| Tai Poutini Polytechnic | |
| Established: | 1989 |
| Faculty: | 168 FTE Staff 2017 |
| Students: | 1,840 EFTS 2017 |
| Website: | http://www.tpp.ac.nz/ |
Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) is a company that aims to provide tertiary education meeting the needs of West Coast students and businesses. TPP's West Coast programmes include tourism and hospitality training across the retail and service sector, outdoor education training, agriculture, extractive/mining, and specialist jade and hard stone carving programmes.
TPP provides educational opportunities for approximately 6,000 students annually through full or part-time study options. Its objective is to facilitate employment opportunities within the local community. To achieve this, TPP collaborates with industry partners and local employers to tailor training programs to the specific needs of the West Coast region. Training is conducted at local campuses situated in Greymouth and Westport, supplemented by on-site training at diverse locations throughout the region. This approach enables students to encounter real-world work requirements during their education.
In addition to their West Coast-based programmes, TPP also offers a variety of national niche programmes at sites from Wānaka to Auckland, encompassing:
In 2017, TPP received a rating of 4 from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the worst rating received for a polytechnic institute. In 2018, the New Zealand based media company Stuff released an article about TPP criticizing Tai Poutini Polytechnic.[1]
On 1 April 2020, Tai Poutini Polytechnic was subsumed into New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology alongside the 15 other Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs).[2]
Tai Poutini offers a range of mainstream and specialist programmes. Specialist outdoor education programmes, including ski patrol, are located in the South Island. The polytechnic's one and two year jade carving programmes are unique to New Zealand, and are situated near the source of West Coast jade.
Study options: