The Government has confirmed the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST), the new national institute made up of 16 polytechnics plus the country’s training organisations will be based in Hamilton.
The announcement was made last Friday that the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology’s head office would be based in Hamilton after the body officially came into being in April.
New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology – one national organisation
The NZIST is merging the country’s 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics along with all industry training organisations into one national organisation.
New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology chairman Murray Strong said Hamilton clearly demonstrated it understood the Government’s vision for tertiary education.
More than 40 business and community leaders gave their support to the bid process, helping to put up a winning argument for why Hamilton was the best location.
“The decision makes very good sense in so many ways. Hamilton and the Waikato region is already home to a network of very strong education providers, we are ideally located in terms of New Zealand’s population and local industry swung in very strongly to support the city’s efforts to bring it here,” said Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate.
“NZIST will be able to serve the whole of New Zealand from our city at a time when the country needs skills and technology more than ever.”
All 16 organisations would be able to share courses across the network and students would be able to access the same courses at different locations.
The polytechnics would be considered subsidiaries of NZIST until the end of December 2022.