Moana House kaiwhakahaere (managing director) Claire Aitken said she was stunned to learn yesterday the level 4 New Zealand certificate in health and wellbeing (social and community services) was one of at least six Otago Polytechnic programmes to be cut next year.
"Initially I thought that they’d only cut one strand and that the mental health and addiction pathway was still present," Ms Aitken said.
"But in checking it out directly with the polytech, they said, no, the whole course is canned.
"For us as an employer it’s an absolute disaster."
The polytech programme was taken both by staff and people going through the Moana House programme, she said.
"A big part of people changing their lives is ‘What’s my future pathway going to look like?’.
"And we know that education is one of the biggest things that makes a difference in terms of improving health and wellbeing and reducing offending rates. Education has a huge role in that."
Ms Aitken said Moana House had been in a partnership with the polytech for years and she believed there was "far more at play" than simply ensuring the number of enrolments in a given year made the programme financially sustainable.
"It’s an enormous loss."
Moana House is a residential therapeutic community for adult male offenders who want to change their lives. Many residents also have a history of alcohol or drug abuse.
Moana House kaihapai (deputy director) Corey Senelale said the polytech programme was a major feeder programme for those at Moana House with lived experience looking to get into peer support roles.
Importantly, at the end of the course there was a workplace placement — and it could be hard for those at Moana House to find a placement anywhere else.
Otago Polytechnic Te Pūkenga executive director Dr Megan Pōtiki said the decision to discontinue programmes, including the level 4 certificate in health and wellbeing (social and community services) was made after a process that included consultation with affected staff.
"However, Otago Polytechnic has reassured Moana House management that the enrolment of current students will be honoured, ensuring those learners will be able to complete the programme next year.
"Otago Polytechnic will also continue to offer the bachelor of social services, which has a health and wellbeing practice strand," she said.
And there was a range of other options for Moana House learners, Dr Pōtiki said.
"We are still working through the consultation outcome process with affected staff and the union, including potential redeployment opportunities.
"Our priority focus at present is on the wellbeing of our staff."
Tertiary Education Union industrial assistant national secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said when the proposals came out in September there were 31 programmes being reviewed "all at once".
Monday’s announcement was the start of "the rollout of all of the decisions on these proposals".
However, the polytech’s review came before a final decision had been made on what vocational education nationally was going to look like, he said.
And the sector had an obligation to support niche programmes that would not be on offer elsewhere.
He believed the polytech had "jumped the gun".
There were 400 union members across Otago Polytechnic and "they’re absolutely gutted", Mr Benson-Guiu said.
"These reviews are blunt ... and our members are finding it very hard to take."
