The Otago Polytechnic Students Association (OPSA) usually sought a nil fee increase even though it knew the request would fail, acting president Meegan Cloughley said on Thursday.
This year the executive recommended an average 4% fee increase, saying the polytechnic was in a difficult financial position and a nil increase would "be detrimental to students and to the future of the institution".
Polytechnics across the country were being "dramatically underfunded and undermined", Ms Cloughley said at a polytechnic council meeting on Thursday, and the executive accepted the polytechnic needed to increase fees to make ends meet next year.
"We recognise students are now in a user pays situation, and that this [fee increases] is the Government's fault."
However, the association's 4% recommendation also failed, with the council voting 8-3 to increase fees to the upper limits allowed under government fee maxima regulations.
That will mean increases of 5% for many courses, although others will rise by by lesser amounts.
The average increase will be 3.3%.
Ms Cloughley, polytechnic staff representative Dale Parsons and Combined Trades Unions representative Mike Hammond voted against the increases.
Providing next year's enrolments reached target, the fee increases were expected to bring in an additional $379,448 in fees, chief executive Phil Ker said.
Despite not supporting the association's recommendation, several council members praised the OPSA executive for its decision not to ask for a nil increase.
Mr Hammond called it "very responsible", while Rebecca Parata, a former OPSA president, described it as "a heroic move".
However, she said she could not support the association's recommendation because it would have meant a drop in income of $47,000 and the polytechnic would need all the funding it could get next year.
The council approved fee increases of $1000 per student for international students, with Ms Cloughley abstaining.
The increase equated to an average increase of 6%, polytechnic marketing, communications and customer relations general manager Mike Waddell said.
The increases would apply only to international students enrolling for the first time next year, as a "grandparenting" scheme was in place which guaranteed fees for returning students would not rise.
Otago Polytechnic would be "sitting in the middle of the run" for fees charged by New Zealand polytechnics and the increases were not expected to affect 2010 enrolments, Mr Waddell said.
International enrolments were slowly declining, Mr Waddell said in a report tabled at Thursday's meeting.
In 2005, 236 equivalent full time students (efts) were enrolled; this had halved to 118 earlier in the year and risen to 138 recently.
The target for international efts next year was 125.
•Fee increases for selected courses
Domestic fees: -
(Course, followed by [2009 fees] [2010 fee] [% increase])
Bachelor of applied management
$3999 $4180 5%
Diploma in mechanical engineering
$5902 $6169 5%
Bachelor of fine arts
$5474 $5576 2%
Certificate in stonemasonry
$5404 $5522 2.4%
Bachelor of fashion design
$5470 $5576 2.1%
Certificate in cookery (level 3)
$5583 $5686 2%
Bachelor of information technology
$4180 $4370 5%
Bachelor of midwifery
$7680 $8045 5%
Bachelor of nursing
$5440 $5576 2.7%
National certificate in vet nursing
$4742 $4948 5%
International fees: -
Certificate in carpentry
$18,400 $19,400 5.4%
National diploma in quantity surveying, year 1
$16,500 $17,500 6%
Bachelor of fine arts
$19,000 $20,000 5.2%
Certificate in snowsport instruction (half year course)
$14,000 $15,000 7.1%
Diploma in viticulture
$16,000 $17,000 6.2%
*Fees are for one year's tuition, unless stated. Fees given in New Zealand dollars.
