Joint mayoral plea for standalone EIT

The five mayors of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti have urged Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds to make EIT a stand-alone institution when it dismantles Te Pūkenga.  

The  leaders and representatives of iwi/hāpu entities, business, and community organisations made a joint submission as part of the six-week consultation process for proposed changes to the vocational education and training system. 

“As one of the largest populations in the country without a university, EIT is critical to our recovery while ensuring educational opportunities for key regional industries such as horticulture and agriculture, along with trades, nursing, arts and design, and more,” they said. 

“Our regions have long faced challenges in reducing the number of youth not in employment, education, or training but EIT’s broad offering of quality programmes have lessened those numbers.  

“Without providing these options, young people will leave the region.  We may not get them back.”