1. Youth Unemployment The Reject Youth Unemployment coalition wants to meet Paula Bennett to discuss youth unemployment issues – given it is a leftwing coalition that launched a few weeks out from the election, complained about “the last three years” and is now inviting Bennett to meet via media release, I suspect they may not be that successful in their meeting goal.
2. $500K Waikato has gained a $500,000 bequest from Zena Daysh – and her ashes will be interred in New Plymouth today. Read the releases – she was quite a woman.
3. Taratahi Profile The Taranaki Daily News has written a long profile on Taratahi’s presence in the region and you should read it (NB I work with them but it’s still a good article).
4. Extras: Young Nats dislike Otago Uni student services fees but the Uni and OUSA are getting on with Orientation; Education NZ’s future; ITF research on industry training benefits (Idealog); new IBM storage system at Canterbury; Stuart Middleton on (non-tertiary) education Ministers; the NBR Editor has some research funding suggestions for Steven Joyce.

Research & Innovation

1. Smart Crows Auckland researchers have found out how smart crows are, which we largely knew already, but this time they have video to share.
2. Extras: Canterbury PhD student looking at impact of snow on rural areas; Victoria PhD student on learning languages in a pleasurable way; Waikato Tauranga harbour study (SunLive); Auckland tobacco research; Otago Uni’s Maori research report.

Public Issues

1. Cyber Bullying Waiariki’s Narissa Bayler on cyber bullying.
2. SOE Sales Victoria’s Jason Young questions whether preference for NZers in SOE share sales might breach trade agreements.
3. Extras: Otago Uni’s Nick Wilson on turkey tails; AUT’s Grant Schofield on NZers’ health; Auckland’s Michael Littlewood on savings.

Students

1. Murderer Sentenced Honglin Yu will serve at least 17 years for the murder of fellow Chinese student Jiayi ‘Kiko’ Li (3 News, 3 News).
2. Cancelled Graduation NMIT decided to cancel today’s graduation, given all the bad weather around Nelson.
3. Disliked Graduation Canterbury’s Eric Crampton isn’t a fan of graduations so analyses why people do and don’t go.
4. Extras: Victoria rowers; Massey student’s road-inspired exhibition; Canterbury students win national accounting awards; school principal retires to attend Waiariki; Otago Uni equestrian.

Stakeholders

1. Maori Trade Training Hawkins Construction will join with Ngai Tahu, CPIT, BETA and others to support trade training for Canterbury Maori (The Press).
2. Dr Richie McCaw Lincoln will give Richie McCaw an honorary doctorate next year (and I know that doesn’t make him a Dr) along with some other lesser celebrities with decades of professional work behind them (NZN, Stuff).
3. Extras: Victoria creative writing prize and literary journal; WelTec students upgrading ferry air-conditioning; Massey’s Jan Dixon testifies in a fraud case; Game Jam at Waikato; Canterbury artist in residence Fata Feu’u.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Open Poly’s new science qual for primary school teachers; Waikato’s Holly Thorpe off to teach on a Fulbright.

1. New ENZ CE Grant McPherson is the new CE of Education New Zealand – he is currently the Deputy CE of NZTE and has a strong trade background.
2. Whitireia Building Closed Whitireia closed its journalism school building yesterday – I wrote about it here – and it will cost about $600K to fix the building (TV3, RNZ, Newswire, One News).
3. Extras: TEU on possible boycott on new Victoria jobs and NorthTec difficulties.

Research & Innovation

1. AUT Research Awards The AUT VC’s research awards have been given out – Prof Elaine Rush was the big winner.
2. Robots Auckland’s Elizabeth Broadbent is trialling robots in an Auckland retirement village.
3. Sea Lions MAF’s proposal to cease limits on sea lion by-catch is challenged by Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson’s research.
4. Ants Landcare Research is weighing in to dispute Victoria research on Argentina ants.
5. Extras: Massey’s Prof Murray Patterson on Tauranga harbour research (SunLive); Pasifika research conferences at Massey; Victoria PhD research on pleasure reading; Massey PhD research on air pilot-engineer communication; Lincoln’s kiwifruit research; Waikato opens coastal research station (SunLive); Massey’s Prof Ralph Sims on energy-smart food.

