"I think it was a done deal, but I think he got the shock of his life coming to SIT, and some other polytechnics around as well, who've given him a real wake-up call."
Mr Bridges spoke to media in Invercargill yesterday after meeting SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds.
He said he was concerned Mr Hipkins could now "lurch into some other proposal and some other idea that hasn't been road-tested and that hasn't been consulted on".
"There's huge concern here.
"In fact, I would say it is the No1 issue for Invercargill and Southland at the moment, around SIT and the Government's proposal. They would be a disaster for this area."
He said the Labour-led Government appeared to be focused on the centralisation of education and labelled the Government's Tomorrow's Schools proposal another instance of centralisation.
"Fundamentally, it is a centralisation. It's taking the power away from local communities."
