This was the warning conveyed to Dunedin city councillors during a public forum yesterday.
Te Pukenga acting chief executive Peter Winder said there were no plans to close the art school. The school was founded in 1870.
However he did not rule out the possibility of cutbacks when asked by the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
Emeritus member and former art school head Dr Bridie Lonie spoke to the council about the uncertainty caused by the merger, which took place on November 1.
"Staff are deeply concerned that the school that has served the city so well for so long, may not survive," she said.
If it did survive, it could be greatly diminished by cuts.
She aimed to prepare councillors for any future decisions made by Te Pukenga about the art school in the next financial year.
"I’m asking you as stakeholders to think about what the art school means to you."
Dr Lonie, who stepped down as head at the end of 2021, said staff had been worried about what the merger could mean for three years.
It was a "very stressful" situation.
The proliferation of art schools throughout the country in the past 30 years meant a future move by Te Pukenga to reduce the number would make sense.
However, if one art school was to remain it should be Dunedin’s, she said.
Dr Lonie noted Christchurch already had a fine arts school at the University of Canterbury.
She detailed the opportunities the school offered and the benefits it provided to the area.
Mr Winder said the Dunedin school had a distinguished history, and was a significant part of Dunedin’s culture.
Te Pukenga would ensure that all programmes and schools were meeting the needs of students and employers, he said.
It would work with staff to adjust them when required.
"Like other programmes, if Dunedin School of Art continues to have good demand, is well integrated with the arts community and produces good learner outcomes then its future is assured," he said.
He did not comment on whether Te Pukenga planned to have only one art school in the South Island.
