Awatere Huata Donna: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Awatere Huata Donna: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:618;Page:14363] 
DONNA AWATERE HUATA (Independent) 
: 
 I would like to raise the issue of the $198 million that the Government intends to cut from community education 5.1 funding over the next 4 years. I am not so much criticising the cut in the community education 5.1 funding as such because we know that it has blown out over the past few years to unacceptable levels but I do take issue with the Government over the way that it is intending to impose those cuts. 
We know that the Christchurch Polytechnic received $15 million for its Cool IT programme and the question that I raise is what level of accountability was raised with Christchurch Polytechnic. What I want to know from the Associate Minister is how did it ever get to that pass—that $15 million could be paid out for a programme where there was no accountability or that a polytechnic could act completely against the objective and the intention of that programme. I want to know how many people who went on the Cool IT programme finished the course how many of those who received the disk actually put it in their computer and what the outcome of that course was. We do not know. As a result of the actions of a few irresponsible members of the polytech sector everyone is to be penalised. The Eastern Institute of Technology received I think it was $18 million for its te reo Maori course through the radio; I am asking the Minister why it ever got that money and why an investigation was not carried out a lot sooner. I want to know why everyone in that sector is to be penalised because of the foolish and irresponsible actions of a few. 
I have to raise with the Minister this issue: if these providers had been Maori providers we can only posit or speculate about what the outcome might have been. 
Hon Bill English 
: They would have been slammed. 
DONNA AWATERE HUATA 
: They would have been slammed from one end of the country to the other. If it had been a Wananga this would never have happened. If it had been let us face it even the Pipi Foundation which at least with all its faults did deliver what it was contracted to deliver this would never have happened. But for Christchurch Polytechnic to get away with $15 million and the Eastern Institute of Technology with $18 million and to have nothing done brings to mind there is one rule for Maori providers and another for Pakeha providers. 
Another example was the Modern Age Institute of Learning. Millions of dollars went missing from the student account. That money should have been there for those students. What happened to it? It just disappeared. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority put all the documents into the hands of the Serious Fraud Office but the office decided to do nothing—absolutely nothing. Oh how wonderful it is to be Pakeha in this country! Similarly there was the case of the Paramount Institute. What happened to the money that was supposed to be there for students? Nothing! It went into a black hole. When complaints were laid with the Serious Fraud Office the office decided to do nothing—absolutely nothing. Oh how wonderful it is to be white in this country! We need only think back a few years to Aotearoa Television. Complaints were laid about that organisation. What did the Serious Fraud Office find when it finally got to have a look at it? It found that no money had gone missing and that the organisation had delivered on all its objectives. Oh how wonderful it is to be Pakeha in this country at times! 
I am concerned that this particular kind of funding is of most benefit to Maori communities—especially to marae courses. In relation to Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi courses that have been run on marae I was told that a number of those who had been through those courses have gone on to do certificate courses and are now doing degree courses. There even are records of masters students having gone through those community education courses. So those courses are one way in which the Maori community is able to reactivate and they have been true to the spirit of the funding. People have learnt to learn again. For the whole sector to be slammed because of the actions of a few—let us face it—Pakeha polytechs just beggars belief. I just find it breathtakingly stupid that the Tertiary Education Commission the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Minister would respond in this way. 
I turn to the $36 million that is to be spent on international education which is another example of breathtaking stupidity. If the New Zealand Qualifications Authority had done its job and stopped the Modern Age Institute of Learning and the Paramount Institute from falling over then New Zealand might not have the miserable reputation we now have in places like China Korea and other parts of the world. For a few million dollars we could have stopped that. Then there was Carich which had several thousand overseas students. If the Tertiary Education Commission could have pulled its finger out of its sensitive places and acted more quickly so that Carich did not go to the wall then maybe we would not have such a lousy reputation. I say to the Minister: “Give us a break!”.