is up from just 50 cents in 2008. Certainly, some graduates will pay more but that also means they will pay their loan back quicker.

The changes, though generally welcome, still only tinker with loans at the margins. The real issue is interest-free student loans. This is particularly important because one of the main reasons (if not the main reason) the Government gives for imposing a cap on student numbers in tertiary education is the cost pressure of loans and allowances. Even bringing back an element of interest – perhaps under the market rate and kicking in only after completion of study – would significantly change the tertiary landscape.

Sooner or later, the Government will have to address this issue. They can only ignore an elephant of that size in such a small room for so long.

Tim Cullinane, Chair of Independent Tertiary Institutions (ITI)

This is a guest post from ITI, a recognised peak body representing a diverse range of high-quality private providers around New Zealand.

Policy, Management & People

1. Cadets Pita Sharples launched 50 cadetships at ESITO.
2. Film Club Auckland has been admitted to a grouping of top film schools – there’s a good show reel at the link.
3. Extras: Wintec’s Mark Flowers likes new building next door (I could almost start a website called “TEI CEOs look at building sites” like that Kim Jong Il one); Lincoln Uni students welcomed the new VC; a student on the Budget; Taratahi improving dairy herd fertility.

Research & Innovation

1. AUT & SpaceX The story about AUT’s tracking work for SpaceX has resurfaced now that the rocket has taken off (RNZ, NZ Herald). That’s pretty cool and I’m sure it will feature in AUT marketing!
2. Slow Quakes Victoria’s Prof Geoff Stern et al have found slow creeping quakes in the Alpine Fault (The Press).
3. Misreporting? Otago Uni’s Prof Richard Edwards has put out a media release saying that smokers want “much greater regulation of the tobacco industry”, whereas 70% of smokers actually said they agreed that companies “should be more tightly regulated” (NBR, APNZ). There’s quite a big difference.
4. Kiwi Mating Victoria’s Kristina Ramstad is using genomics technology to explore kiwi mating issues.
5. Sealion By-catch…is consistently underreported according to Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson and he seems to have a good argument (3 News).
6. War Hero or Braggart? If you have 10 minutes, read this story about a real German character – a history was written of him a few years back by Auckland’s Prof James Bade.
7. Extras: exhibition by Aoraki’s Michael Armstrong; Otago Uni honours oceans research group.

Public Issues

1. Housing Otago Uni’s Philippa Howden-Chapman was in Nelson to talk about affordable housing.
2. Residential Care AUT’s Katherine Ravenswood on residential care issues.
3. Extras: Otago Uni cleanup research editorial and RNZ story; Victoria’s Peter Thompson on TVNZ7; Massey’s Tom Phillips on dairying intensity; Otago Poly’s Daniel Pfyl makes yummy pears; AUT’s Prof Tim Maloney on a living wage; Auckland’s Nikki Turner on vaccination and ear infections; Canterbury’s Eric Crampton on privatisation in Christchurch; AUT’s Henry Yamo on PNG politics.

Students

1. Branding Game Three Taratahi students branded each other with red hot shearing combs (they were sharpening them). One student ended up in hospital for a few days. Ouch.
2. Grad Art Auckland has published a book cataloguing work from graduate shows.
3. Sex Cartoons A Canterbury student has been discharged without conviction over sexual abuse images (Fairfax).
4. Haunted Hostel TV3 checked out the haunted hostel at Otago Uni.
5. Extras: rugby and shaving at Lincoln (The Star); OUSA reorientation; Anne Boleyn at CPIT; Waikato students win Chinese speech competition; Massey students at Semi-Permanent; BOPP training restaurant popular.

Stakeholders

1. Pink AUT’s restaurant is going pink.
2. Fieldays Waikato is showcasing its agricultural side with Fieldays coming up – they’re put out releases about carbon in dairy soils, sorting cows and nurturing peat lakes. There’s also a fertiliser education launch and Prof Jacqueline Rowarth on bad farm employers.
3. Extras: Awanuiarangi’s Donna Grant on Warriors board; Freemasons supporting tertiary education; UCOL grads do well in photo awards.

