The resignation of the country’s only two wool classing tutors and possible changes to the classing tertiary qualification have the wool sector worried.
The Certificate of Wool Technology and Classing course has been delivered by the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) through its Telford campus since 2019, but it has announced there will be no student intake for the coming semester while it looks to replace Laurie Boniface and Richard Gavigan, who have retired and resigned.
Daryl Haggerty, SIT’s interim operations lead, said the programme is not being terminated.
“The recent vacancies resulting from the resignation and retirement of the two current wool technology tutors have prompted Telford to advertise for replacements.
“Despite these staffing changes, Telford and SIT remain committed to upholding the integrity and significance of the wool programme within the industry.
“The recruitment process for qualified individuals to fill the vacant positions is underway, and we are dedicated to ensuring continuity in delivering this programme.”
Telford Farm board chair Richard Young agreed that SIT is committed to replacing the retiring tutors, and the board has been assisting them through that process.
Complicating the issue has been uncertainty caused by restructuring of Te Pukenga.
The two retiring tutors have both offered to assist in the interim with marking and running a block courses in Napier.
“We are available if asked,” said Boniface.
Bill Dowle, the former chair of the NZ Wool Classers Association (NZWCA), said the course is valued by the wider industry.
“The wider industry is worried because this could mean there is no formal classing education available,” Dowle told the annual meeting of the NZ Wool Classers Association in Mosgiel this week.
Boniface said student numbers fluctuate but in recent years have been increasing, with between 50 and 55 currently enrolled in the two-year course.
A recent block course attracted 22, the most ever.
Since Massey University stopped delivering the NZ Certificate of Wool Technology and Classing in 1998, the course has been shuffled between multiple providers.
Woolpro, an entity created by former Meat and Wool NZ, ran it from 1998 to 2006 and then it was taken over by another entity, Tectra, until it closed in 2018.
It was then briefly delivered by Taratahi Agricultural Training centre until it was placed in receivership in 2018 before being picked up by SIT in 2019.
From 1984 until his pending retirement, Boniface has delivered the course, and told the association’s annual meeting this week that SIT had shown it little attention, something that concerned him.
Speaking on his own accord, Boniface said SIT offered him or the course little support despite its importance in maintaining wool quality and standards.
SIT is advertising for an appropriately qualified wool technology tutor based at Telford responsible for leading courses and work-based learning in wool technology and holding block courses throughout NZ.
