Govt agrees in principle to support Canterbury TEIs in quake rebuild

Cabinet has made an agreement in principle to provide capital support to Canterbury’s three Tertiary Education Institutions for their earthquake rebuilding programme, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“The University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology have all recently completed initial business cases for capital investment from the Crown as part of their earthquake rebuilding programme,” Mr Joyce says.

“Following advice from Treasury and the Tertiary Education Commission, Cabinet has considered all proposals outlined in the business cases, and has identified some projects where Crown investment appears most appropriate.

“The Government’s expectation is that TEIs across the country fund capital developments themselves, from their own balance sheets. However, the extraordinary circumstances in Canterbury warrant some additional support due to the severe challenges they face and the importance of the Canterbury TEIs to the region’s recovery.

“The Government will help meet the cost of rebuilding some key facilities alongside their insurance proceeds plus contributions from the TEIs’ own balance sheets.”

Cabinet has agreed to provide capital support in principle towards:

science and engineering facilities at the University of Canterbury
science facilities at Lincoln University
expansion of trades training facilities at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.
Final Cabinet decisions regarding the amount of Crown investment will be made following each of the institutions submitting a more detailed project business case for consideration in 2013.

“The Government has also maintained operational funding for these institutions at pre-quake levels, regardless of enrolment levels, for the third year in a row. This means they can maintain capacity while they work through the business cases and their long-term recovery strategy,” Mr Joyce says.