Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
17 seconds ago
Today the Minister for Vocational Education announced that EIT is one of the Polytechnics which will be standing up as independent institution from January 2026. This is great news for the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions as EIT will have the autonomy once again to make decisions that are best for ākonga and the diverse communities we serve.
For the past three years, EIT has been a business division of Te Pūkenga, which was an amalgamation of 16 Polytechnics and 9 industry training organisations.
This year, EIT proudly celebrates 50 years of providing education and training to the community. What was originally the Hawke’s Bay Community College first opened its doors in 1975. EIT consolidated itself as the preeminent educational provider on the East Coast when it merged with Tairāwhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne in 2011. EIT has thrived over the last 50 years, now offering more than 160 postgraduate, degree, diploma and certificate-level programmes.
Glen Harkness, Acting Operations Lead for EIT, is thrilled by the announcement
“We are focused on ensuring we are an institution that is financially viable, academically rigorous, founded on strong and enduring industry engagement and community connections within our region. We will do this by making sure our EIT values are at the heart of what we do. This is to ensure we are fit for purpose in a modern, digital age where our ākonga learn in different ways and have expectations around what we deliver and how we do this. I want to acknowledge our kaimahi who have been through so much change over the past few years and have stuck at it due to their commitment and passion for our ākonga and communities,” he said.
“We are currently going through a consultation process with kaimahi (staff) to ensure that we are financially viable and can have a long, bright future as an independent organisation. This may mean some roles are disestablished in the process; however, we are still going through feedback, and no decisions have yet been made”, notes Glen.
“Nothing changes in terms of us continuing to provide quality education and training to our communities. We are looking forward to engaging even more closely with Iwi, Industry, Employers, Schools and other partners as we look towards a bright future as an institution that supports our regions with their workforce needs.”
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst welcomed the announcement, after what has been an incredibly difficult few years for the institution.
“Our region’s leaders have met with the Minister to highlight the importance of EIT to our region. As our only tertiary provider, it has had a strong, functioning model with good governance, and the Te Pūkenga reform process has been very challenging.
“It’s extremely important for our region to have a local provider that gives our people accessible and affordable training opportunities, saving them the costs involved with studying outside the region, while at the same time helping develop a skilled workforce that meets the needs of multiple sectors in our community.
“We look forward to EIT having further opportunities to build on its local leadership in our region.”
Doug Jones, Trust Tairāwhiti Chief Executive, welcomed the announcement.
“It’s positive news that the Government has backed EIT to operate independently and continue delivering quality education and training opportunities,” he said.
“As the regional Economic Development Agency, Trust Tairāwhiti understands the importance of EIT to our region and people in supporting workforce development and addressing future skills challenges. The local institute is also incredibly valuable to our young people, enabling them to stay in the region while completing tertiary training.”
Karla Lee, Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO, said the decision builds on EIT’s strong regional track record.
“EIT has long played a key role in developing a skilled workforce for our region. Returning to local governance strengthens that connection and gives EIT even more flexibility to work alongside businesses, respond to sector needs, and support economic growth across Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti.”