Teaching & Learning

1. The Tropics Waikato’s Adara Withers scored a good internship studying birds in French Polynesia.
2. Workplace Literacy There was a good story on workplace literacy in Northland and the finalists in the Skills Highway awards were announced.

Policy, Management & People

1. Health Campus Unitec had Paula Bennett open its Waitakere health campus on Friday, a joint venture with the local DHB. It sounds pretty good.
2. NMIT Buildings New update on NMIT’s engineering review of buildings.
3. Book Fair Education NZ is supporting NZ’s involvement in the Frankfurt Book Fair to leverage export education promotion.
4. Raukawa Success Raukawa’s Mereana Selby had an op-ed on what success means for the institution.
5. TROQ Competenz is seeking industry input into baking and manufacturing quals.
6. Loan Declines Interesting story about decline rates for student loans.
7. Extras: Massey ad gets coverage; body of Otago Uni’s David Palmer found in bush; VUWSA on loans and allowances.

Research & Innovation

1. Hunting Lincoln’s Geoff Kerr has been researching hunting.
2. Extras: editorial on happiness research.

Public Issues

1. Privatisation Canterbury’s Eric Crampton on selling off Christchurch City assets. AUT’s Peter McKinlay also commented.
2. Triple Bottom Line In his inaugural lecture at Waikato Prof Charl de Villiers will be talking on triple bottom line accounting.
3. G8 Victoria’s Robert Ayson on the G8.
4. Recidivism Canterbury’s Prof Greg Newbold is sceptical about impact of latest Government anti-recidivism efforts.
5. Social Media Two Otago Uni academic comment on Gore social media faux pas.
6. Extras: Massey’s David Tripe on bank rates and Prof John O’Neill cited on class sizes; three academics on narcissism; Massey’s Eric Neuman cited on pork imports again; Massey’s Prof Peter O’Connor on charter schools.

Students

1. Haunted Hostel Apparently there’s a haunted hostel at Otago Uni (ODT).
2. Polar Expedition Waikato twins want to walk to the South Pole next year.
3. Weeding Massey students doing a community weeding project.
4. 48 Hours UCOL students’ 48 hour film experiences.
5. Fashion UCOL students have fashion designs on show.
6. Extras: Five NZ School of Music students in concerto comp; medical students’ assn commits to equity; BOPP touch tournament; students want Disney experience.

Stakeholders

1. Older People Otago Poly wants to get low cost laptops and tablets to older people to reduce social isolation.
2. Organist Auckland’s James Tibbles has been appointed a cathedral organist.
3. Gaming The gaming conference at Media Design School went well and I imagine the new gaming degrees were popular (TelstraClear)
4. Extras: AUT and Auckland curators off to Asia; support for workplace literacy training; NMIT tutor judging music comp; Rena art performance at BOPP; Canterbury’s Russell Taylor is helping to bring solar power to Tongan schools; Duncan Sarkies to speak at Massey; AUT Business Support Awards close soon; EIT is helping out the Black Sticks.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Pushpa Wood on Massey’s new personal finance education centre.

Policy, Management & People

1. iPhone Ad Massey has a cute new iPhone-made ad, starring VC Steve Maharey. And there’s a “making of” video too. Impressively, it aired yesterday but I think they only filmed it last week.
2. Holiday Park Buy Waiariki has bought a holiday park, which might seem odd, but it’s next door to their main campus and will be used for student accommodation.
3. VSM Massey Albany has only had 19 students pay a $100 membership fee after VSM. ON a different angle, OUSA had an $800,000 loss last year, partly brought on by a write-down of assets that could not be retained post-VSM.
4. Quake-Prone Buildings Lincoln has had Hudson Hall and Johnston Memorial Lab rated about the earthquake threshold, and Ivey Memorial Hall confirmed as earthquake-prone by Selwyn District Council (The Press). NMIT has meanwhile permanently vacated their F Block due to earthquake safety concerns.
5. Enrolments With some odd analysis, this story comments on enrolment trends.
6. Teacher Ed Canterbury’s Prof Gail Gillon likes teacher ed changes. The Nelson Mail’s editorial cites Victoria’s Dugald Scott.
7. Extras: student Budget protest at Auckland; PBRF review and RNZ on recent changes; visiting indigenous academic at Waikato; more on UCOL Whanganui building; Otago Uni disputes some facts in the Dunedin Stadium report; WITT recycling; criticism of Steven Joyce’s op-ed; rescue efforts for missing Otago Uni staffer; editorial on Aoraki youth forum; Critic on councils, protest against an MOU with a Chinese university and NZUSA’s asset sales stance ; Labour’s Damian O’Connor wants more info on rural bonding schemes.

