Govt's bailouts for polytechs nears $100m

Government bailouts for polytechnics now total $98 million this year after the government advanced $50 million to Unitec in Auckland and $15 million to Whitireia in Porirua. Unitec's woes were well known after it lost $30 million last year leading to the government replacing its council with a commissioner last month. Whitireia also lost millions of dollars after an enrolment slump last year, but the extent of its worries were not clear until now. Education Minister Chris Hipkins told RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen the government is keeping a close eye on the entire sector.