Across the Ditch: Kiwi Communiqué

• Published in: Training and Development in Australia Vol. 37; no. 1; p. 39
• Main Author: Edwards, Diane
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Surry Hills Copyright Agency Limited (Distributor) 01.02.2010
• Subjects: Adult learning; Adult literacy; Awards & honors; Employment; Funding; Government employees; Polls & surveys; Training; New Zealand
• ISSN: 1839-8561; 2200-2081

As 2009 drew to an end, adult learning had been hitting the headlines, but not always in a good way. Screaming out of the NZ Heraldwas the worrying headline: "Adult Learners' Week has been more about commiserating than celebrating as supporters battle the National Government's 80 per cent cuts to night-class funding" (1). The budget had announced that in 2010 all ACE (Adult Community Education) funding will be replaced with a new approach, re-focusing on what the government calls "priority areas" such as literacy and numeracy.'2' Yet the "change in focus" appears to be nothing more than spin. The reality is that only 20% of the former budget will be available for the 220,000 New Zealanders who take advantage of ACE funding each year. Feeling was running high with more than 53,000 people signing a petition which was delivered to Parliament in October. (3) A little further south in Waikato, a trade jobs and training initiative driven by the district's employers and delivered through the Waikato Institute of Technology, has been credited with eliminating youth unemployment, providing more skilled workers and drastically reducing crime. It is now being used as a model by one mayoral candidate for the imminent Auckland "Super City" (5) - the amalgamation of eight local and regional councils into one.