Research & Innovation

1. Asian Signs While Massey has a mildly interesting release out about its Asian language signs research (needs more photos), Winston Peters has the limelight about immigration.
2. Wow Otago Uni’s Prof Murray Tilyard has an active life, including overseeing some very impressive health IT businesses.
3. Mapua Cleanup Otago Uni’s Ian McBride on Mapua cleanup safety.
4. Chickens Canterbury’s Annie Potts has written a book on chickens, as part of an international series on animals.
5. Extras: Victoria’s Neil Quigley on Taiwan exports; Canterbury-aligned start-up wins award; Canterbury’s James Smithies gets extra money for CEISMIC; Lincoln’s Rupert Tipples on migrant dairy labour; more on Victoria PhD’s happiness research; Canterbury work on smart meter safety; penguin data for Massey; Canterbury recording eastern Christchurch quake stories.

Public Issues

1. Hip Hop Orchestra…is being arranged by Victoria’s Kenneth Young.
2. China Trade Unitec’s Rick Ede on trade with China – the story also covers The Formary, a cool company that works next to me (literally, they sit a metre away).
3. Religion Rant Waikato’s Prof Douglas Pratt seemed to rant at a reporter about religion, but made some points worth discussing.
4. Alternative Budgets Auckland’s Business School has had an interesting idea to present alternative Budgets tomorrow. The only problem to me is that the judging panel is fairly stacked with centre-left/economic interventionist judges like Rod Oram, Bernard Hickey, Selwyn Pellett and John Walley (4/6). Anyway, it’s a good idea.
5. Out of the Blue Otago Uni’s Davinia Thornley comments on the film Out of the Blue and the constraints of genre.
6. Extras: Otago Uni’s Nicola Atwool on welfare reform; Otago Uni’s Dr Blackman on radioactivity in the body and Thorsten Stanley on a little boy’s medical conditions; Auckland’s Cameron Grant on whooping cough; Massey’s Claire Mathews on the runaway millionaire case, bank rates and paying off loans; Lincoln’s Philip Hulme on wasps; Whitecliffe’s Michele Whitecliffe on a dress for Kate Middleton; Victoria’s Terence O’Brien on MFAT changes; Waikato’s Carrie Barber on treating ADHD in kids; Waikato’s Jacques Poot on immigration to Australia; Victoria’s Dugald Scott quoted approvingly by Michael Laws (bet he’s proud).

Students

1. Car Crash The American exchange student driver in last week’s crash that left three friends dead has been charged over the crash (Fairfax, Fairfax, NZ Herald, NewstalkZB, 3 News). Here’s a story about the memorial service that sums up the complex situation (NZ Herald, NZN).
2. 48 Hour Films UCOL students were gearing up for the 48 Hour Film Festival and Unitec had not only their staff and students participating, but also people from a Shanghai partner. Yoobee@Natcoll is greatly involved too, with some nice stories in the release. Here’s a story about an Aoraki team’s efforts. Meanwhile BOPP was running a 48 hour photo competition.
3. Media Freedom A Pakistani journalist and AUT PhD students warns about risks to media freedom.
4. Flat Cats…may or may not be a student problem in Hamilton.
5. Science Rap Otago Uni’s science rapper.
6. Pink Pride Pink Pride was celebrated at Unitec on Friday (release) and I saw a TEU photo on Facebook too.
7. Beauty An AUT student is Miss Auckland while a Victoria student won a modelling contract, and Auckland academic Caroline Daley commented on the decline of beauty pageants.
8. Extras: Auckland piano quartet; CPIT students making Oamaru doco; Waikato netballers won their club title; 160 Manawatu students/student groups entered an innovation competition and 4 made the 10 finalists; Lincoln Shave to Save (The Press); Canterbury student’s texting habits; AUT student gets fine wiped.

