The Minister for Tertiary Education, Steven Joyce, is calling for submissions from the public on the proposed merger of Tairāwhiti Polytechnic and Eastern Institute of Technology.

The proposal is that the two organisations merge into one entity.

Mr Joyce says the two organisations have a strong interest in offering quality education that meets the needs of their regions.

‘This proposal has been put to me as a way of strengthening and sharing resources in the polytechnic and institutes of technology sector.

“The proposed merger offers benefits for both institutions, and would allow more shared services, the opportunity for increased scale and increased efficiency in their services for the benefit of the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast regions.’

The two organisations have a history of working together with EIT currently managing a number of administrative tasks for Tairāwhiti.

Under the merger proposal, EIT would take primary responsibility for tertiary education provision to the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions.

Mr Joyce says he is impressed by the commitment that the Councils of both organisations have shown in building a business case for this proposal.

‘I am encouraging them to continue to work on the details of the key initiatives.

“People who have a view on the proposed merger should take the opportunity to make a submission by 15 November 2010. I propose to make a final decision in late November 2010 to give effect to any merger from 1 January 2011,” says Mr Joyce.

Media contact: Anita Ferguson 021 243 1623