Public Issues

1. Spending Cap Auckland’s Chye-Ching Huang has a NZ Herald op-ed against the proposed government spending cap.
2. Beneficiary Bashing Auckland’s Susan St John takes on columnist Karl du Fresne over beneficiary bashing in a Dominion Post op-ed.
3. Christchurch As It Was Canterbury is launching a mobile phone app to show Christchurch how it was (The Press).
4. Extras: Auckland’s Prof Warren Brookbanks on a rapist moving next door; Stuart Middleton on charter schools (and Canterbury’s Eric Crampton); Massey’s Bob Hargreaves on Auckland property prices; Auckland’s Ken Palmer on an Occupy trespass case.

Students

1. Hair Profile of a Palmie hairdresser seeking to get to WorldSkills.
2. Extras: success for BOPP fashion grad; top golf driver and volunteer from Otago Uni; Massey student doing gannet research; a Massey student’s wearable arts show; Auckland student on climate change; Otago’s Poly’s blind student graduate; Waikato cellist’s success.

Stakeholders

1. World Bank Massey is getting a World Bank contract extended by another $5m, to build on NZ-based tuition to offer Asia-based support. Impressive.
2. Extras: Waikato founding professor Theo Roy to get award (NZ Herald); TWOA’s Joe Hanita’s accountancy win is on p.3 here; Victoria involvement in Readers and Writers Week.

Teaching & Learning

1. Art Retreat Otago Poly is involved in a Waiheke Island art retreat – if you’re going to open in Auckland, there’s no need to go to Queen St!
2. Extras: Sri Lankan students on Canterbury summer camp; success of EIT’s Christine Wirihana.

dear sirs

we are interest to study English in New Zealand also war

we will study in your school…

The staff considered it internally, suggesting that if the student managed to gather a class of 7 students, the school could organise a war. Since NZQA requires an assessment of students’ suitability, they also realised they might first need to check on students’ previous experience in wars.

In the end the school couldn’t offer the course, but did check with colleagues about whether schools offered the option. Maybe it could be something for Education NZ to check out as they seek to double export education income J

1. Export Ed to Double? Steven Joyce released an international education leadership statement yesterday, focusing on doubling income over 15 years (TV3, NewstalkZB, NBR). ENZ welcomed the statement. Inflation should help, because the $5b target doesn’t seem to be inflation adjusted – 2% inflation would get the government a third of the way.
2. Dodgy Surveillance Law Vic’s Dean Knight is cited here opposing the government’s proposed retrospective law, while this story cites him, Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis and Canterbury’s Philip Joseph all opposing the law. Good on them.
3. Snapper Food Prof David Raubenheimer, who we have previously met in the Himalayas on a horse, is now checking out the diet of snapper and there’s even a video (but no horse this time).
4. Animal Health There’s a dog cancer treatment trial being run by Massey’s Jonathan Bray and Otago Poly is running a pet weight loss programme.
5. Fires Palmie authorities are said to “condemn fire-crazy mob” although few would welcome such a thing. Anyway, looks like students may have been involved, but an editorial says students shouldn’t just be blamed.
6. ITO Completions A very rare story on ITO completions covers the Agriculture ITO’s work and associated issues.
7. Skills Shortage? Competenz reckons that a skills shortage is looming and that firms need to train.
8. Quieter Classes Natasha Perkins of Victoria is researching how to make primary school classrooms quieter (Dom Post).
9. Iwi Creativity A Massey competition to encourage Maori students to explore their iwi connections has turned up some good art. I like Taupuru Brightwell’s take on Wellington Zoo.
10. WorldSkills Brad Wood, a Competenz apprentice, getting ready for WorldSKills.
11. Tech Start-up Massey’s Steve Corbett reckons it’s the right time for technology start-ups (NewstalkZB).
12. Wood Some visiting experts in building with wood like NMIT’s new building.
13. RWC Victoria’s Marc Wilson and AUT’s Nigel Hemmington on trans-Tasman rivalry.
14. Short Bits Waikato: Stuart Locke’s research on women and board performance (Waikato Times, 3 News); Alan Sampson on youth voters; Kay Weaver’s inaugural lecture. Massey: identifying fish species; an ex Massey lecturer has written a memoir about his time in the WWII German army on the Eastern Front; Rachael Rakena’s Dunedin artwork; . Victoria: Tony Schirato makes some odd claims about sport; Kate Stone on youth and MMP. EIT: rugby player putting study first; ta moko wananga. Waikato and Wintec students winning in a problem gambling reduction competition. Otago Uni: Jim Mann on fighting obesity; academics on surge in dementia. Canterbury: grad survey; award for Prof Tanja Mitrovic; award for alumna. FITEC training awards. AUT: public lecture series on health; Greg Treadwell cited on pilot prank. RNZ reports on tertiary fees. Auckland: Maori research forum.

