Polytechnic extends its paperless work policy

Otago Polytechnic council members admit it will take some getting used to but have agreed to do away with printed agendas and reports.

A "paperless council", with all but the most complex spreadsheets delivered to councillors in electronic form, would bring the council in line with the rest of the poly-technic, acting chief executive Dr Robin Day told a recent council meeting.

As part of the polytechnic's commitment to sustainability, staff had been progressively reducing their reliance on paper communication, a decision which had led to considerable savings on photocopying costs, paper consumption and staff time, he said.

The leadership team went paperless about three years ago, taking laptops to meetings instead of paper agendas. Almost all course material for students was delivered electronically also.

Paperless meetings were the way of the future, Dr Day said.

"Initially, it took some adjusting to, but we have it well under control now."

Council member Rebecca Parata said having no printed material could be a problem for her as she only had dial-up internet at home and some electronic files were too large to be accepted at her work computer.

She had always used printed agendas as she liked to make notes, and hoped the polytechnic's move would not shift printing costs from the polytechnic to others.

Chief information officer Mike Collins said loan laptops were available if needed, and training would be given. Council members would be shown how to make notes on electronic agendas using a readily available program.

He said he would prepare an operational plan which he expected would overcome any difficulties.

- allison.rudd@odt.co.nz