Tū Arotake.Checkpoint was our staff mid-year catch-up, providing a great opportunity to come together to share information and celebrate success. Tū Arotake followed close on the heels of our recent Internal Evaluation Review, so the timing was perfect to ask one of the assessors how we did and what we still need to work on.
So, what did we talk about?
We asked three of the speakers to summarise their key message in 30 seconds or less. Click here or on the image below to hear what Interim Chief Executive Merran Davis, Arahunga Assessor Ross Scobie and Debra Roberson-Welsh Category 1 project lead had to say.
The session started with Matua Hare’s welcoming karakia and then Interim Chief Executive, Merran Davis covered a wide range of topics in her introduction, including the Government’s recent announcement about the appointment of a Crown Commissioner, the work we’re doing to improve our financial situation, and the need to focus on our core business and the communities we’re here to serve.
Merran explained that she hoped that everyone would leave the session understanding where Unitec is at and where we’re heading. She explained it was important to acknowledge that we have a problem but also to know that we have a plan and we’re already starting to see results.
Merran will talk more about some of the Tū Arotake content in next week’s blog, so check out Pou Tukutuku on Monday.
Bringing the sparkle
Sue Emerson took to the stage next and shared an honest assessment of our strive for excellence and the need to bring our glitter and sparkle so that we can recognise and encourage it in others. She opened with reference to the Chinese proverb: May you live in interesting times with the assumption that at Unitec we must be truly blessed!
Sue then welcomed Glen McKay, Niko Tominiko and the Network Deans to the stage to share some of their teams’ highlights from the year so far.
- Niko Tominiko encouraged us all to get into the same Waka so we’re paddling together
- Nick Sheppard showed photos of his Pathways at work and talked about their successful partnerships
- Simon Nash explained that we need to understand what excellence is, how to achieve it and how to evaluate it.
- James Prescott talked about how good will and determination will help us build the organisation we want
- Debra Robertson-Welsh covered both people and animals in a self-titled ‘brag session’ about each of her Pathways’ achievements
- Mark McNeill talked about the many sides of building confidence and the significant growth his Pathways are experiencing.
Click to watch the highlights film (5 mins)
Internal Evaluation Review – what’s next?
Sue then introduced a panel to discuss our IER results and what we need to work on as we head into the External Evaluation Review in November. (We also covered the results in detail in a recent Nest post.)
When asked what we need to focus on now, Ross Scobie from Arahunga Associates (who was involved in the IER assessment) urged us all to make sure we understand and deliver what our students need, and know how to measure and report on the outcome. He explained that self-assessment means monitoring the impact of any change so we can talk about how we know that we’ve improved.
Debra Roberson-Welsh talked about the power of the new dashboard in helping us access data down to the programme and course level. She also shared the themes of our post-IER action plan, using colour bands to illustrate the gaps across the 12 areas that were assessed.
Finally, Nick Sheppard shared some of Bridgepoint’s tips for a positive assessment result, including having a clear roadmap, looking to the future and delivering in a consistent way.
You can view a short summary of highlights from Tū Arotake here and watch a full recording of Merran’s introduction from Session 2 here.