Aoraki restructure too fast - union

BY JEFF TOLLAN

Last updated 05:00 13/03/2010

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The Tertiary Education Union says Aoraki Polytechnic's restructure is "risky".

Six top-level jobs will be axed and new positions created under a new school structure, which Aoraki chief executive Kay Nelson said would help meet the Government's latest demands for the tertiary sector.

Local TEU organiser Kris Smith said while that may be right, the timeframe that had been set to fill those positions was not realistic and Ms Nelson was creating bureaucracy and possibly sacrificing experienced and capable top staff.

While there were some good points in the report, she said there was also cause for concern, in particular the potential for "a serious loss of skilled and institutional knowledge."

Ms Smith said the move from a faculty structure with four managers to a school structure with five, was also worrying, with little time set for the hiring process.

Under that new structure, the present system would be axed and replaced with a school of health and education, a school of agriculture and technology, a school of creative technology, IT and journalism, a school of adventure tourism, sport and business, and a school of hospitality, hair and beauty.

"It's a very short time frame for implementing [the heads of the five schools] – May 1. If you were going to advertise these positions that's an unrealistic time frame," Ms Smith said.

Ms Nelson was unable to be reached for comment about the deadline.

Ms Smith said the time frame was most likely set to make sure all the changes were in place by the start of 2011 to meet the Government's demands.

While the six top-level staff, whose jobs had been axed, were invited to apply for the 11 new positions, Ms Smith said staff members felt "very destabilised".

Overall, the proposal suggested the skills and flexibility of the existing managers were not sufficient, which was a "slap in the face", she said.

"This organisation has gone from having no money in the bank 10 years ago to having $27 million now.

"I know there's a shift in focus, but these people have been flexible in the past."

In a document obtained by the Herald, Ms Nelson told polytechnic staff the it was hoped the head of school roles would be operational by the May 1 deadline.

"If any have not been filled by that date, they will be filled on an acting basis by an existing staff member, and pending a permanent appointment being made," the document read.

"I appreciate that this is an unsettling time for those staff whose roles are to be disestablished," Ms Nelson's report added.

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Roles to be axed:

Operations manager

Acting chief executive

Heads of faculty (four)

Academic manager

Roles to be created (11):

Academic registrar

Academic director

Heads of schools (five)

Aoraki education partners director