16 Jul 2014

Suspended Taranaki tutors quit

2:23 pm on 16 July 2014

Five tutors suspended from a Taranaki tertiary provider pending the results of an investigation into its National Certificate in Maori Performing Arts course have resigned.

The Western Institute of Technology programme has been under investigation since a complaint was laid in May alleging students graduated from the certificate in 2012 without completing the required course work.

Head of Maori development at the Institute, Tengaruru Wineera, resigned early in July, about the same time the five tutors were suspended.

The Tertiary Education Commission says an external auditor's investigation into the programme will be finished in August.

No one from the Institute was prepared to comment on Wednesday saying it's an employment issue.