Stakeholders

1. Tranquillity 40 Lincoln students have designed spaces for the Places of Tranquillity – six spaces based on different areas of the world, with the winner of each to be decided by public voting.
2. Flying Visit The PM visited Massey’s aviation school last week.
3. Ice Cream Tasting Massey’s Kay McMath and fellow judges got to taste 286 frozen treats as part of the NZ ice cream awards.
4. Youth Theatre Whitireia was running auditions for a youth theatre company it operates.
5. Game Industry Media Design School hosting game developers’ conference.
6. Extras: Massey-sponsored Christchurch design comp; Manawatu Jets hosted at UCOL; top building apprentice to be announced; artist performing at BOPP: homeless competing with Waikato and Wintec students for homes; Otago Poly staff raise money for hospice; CPIT’s Neil MacInnes is an A level culinary judge; AUT theatre partnership; Otago Uni motorsport academy.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: InfraTrain project with young Maori; Mai Chen speaking to Otago Uni law students; song writing workshop at BOPP.

Policy, Management & People

1. Nursing Investigation NMIT is part of NZQA investigation of allegations by international nursing students.
2. Budget AUSA members are planning to blockade the Budget or, more precisely, meet outside the library. The ITF wants to see the Budget link skills and growth. The TEU has a Budget preview.
3. ITO Mergers The Retail Institute and ATTTO put out the same release about how they’re working through merger issues and options.
4. Top Dancer Auckland dance studies lecturer Nicholas Rowe has picked up institutional awards for excellent teaching and early career research excellence.
5. Student Centre Architecture Now has some great photos and a long story on Waikato’s Student Centre.
6. Canty Music Canterbury’s Prof Ed Adelson had a long op-ed in The Press on the music school down there.
7. Extras: profile of Auckland’s Prof Stuart McNaughton; TEU on TEI governance (ODT) and PBRF changes; UCOL Whanganui building issue.

Research & Innovation

1. Smart Meters…are safe according to Canterbury’s Bill Heffernan.
2. Wellbeing Victoria PhD research on wellbeing (NewstalkZB, NZ Herald, Fairfax)
3. Extras: Maori Party cites Otago Uni cancer research; interview with young adult fiction writer Jane Higgins (of Lincoln); Otago Uni income mobility research; Canterbury writer in residence Helen Rowe; Massey’s Chris Wilkins had drug use research cited.

Public Issues

1. The Constitution…was on the agenda at Waikato’s Kingitanga Day. David Shearer was at the day too.
2. ACC Otago Uni’s Henry Wolfe on ACC privacy breaches.
3. School Funding Three academics on school Budget changes plus Otago Uni’s Lisa Smith and Darrell Latham.
4. Extras: more rural support for Otago Uni coroner research; Victoria’s Christina Mackay on kitchens.

Students

1. Fewer Couch Fires I know people in Otago who’d like that headline, but it’s Palmie where they’re keeping things quiet on the fire front.
2. Car Crash Here’s an update on the car crash involving American students – speed, alcohol and drugs were not a factor.
3. Crohn’s Disease An Otago Poly student is coping with Crohn’s disease.
4. Extras: Waikato theatre production; UCOL student in under 20 NZ rugby team; Otago Uni student’s composition; world uni champs rowers; AUT student looking at fitness of people with osteoarthritis; ex-Otago Poly student had conviction quashed.

Stakeholders

1. Aussie Delegation…of MPs checked out Massey’s agriculture education.
2. Mother’s Day BOPP radio students did a cool Mother’s Day promotion.
3. Extras: TWOA supporting women’s sevens team; BCITO’s employer grants; Massey-sponsored Manawatu business awards; Canterbury cafes paying it forward; UCOL hosting regional careers expo.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Waikato social work students have simulated court sessions.

1. The Communications and Media ITO is now offering the NC in Business Administration and Computing L2 and L3.
2. The ETITO is offering similar quals through a specialist website, Skills Plus, where you can sign up for the NC Business Administration and Computing L3, NC in Business Administration L4 and NC in Business (First Line Management).

