Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said the cuts were expected to be finalised over the next five to six weeks.
Six of the positions cut would be academic, and one in management.
The cut of the programme's 48 full-time academic employees was down from the ''10-plus'' employees initially proposed, as a result of staff feedback, Mr Ker said.
''We had a lot of feedback from staff that made some cases for things that we should be continuing to retain staffing for, rather than to reduce strictly on the basis of supply and demand numbers, so we've agreed to that.''
When the polytechnic opened consultation on the proposed cuts in late July, Mr Ker attributed the proposal to a drop in student numbers this year, and a forecast decline in overall student enrolments for 2016.
At the time, the Tertiary Education Union slammed the polytechnic, saying it was preparing to cut back on its building programme just as the construction industry was predicted to entera $200billion boom.
Yesterday, Mr Ker said ''the TEU was always correct''.
''We have exactly the same view, that there was a shortage of tradespeople, and shortages of people in key engineering roles. But that's not the point.''
The point, which the TEU ''completely missed'', Mr Ker said, was ''demand by industry is not what drives the training that happens''.
''What drives the training is the students that want to be trained . . . They're just not there, queuing at the door, wanting to be taught. That's the reason for the reduction in staffing.''
The cuts had taken into account the possibility of a turnaround in student numbers, ''in part'' because of the TEU's criticism.
''[We're] erring on the side of caution, retaining a bit more staffing than we believe numbers justify, to provide us with the buffer, so that if there is an increase, we'll be able to handle that without any worries.''
The extra staff hours would go towards developing new programmes for the building school, he said.
TEU organiser Shaun Scott said while the union was disappointed at the loss of staff, members were ''heartened by the willingness to dedicate some staffing towards ... redevelopment''.
''There is a real willingness from staff to try to make it work.''
Despite the polytechnic's scepticism about a building boom bolstering student numbers, ''our view is that there's a good possibility of a bounce back in student numbers''.
The polytechnic had mentioned the possibility of further cuts if there was not a ''bounce back'' in student numbers.
But ''our hope would be that it wouldn't go that far'', Mr Scott said.
