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(Note-Just found this. I don't think it has ever been posted. If it has been, please let me know. Thank you.

WINZ MAKES NEW SLIP-UP

UNIVERSITY FEARS CHAOS

by Diana McCurdy Feb. 10, 2000

Canterbury University fears bedlam after the latest student loan bungle that resulted in 22,000 tertiary students nationwide receiving incorrect contracts.

More problems surfaced yesterday when the university received mail from Work and Income New Zealand intended for individual students, but addressed to the university.

On Tuesday night, it was discovered that a computer glitch had resulted in 22,000 incorrect loan contracts being sent out to students throughout New Zealand.

Most wrongly showed North Island students enrolled at Canterbury University.

Winz took over administering the student loans system in January this year. It experienced similar problems when it took over student allowances in October 1998.

In an e-mail to Canterbury University staff yesterday, university manager of administrative services Linda East said the error would have "a big effect on the cash flow of the university" because tuition fees would come in later than usual.

Mrs East cited the example of 43 law professionals students who had attempted to enrol on 24 January.

In previous years, they would have been enrolled in 24 hours, but 16 had encountered delays and six had still not yet been enrolled.

"If this percentage is anything to go by then next week is going to be bedlam," Mrs East said.

Students whose enrolment was delayed by Winz problems would not be charged the usual late fee, but would experience difficulty accessing some student services.

Yesterday, Winz apologised to students, blaming the error on a recent computer upgrade.

The department said the problem had been fixed and asked students to correct their contracts and return them.

Winz student services national manager Lorraine Williams assured students it would not affect the processing of their loan contracts.

Christchurch Polytechnic Students' Association president June Tam said many students had experienced delays of up to eight weeks, before the latest mistake had occurred.

She had already had students asking for support from food banks.

ACT MP Muriel Newman called on Minister of Social Services and Employment Steve Maharey to state whether he still had confidence in Winz chief executive Christine Rankin.

Last month, Mr Maharey said he was pleased to see Winz had "got its systems performing better this year".

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[BONUS TO ABOVE STORY: Letter to Editor]

Sir-I read in today's Press that Winz has made a slip-up regarding student loans.

A computer "glitch" and a computer "upgrade" are being blamed. How much longer do New Zealanders have to put up with these feeble excuses, because that is all they are?

A computer is like a child, and has to be told what to do - garbage in, garbage out.

Do not blame the computer, blame the personnel who program it.

L.C. STEPHENS February 12, 2000

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-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 24, 2000

Answers

Dee, this is the first news I have seen from down under in a while. Are you Pieter's alter ego or did he finally succumb to the heat down there? Paging Pieter...hello...hello....

-- canthappen (n@ysayer.com), February 24, 2000.

Oops, besides your previous post.

-- canthappen (n@ysayer.com), February 24, 2000.

An example of how to foul up a country's higher education system...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), February 24, 2000.

Here are some previous threads on the
Winz debacle. They updated their system
late last year to become Y2K defiant. :-'

Winz woes put stress on students

Winz makes new slip-up - University fears chaos


-- spider (spider0@usa.net), February 25, 2000.

Spider,

Thank you so much for posting this! Much appreciated. =)

-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 25, 2000.