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Te Wananga O Aotearoa flag - Source: ONE News -
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The new managers of New Zealand's largest tertiary institution, Te Wananga O Aotearoa, say it has undergone a huge turnaround since accusations made against it five years ago.
Te Wananga made headlines with claims of mis-spending and conflicts of interest, leading to a $20 million government bailout and the resignation of its CEO Rongo Wetere.
Today, more than 36,000 students are enrolled at the institution nationwide and the new CEO Bentham Ohia, along with supporters like Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples, said Te Wananga's conflicts have been consigned to history.
Students numbers are still down approximately 20,000 from 2005, when allegations were made about some students being offered free pre-paid cellphones or laptop computers.
Then Education Minister Trevor Mallard said the situation at the wananga was more serious than they had envisaged.
Following the government bailout, an auditor-general's report found evidence of poor spending, poor decision making and conflicts of interest.
Today, Sharples defended the institution, saying the allegations made against Te Wananga were because of a different cultural view.
"What was happening was the wananga was taking computers and giving them to people in their homes and that was seen as corruption. To us, that was seen as taking education out to people who can't get to a university."
Te Wananga reported an $8.1 million surplus last year. Almost half its students were Maori, a quarter European, and the rest Asian or Pasifika.
The new CEO said the institution plans to expand its courses, offering masters level programmes and more secondary school classes.
"Although we've come a long way in the last five years, I do believe we've the opportunity to go a lot further," Ohia said.
Sharples today argued that Te Wananga needed more funding.
"They need to be treated like other universities and tertiary institutions because that's who they're being compared to, yet they're operating on a lower level of funding."
While a review into funding levels is underway, Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the funding difference was something inherited from the previous government.
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