Editorial: A worthwhile investment

OPINION: When Prime Minister John Key was on the campaign trail ahead of the 2008 election, Opihi Services Academy was a must-see.

Politically, the Washdyke academy set up to give wayward teens a fresh start was right up the prospective Prime Minister's street.

At his visit, Mr Key stressed to the students that they would get out of life what they put in, holding himself out as a good example of this philosophy.

There is no denying Mr Key is a great example of our egalitarian system. His family was of limited means, he grew up in a state house and there was no private school education for him. In spite of this he was able to go to university because he was bright and worked hard, and he went on to make a great success of himself in finance before entering politics. The Prime Minister-in-waiting liked what the organisation did, saying he was impressed with the military-based training scheme for teens. Opihi, Mr Key said, would fit nicely into National's Fresh Start Programme, and indeed it does.

The academy was set up in 2006 and aimed to give young men and women discipline and motivation and is a stepping stone to the armed forces. The expense of putting the students through the 43-week course must be a better investment than seeing them end up in the prison system or on benefits. There is an indisputable logic to this.

Since it was set up Opihi has helped about 200 teens, and the academy is a credit to South Canterbury.

That is why Opihi's funding difficulties are so puzzling. The academy flagged up its funding concerns in August last year and had a verbal assurance from the Government that it would get the money it needs to keep going.

It has funding, but not enough to break even and make a go of the course. Reading between the lines, the academy is caught in a game of funding chicken with the Tertiary Education Commission. Politicians have made the right sort of reassuring noises, but, at this point at least, there is a lot of noise and little in the way of reassurance.

This sort of pressure has a couple of obvious effects. Firstly, it is hugely unsettling for staff who, more likely than not, work there for altruistic reasons as much as for financial reward. The second effect is the impact it has on the families and candidates themselves.

Sending their kids to Opihi is likely to be a big decision for many families, and for others it may be a last resort. It is not like you can just find another Opihi down the road if your child does not get a place in the programme.

If the Government is serious about Fresh Start it needs to fix the way it is funded. To paraphrase Mr Key, it will get as much out of Opihi as it puts in.

- © Fairfax NZ News