Dear Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology,

Please provide the following information:

All drafts and versions of documents eventually made available to staff relating to RIV Change proposals, Phases 1 through 3, dated 1 October 2024 to 27 May 2025.

All email correspondence, meeting notes, draft documents and recollections relating to RIV changes to or from the Whitireia and WelTec Director Teaching and Learning between 1 Jan 2024 and 27 May 2025.

All email correspondence, meeting notes, draft documents and recollections relating to RIV changes to or from the CEO Whitireia and WelTec between 1 Jan 2024 and 27 May 2025.

Answers via good faith summary and actual data to the following:

Q1. What are the key responsibilities of the Director of Teaching and Learning for Whitireia & WelTec?

Q2. How many events (shows, exhibitions, gigs, workshops, lectures) presented by School of Creativity akōnga has the current Whitireia & WelTec Director of Teaching & Learning attended during her time in the role?

Q3. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning (or equivalent position) for Whitireia & WelTec between 2016 and 2018, when the financial and risk-related consequences of building and maintaining a creative campus in the CBD were being assessed?
Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and/or WelTec were present for those discussions?
Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and/or WelTec were responsible for the final decisions on the above?

Q4. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning (or equivalent position) for Whitireia & WelTec in 2018 when Te Kahui Auaha opened to about 600 students, 400 fewer than was originally projected? What efforts were made to build student numbers up to the 1000 target?

Q5. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning (or equivalent position) for Whitireia & WelTec in 2019 when the journalism, radio, jewelry and circus courses were cut from the School of Creativity portfolio?

Q6. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning (or equivalent position) for Whitireia & WelTec when it was decided that the School of Creativity would become the School of Creativity & Hospitality? What benefits were expected from joining the two portfolios? What actions were taken to maximise the enrolment into and reputation of these courses?

Q7. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning for Whitireia & WelTec in 2020, when the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic were confirmed to be exactly the kind of ‘major impact’ event discussed in 2018, before Te Kahui Auaha was built?
What action was taken to minimise the damage to programme viability? What preparations were made to enable the organisation to make up as much lost ground as possible once restrictions eased? And what was actually done over 2021-2025 to retain existing students, increase enrolment of new students and grow the visibility and reputation of the creative programmes in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Q8. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning for Whitireia & WelTec in 2022, when it was decided that the Whitireia Music course would be taught out?

Q9. Who was the Director of Teaching and Learning for Whitireia & WelTec in 2024, when it was decided that the Māori & Pacific Dance course would be taught out?

Q10. Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and WelTec are involved in assessing feedback and submissions relating to the RIV phases 1 through 3 change proposals?
Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and WelTec are responsible for the final decisions?

Yours faithfully,
Eleanor Alice

Kia ora Cat,
Thank you for acknowledging receipt of my two OIA requests dated 27 May 2025, regarding the three-phased change proposals currently underway at Whitireia & WelTec (W&W).

You've asked for clarification on some of my questions, and assistance in refining the scope of correspondence likely to be caught by the wording in my original request - I am keen to avoid undue delay, charge or refusal on the basis of collation and research, so am grateful to have the chance to work with you to make this part of my request more manageable.

I hope the following answers help. Please get in touch if further clarifications are required.

Yours sincerely,

Eleanor Alice

1. (Does “RIV changes” mean the Whitireia and WelTec change proposals and documents regarding Phases 1, 2 and 3?)

A: Yes please. Arohamai, I conflated the RIV change process with W&W’s Consultation/Change Phases. It is referred to within W&W as the ‘W&W RIV Programme” but I am only interested in correspondence relating to Whitireia and WelTec’s internal decision making.

2. (CEO of Te Pûkenga or Executive Director W&W)
A: Again I apologise for any confusion. Mark Oldershaw was once the CEO of W&W, but during the period of time I am interested in his official title was Manahautū | Executive Director.

3. (refine scope of "all docs" requests, by suggesting staff involved and key words)
A: I am willing to halve the in-scope time period to 1 July 2024 – 27 May 2025, to reduce collation and research. I am also willing to refine the scope of recipients and specify subject matter. This produces a proposed redefined scope for my second and third unnumbered questions, as follows:

All emails, meeting notes, messages and documents dated 1 July 2024 – 27 May 2025 (inclusive) that relate to either:
a) Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 and/or Phase 3 of Whitireia & WelTec’s response to the Regional Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Viability (RIV) programme
OR
b) Whitireia & WelTec’s 2026 teaching & learning programme portfolio
AND
a) Were sent to or from the W&W Executive Director, or
b) Were sent to or from the W&W Director Teaching & Learning; and
c) To or from any of the following W&W Staff:
• the W&W Executive Director
• the W&W Director Teaching & Learning
• Members of the W&W Joint Leadership Team,
• The W&W CFO/Regional Finance Director (formal title is unclear),
• The W&W Communications Manager
• The W&W Director - People & Capability,
• Any W&W heads of school.
Additionally, any combination of the following key words or phrases may assist in refining the scope of communications material included in this part of my request:
• Phase 1
• Phase 2
• Phase 3
• Teaching location
• 2026 programme portfolio
• Disestablished
• Disestablishment
• Discontinued
• Taught out

5. (Q3-9) Please advise if you would like to remove any of these questions due to the non-presumed relationship and need to separate them out in order to consider them.
No, I’ll reword – please see below.

6. Please advise if you would like to re-word any of these questions taking the above information into account.
Please see below:

Q3. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W between 2016 and 2018, when the financial and risk-related consequences of building and maintaining a creative campus in the CBD were being assessed? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?
Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and/or WelTec were present for those discussions?
Which staff (name and role) from Whitireia and/or WelTec were responsible for the final decisions on the above?

Q4. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W in 2018 when Te Kahui Auaha opened to about 600 students, 400 fewer than was originally projected? What efforts were made to build student numbers up to the 1000 target? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?

Q5. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W in 2019 when the journalism, radio, jewelry and circus courses were cut from the School of Creativity portfolio? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?

Q6. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W when it was decided that the School of Creativity would become the School of Creativity & Hospitality? What benefits were expected from joining the two portfolios? What actions were taken to maximise the enrolment into and reputation of these courses? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?

Q7. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W 2020, when the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic were confirmed to be exactly the kind of ‘major impact’ event discussed in 2018, before Te Kahui Auaha was built? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?
What action was taken to minimise the damage to programme viability? What preparations were made to enable the organisation to make up as much lost ground as possible once restrictions eased? And what was actually done over 2021-2025 to retain existing students, increase enrolment of new students and grow the visibility and reputation of the creative programmes in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Q8. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W in 2022, when it was decided that the Whitireia Music course would be taught out? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?

Q9. Who held the director of Teaching & Learning role at W&W in 2024, when it was decided that the Māori & Pacific Dance course would be taught out? Who held the Director - Strategy, Performance and Improvement role during this period of time?