The new vision is for a doubling of revenue from international education to reach $0.5b by 2025, increased education partnerships, growth in international students (esp.at post-grad level) and increased opportunities for NZ students.

Joyce said “The international education sector has a great story to tell.  We need to further expand the product…the industry started as a boutique industry, but now twenty years later the industry makes a crucial contribution to NZ’s wellbeing.   We can do even better going forward… In the wider context of where NZ is going as a country, the sector provides a vital tool.  We are an intersection point between European cultures, Pacific Cultures and Asian cultures.  We can move easily between cultures, and international education plays a role in moving between these cultures.”

Joyce paid tribute to the resilience of education providers in Christchurch and commented on the tragedy of human life at King’s Education Ltd, with 71 students who perished in the collapse of the CTV building – he thanked all the people involved in helping support King’s Education.  He said that “Foreign embassies have conveyed their deepest gratitude for the support provided by providers and officials in dealing with their people”.  In terms of the market situation, he said “Education New Zealand is putting efforts in place to assist, but it will be some time to return to where we were in Christchurch”.

The Minister also announced that the new Crown Agency, Education New Zealand (ENZ – yes, same name as the old one), would start up from 1 September, with Charles Finny as the Chair (he works at lobbyist Saunders Unsworth and was previously the CEO of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce).  The Agency will bring together government liaison staff from the Ministry of Education, staff from NZTE who promote New Zealand to overseas students and the staff of Education New Zealand Trust. Further appointees to the Board have yet to be announced. Joyce thanked the Education New Zealand Trust for the work that they had done, including the Chair, David Caygill.

Reactions were generally positive this morning in response to the Minister’s speech, although some noted that his speech was short on detail.   The sector has generally been supportive of the changes, perhaps because of the near doubling of funding for the new Agency. Some are likely to question whether the goal to double export education earnings is realisable by 2025.   However, it was noted that the Leadership Statement establishes a firm target to aim for, and provides guidance to, the incoming Board of ENZ.

1. Virtual Harvesting Waiariki is launching a new John Deere virtual tree harvester at an upcoming forestry expo. It’s a cool piece of equipment – check out the video or the picture below. Waiariki is getting it free from the maker.
2. Top Teacher’s Tomato Victoria’s Prof Kevin Gould got a teaching award last week and there’s a cute story about his use of a tomato in lectures.
3. Widower Swan Massey’s Brett Gartrell is musing on whether a widower swan will be able to incubate the eggs laid by its deceased mate.
4. ENZ Conference…is getting underway.
5. Canty Skills The Canterbury Employment and Skills Board has put out an odd release promoting their involvement with an event that has already been and gone.
6. All Black Jerseys Auckland’s Ananish Chaudhuri has written an op-ed on Adidas’ price discrimination.
7. Sport Links Otago Poly has signed up to a deal with High Performance Sport NZ to help out elite athletes – several unis have signed similar deals.
8. Creche Problems Labour MP Raymond Huo has apparently written to Auckland Uni about problems at a creche.
9. Uruguay Lincoln is hosting a visit by the Uruguayan Agriculture Minister and 24 others in the industry.
10. Parade Lincoln’s having a sporting parade to recognise recent success.
11. Sustainable Energy Unitec’s Chris Keenan proposes more use of solar energy.
12. London Riots Auckland sociologist Alan France told TV3 about his opinion on the effects of London’s riots on 2012 Olympics tourist numbers. Looking at the Uni’s website, his research interests are “related to Youth and the Life Course. This covers a wide range of areas and includes youth transitions, youth crime, youth and (sub)culture, youth and new media and youth and policy”. Maybe he should have stuck to commenting on why young people might be rioting…which Auckland’s Ian Lambie mainly did. (On a personal note, you realise how many people you know are in London when you check your Facebook feed at the moment!)
13. VSM OUSA is looking to cut costs. Last week Werewolf published a long (and good) piece on the impact of VSM on student media – it’s written by an ex student paper editor and interviews a lot of other former editors, so it is well informed, if a little biased. And I forgot to mention a John Armstrong column in the NZ Herald on Saturday lambasting Labour for its behaviour in the House last week over the VSM bill.
14. Short Bits Massey: autopsies on keas; flood protection may be improved for the Turitea campus; Caroline Gunn on fruit and vege intake. NMIT: the worker who died at Safe Air was an NMIT grad; another story on their new building (and another) and how wonderful wood is. Auckland: Tonga’s PM will visit; photography exhibition. Victoria: Adam Art Gallery forum. Otago Uni: Dunedin will have a Slutwalk; Canterbury: Jarg Pettinga on faults near a new road; scholarships boost. UCOL: hosting an art show. Otago Poly: cauliflower recipe.