The latter site is quite interesting because it doesn’t seem bound to any industry and only has a $50 annual fee (plus a $500 bonus payment to employers upon completion). It seems like quite a good way to build up scale in relatively easy to deliver qualifications.

Back in the mid-90s, ED did a feasibility study for a Computing ITO and the only way they were going to make money was by running something like Skills Plus, focused on basic user ICT training across the workforce. The computing industry wasn’t that interested in the idea (they quite reasonably cared more about software developers) and didn’t establish the ITO (although the idea of an ITO comes up again every few years). Still, offering basic business admin courses in the workforce seems like a simple enough idea and there’s plenty of demand for it.

I’m just wondering whether more ITOs are doing the same thing. Any ideas from readers? Is it a reaction to tougher funding rules affecting other qualifications or just a coincidence?

Policy, Management & People

1. Get Exporting! In what must be one of his silliest public comments, Steven Joyce said in a NZ Herald op-ed that the main problem facing the University of Auckland is that it doesn’t have enough international students and it should work harder to get them. Maybe, just maybe, other factors also have an effect. I have a lot of time for Joyce but that column is just a blinkered joke. Having spent yesterday reading Auckland’s 2011 annual report for ED Insider, I don’t think the Uni is sitting on their hands waiting for helpful advice like “get exporting”, especially since they’re the biggest education exporter in the country…
2. Teacher Ed Hekia Parata, Minister of Education, announced yesterday that a postgrad qual would be a new prerequisite for teachers. Massey’s Prof James Chapman loved the idea because he’s just approved the same changes (colleague Prof John O’Neill disagreed), while a primary school principal spokesperson didn’t like it. Victoria’s Dugald Scott helpfully punctured the idea that class sizes are everything – if they were, universities would be in trouble.
3. PBRF Costs TEU reps, past and present, comment on the impact of the PBRF on redundancies and research activity.
4. WIE Wins Dispute Waikato Institute of Education won in the Disputes Tribunal after student claims of wrongdoing.
5. Sport Space Otago Poly will be getting a new sports hub.
6. Extras: Wanganui vet likes Massey’s vet facility plans; WITT hosted Chinese delegation; Auckland remembered they won a good employer award 13 days ago; Otago Uni’s Prof Keith Hunter on using Singapore as a science model.

Research & Innovation

1. Port Hills Canterbury’s Ben Mackey is using new techniques to explore ancient earthquakes in Christchurch’s Port Hills.
2. Antarctica South Korea’s building a $90m Antarctic research station and Canterbury’s
   Prof Bryan Storey will be liaising with them (release). Some academics were also in this book on science on the ice.
3. Extras: Otago Uni’s Fiona Gunasekara on income and health; Massey alumni’s terrorist analysis; Massey PhD on motherhood; Victoria PhD student’s drug research; Fed Farmers supports Otago Uni look into coroners’ recommendations.

Public Issues

1. Marine Resources Three academics comment on a RSNZ piece on marine resources/environment.
2. Europe Auckland’s David Mayes on the Euro crisis.
3. Business Development Massey’s Claire Massey on business support and an upcoming conference.
4. Pirate Party The Pirate Party might launch out of Waikato, or not.
5. Extras: Otago Uni’s Tony Blakely on prescription fee hikes; Otago Uni’s James Henry on cruise ship passengers; Auckland’s Cameron Grant on whooping cough; Massey’s David Tripe on interest rates; Canterbury visiting fellow on EQC model; Victoria’s Rachel McKee on deaf interpreters and Peter Thompson on the Commerce Act.

Students

1. Car Crash A US student remains in critical condition, while the bodies of her three fellow students have been released by Police.
2. Nice Recovery An Otago Uni student is recovering well from a spinal injury last year.
3. Olympics Vision College has a distance student, Andy Moloney, gearing up for the Laser Class dinghy racing in London.
4. Extras: Canterbury rugby player; success for Taratahi/AgITO trainees; sports turf grad at Dunedin stadium; SkyCity apprentice chef wins regional competition.

Stakeholders

1. Winston…was speaking at Wintec.
2. Kingitanga Day…was held at Waikato yesterday.
3. Diversity Unitec is up for an ethnic diversity award.
4. Employer Award Auckland has given Bayleys an award as a good graduate employer.
5. Extras: Hekia Parata praises Canterbury Pacific outreach programme; Aoraki body-painter does fundraiser; emeritus prof Ivan Snook honoured by Massey; Massey Writers Read Week;

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: prisoners learning first aid.

Policy, Management & People

1. Premier Uni Auckland’s Prof Tim Hazeldine argues for downsizing Auckland’s enrolments and upping its funding so that it becomes a top world university. Today a student wrote about how entry scores to Auckland aren’t as high as those at the University of Melbourne, which is one reason to study over there.
2. Music Review A review of Canterbury’s music school shows that it needs 200 EFTS but is currently only getting 85 (and only had 130-140 before the quakes). Canterbury still plans to fund the deficit though.
3. Oh Dear Some papers can be partisan to their local institutions but the Manawatu Standard takes the cake when it says Massey could teach other universities about sticking to their knitting, like vet studies. Maybe they forgot the Wellington and Albany campuses.
4. Rec Centre Wintec is making a last push to get the Hamilton City Council to part-fund a rec centre (NZ Herald). Wintec’s putting money on the table.
5. Allowances’ A school careers adviser had an op-ed on the costs of studying. Two student leaders had an op-ed calling for more funding for students. EXMSS’ Dave Crampton in a NZ Herald op-ed.
6. Visas Migration figures showed a drop in student visas (old news really) but also that Indian students are moving through to residence in greater numbers.
7. Extras: Massey vet school (RNZ); Landcorp on its Crafar farm training operation; Le Cordon Bleu’s wine director; David Farrar supports Massey teacher ed; NMIT Arts and Media building gets NZIA recognition.

Research & Innovation

1. Coroners Otago Uni’s Prof Mark Henaghen and Jennifer Moore are looking into how coroners’ recommendations are taken up (The Press, One News).
2. Tui Massey’s Sam Hill on tui songs (3 News).
3. Want $20K? If you’re at Canterbury and have a good technology idea, you might be in.
4. Extras: David Farrar on Otago Uni law costs research; Winston Peters on Massey ethnic signage research (NZ Herald, comments, and a follow-up story); KPMG and Massey research partnership; Massey PhD thesis on airports and another on mothering.

Public Issues

1. Pork Diseases Massey’s Eric Neumann on pork disease risks.
   
2. Weird Entry to Debate Waikato’s Prof Natalie Jackson says statistics should be brought into the debate on welfare reform and sole parents, but then offers stats on all sole parents, not those on benefits. The stats are simply irrelevant.
3. Prescriptions Auckland’s Marewa Glover doesn’t like prescription price hikes as they may affect smokers and neither does Otago Uni’s Prof Tony Blakeley (One News).
4. Extras: Canterbury’s Ian Lochhead on an ugly Christchurch building; Otago Uni’s Prof Nicola Peart on proceeds of crime.

Students

1. Car Crash The families and friends of the American students killed at the weekend are dealing with the tragedy. The critically injured student was due to fly back this week.
2. Back to the US Two Massey exchange students from the US are keen to get back there to start their businesses.
3. Name Auction More on the Media Design School student selling his name – here’s the auction.
4. V48 Four UCOL teams are taking part in the V48 Hours Film Festival.
5. Extras: CPIT NASDA students doing Shakespeare; Canterbury Ultimate champion; Massey display of capping magazines; person cycling to Massey hit by car; Wintec student on bus music.

Stakeholders

1. Pink Shirt Day…at Unitec this Friday in an anti-bullying awareness drive.
2. Extras: Canterbury mentoring scheme at high school (Fairfax); Awanuiarangi’s Prof Kuni Jenkins to head Maori children’s’ organisation; AUT’s Kathryn McPherson on WINZ Board; EIT students with arboretum ideas.

Teaching & Learning

1. Game Degrees Media Design School is launching two new degrees for game developers, in creative technologies and software development.