A proposed restructure at Canterbury's Ara Institute will result in job cuts. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
A proposed restructure at Canterbury's Ara Institute will result in job cuts, although it is unclear how many, the Tertiary Education Union says.
Ara had begun consulting staff about proposed changes to the structure of its academic, student support, marketing, engagement and international teams.
The union (TEU) said staff had received three significant "change proposals" covering a wide range of jobs, including teaching roles.
TEU national secretary Sandra Grey said a number of jobs were being disestablished and new roles were being created.
"These [proposals] are going to have an impact both on staff but also on learners and the community because they are front-facing roles," she said.
"It's going to mean fewer staff overall, it's going to mean a period of quite significant disruption as they work through the change proposal and any outcomes that are decided.
"This change proposal has come because the government has told institutions to get themselves ready to stand alone again and not be part of the national network. We know there are real financial difficulties in terms of being able to stand alone and run provision without having Te Pūkenga the national body as part of what they do."
The government was disestablishing Te Pūkenga by the end of next year - the mega-institute that combined polytechnic and workplace training and education - replacing it with stand-alone polytechnics and a new system for work-based industry training.
Grey said the proposed restructure would also result in an increased workload for staff.
"The more students you're in front of the more difficult it is to give every student what they need, to understand how they learn, because you are dealing with far too many. If you're overworked, you can't be as good as your job as you want to be," she said.
Te Pūkenga regional executive director Darren Mitchell said the consultation period across the divisions would end on various dates, until mid-next month.
"Ara is committed to supporting all affected staff throughout this process," he said.
"Feedback from staff will be carefully considered before any final decisions are made. We are committed to handling this process with the utmost respect for the privacy and well-being of our team. Because of this, we cannot provide further details while consultations are underway."
