Introducing Universities of Technology

Recently Parliament unanimously passed the first reading of my Education (Establishment of Universities of Technology) Amendment Bill. The Bill, which aims to establish a new category of tertiary institution, a university of technology, arose from the clause in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to further explore this concept.

The Bill aims to overcome a difficulty which has emerged as a result of the decision in the early 1990s when the government allowed non-university tertiary institutions to confer degrees. Since then problems have mounted and literally millions of dollars earmarked for education have been wasted on litigation attempting to resolve the issues which this legislation will resolve. The problem is not going to go away and indeed will become heightened. My Bill aims to future-proof our tertiary education system.

Currently the Education Act categorises institutions as universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, specialist colleges or wānanga. Furthermore a university is defined, quite properly, as being largely concerned with higher level learning. If a non-university institution, which has developed a large portfolio of degrees and post-graduate degrees, wishes to gain parity of esteem for its higher level qualifications the only way to do so is to become a university. However, in doing so, in order to meet the definition of a university, such an institution has to reduce the proportion of sub-degree programmes (certificate and discipline programmes in vocational and trade training) that it offers.

Where our tertiary system tertiary system desperately needs growth is at the sub-degree level. Overseas research has shown that growth at this level has the greatest impact on economic productivity.

The situation has become extremely messy. Most serious is the fact that on the North Shore and in the West Auckland areas there is a dearth of vocational and trades training because the two institutions serving these populations have been seeking university status since 1996. One of these gained the status and one didn't.

The second farcical situation is that we have an institution which calls itself a university of technology but is not one because such a beast does not exist. To give the situation an even greater sense of "Faulty Towers", that same institution now calls itself the Auckland University of Technology University. Moreover, it is straight across the road from Auckland University.

A university of technology would be a dual-tiered institution. It would have the same characteristics as a university in that it would have a significant portfolio of graduate and post-graduate degrees taught in a research-based environment. However, it would not be confined by the "largely higher level learning" definition of a university. It would therefore be able to expand its subdegree programmes as it saw fit and in response to society's needs. There is no doubt that universities of technology will develop an applied research character driven by the very nature of its vocational and trade subdegree programmes. This is exactly what our economy needs.

Meanwhile, universities will continue to have an important place in our education framework and will still be able to continue the cutting edge research that is coming out of our universities on a daily basis.

My Bill is about retaining the stature of our institutions of higher level learning, ie our universities, whilst enabling parity of esteem for degrees conferred by institutions with programmes focussed more specifically on vocational and practical aspects of life.

All I now ask is that parties on both sides of the House listen carefully to arguments for and against my proposal, balance the weight of evidence and the arguments and make their decisions over this Bill in the best interests of the future of the nation, rather than simply to satisfy sectarian interests.

Brian Donnelly MP