A Taranaki kaumatua is worried a tertiary institute embroiled in a scandal over its Maori performing arts courses has been targeting Maori students to attract government money.
Four hundred students who took part in the Level 4 and 6 Maori Performing Arts Certificate and Diploma programmes from 2009 to 2013 at Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki have had their qualifications withdrawn after an independent report found it had not met delivery or funding standards.
The combined Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) investigation found that enrolment and assessment process had not been followed at the polytech, and there was evidence that students were self-teaching and had little or no contact with tutors.
Te Atiawa elder Grant Knuckey said he has been worried for some time about Maori training courses at the polytech.
He questioned whether the courses had been used as a way to try to raise funds to help the institute raise money to address problems there.
The Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has not yet replied to Radio New Zealand's request for comment. It has been forced to repay $3.7 million in government funding.