In New Zealand, only Government Ministers and enthusiastic backbenchers ever really use the official title of the Budget which, for the record, was “Building Our Future” this year.  For opposition politicians and media commentators, there is a desperate annual race to come up with an alternative and usually negative label which really sticks.

In reality, this rarely happens, with the obvious exceptions of the Black Budget, the Mother of All Budgets and, to a lesser extent, the Chewing Gum Budget.  In 2011, words like responsible, careful, sensible and sustainable were used by supporters while terms like cuts, slash and visionless were trotted out by critics.

In terms of tertiary education, ITI believes the Budget was generally positive, particularly given the tight economic conditions which led many in the sector to reasonably expect a zero Budget this year.  Sensible and sustainable are fair descriptors in this context.

From ITI’s perspective, we particularly welcomed the following Budget announcements:

• 750 additional places in PTEs – this was a hugely positive announcement demonstrating the Government’s growing confidence in high-performing private providers.
• 2% increase in funding for degree and post-graduate qualifications – the decision to target the funding increase to degree courses and higher will not suit all providers but it does reflect the Government’s strategic commitment to higher level qualifications.
• Allowing up to 4% increases in fees – the Government continues to slowly loosen – but not release – the restraints on student fees.  Providers will have to think carefully about their fee levels but this decision gives them much-needed flexibility and breathing room.
• $10m extra for the new Education NZ – Although this Crown Entity has not yet been formally established, it already has sizable challenges ahead.  This funding boost will help it get off to a flying start.
• Youth Guarantee expanded to 7,500 – As widely predicted, Youth Training and Youth Guarantee are being merged and expanded.  ITI is supportive of the policy direction and believes PTEs have a strong role to play for young people who are not succeeding at school.  However, there are tensions in this area, particularly for small providers, and at least one very large provider is known to be unhappy with the proposed changes.

Our major concern was the decision to align the post-graduate funding rates for the entire sector excluding only PTEs.  As a result, there will be a 9.5% differential.  ITI asked the Minister for Tertiary Education, Hon Steven Joyce, about this at his candid post-Budget Briefing.

The Minister said there were still issues around the overall funding differential between public and private providers and his officials were working through those.  He wanted that bundle of issues resolved before considering aligning the post-graduate funding rates.  He felt the PTE sector would benefit more from additional places this year instead.  We look forward to working with the Minister and his officials on this issue.

For Budget 2010, we got a credible 6 out of ten predictions correct, 1 partially correct and 3 wrong (including one where we were actually delighted to be incorrect).  For Budget 2011, the final scorecard was four correct, two partially correct and one wrong (though we hope it will happen very shortly outside the Budget process).

Here is how our predictions fared this year:

• A modest but welcome increase in Government SAC funding for the PTE sector – Correct.  The announcement was even better than we expected and included an additional 750 PTE places.
• Expansion of the Youth Guarantee scheme – Correct.  The scheme is being expanded to cover 7,500 young people.
• Confirmation that PTEs will be able to offer level 1 and level 2 courses. – Partially correct.  This was not announced in the Budget but we expect it to be finalised shortly.
• Some level of restriction on the ability of older students to access allowances and/or loans. – Correct.  People over-55 years of age will have restricted access to loans.
• Additional support for providers affected by the Christchurch earthquake. – Partially correct.  There was a broader package of recovery measures in the Budget and a trades training boost for Canterbury.
• A small funding boost for the new Education NZ Crown Entity. – Correct.  This was also higher than we expected.
• A fix for the GST issue with travel payments for a number of trainees. – Incorrect.  This issue remains on-going even though the fiscal costs are small.

In the circumstances, we believe the PTE sector should be quietly pleased with the announcements in Budget 2011.

ITI is a recognised peak body representing a diverse range of high-quality private providers around New Zealand.