10 July 2023
Kia ora koutou
It’s a busy time of year, and with the consultation on top of our usual mahi, I know many of you are feeling the strain. Please take time out when you can and continue to support each other.
Welcomes and farewells
We’ve welcomed some new and familiar faces to MIT and Unitec, and farewelled others. While it won’t be practical to share all staff changes, I’ll do a regular update on who has joined us and who has left at an upper management level.
We welcome Kristine Brothers back as Head of Finance for Unitec. Kristine was on secondment at Te Pūkenga.
Welcome also to Ariana Tutini, People, Culture and Wellbeing Regional Manager, Rohe 1, who has extended her role from Competenz to the whole region. Ariana is Ōtara born and bred so is very familiar with our communities.
Great to have you both on board.
Transfers to Te Pūkenga roles:
- Shiu Verma, Unitec and MIT Property and Infrastructure Manager, is now Regional Property Manager, Rohe 1
- Jonathan Cooke, MIT’s Finance Manager, is now Te Pūkenga Strategic Finance Director
- Shirley Tagaloamatua, MIT’s Payroll Services Manager is now Te Pūkenga Payroll and Assurance Lead
- Stephen Drumm, MIT Finance Manager is now Te Pūkenga Financial Reporting and Accounting Manager
- Kara Hiron, Senior Legal Counsel is now Te Pūkenga Legal Director
- Abhishek Masih, Commercial Manager is now Te Pūkenga Strategic Finance Analyst
Recent departures:
MIT:
- Brian Austin, Head of Property and Campus Services
- Fiona Rongo, Library and Learning Services Manager
Unitec:
- Dan Blanchon, Head of School – Environmental and Animal Sciences
- Tina Hsieh, Team Leader, International Student Support
As we experience more changes than usual amongst teams as we go through change, I appreciate that it can be frustrating to find your usual contact has left. Please contact the Director, Manager or Head of that team to find out who has taken over their mahi. Sometimes there may be more than one person in the team who has picked up the responsibilities.
Unified MIT and Unitec submission
We’re well underway with our Unitec and MIT combined submission. The submission will focus on the ‘big picture’ matters. I’m really keen to hear your thoughts, particularly at a high level, about the proposals, and any solutions you can propose to any issues you’ve identified.
A reminder of the hui we have scheduled for any interested kaimahi – we’ve held three already across Unitec and MIT, and the Waitākere hui is happening tomorrow.
- Unitec Waitākere: Tuesday 11 July, 1 – 4pm in B510-1035
For more information on these sessions please email me.
Sharing good news
Congratulations to the four Unitec teachers or teaching teams who have been put forward for the Te Whatu Kairangi – National Tertiary Teaching Excellence awards. Nominations have been completed for Dr Hinekura Smith, the Whaikaha Supported Learning team, Dr Renata Jadresin-Milic and Craig Goodhue. This is the highest number of nominations Unitec has ever submitted for the national awards. Thanks to everyone who supported the submissions, particularly our Te Puna Ako team who helped to develop the (very detailed!) portfolios.
We look forward to hearing the outcome.
Looking after yourselves
As we navigate this significant change, finding ways to look after your own mental and physical health is so important. We’re all different, so for some, talking will help while for others, having time alone is more beneficial.
I do encourage you to sign up to Te Pūkenga wellbeing platform ‘Taumauri’ – it has some great resources and ideas for staying well.
I look forward to seeing some of you at our combined submissions workshops; take care whānau.
Ngā mihi
Martin Carroll
Operational Lead – MIT and Unitec Te Pūkenga
12 June 2023
Tēna tatou e te whānau,
I’m conscious that this week starts the consultation process for a large proportion of the Institute for how we will individually & collectively align under a proposed Te Pūkenga structure.
It’s been an extended duration to get this point, my whakaaro/ thoughts are with everyone as we navigate through this and look forward.
While I appreciate that irrespective of knowing change is coming, it can still be a challenging time for some.
With that in mind, irrespective of whether you’re affected or have been stepping up due to vacancies in your team, its important to recognise the continued dedication of kaimahi at Unitec that continually rises to the fore.
To that point, I’m incredibly privileged to have been asked to support a number of additional teams across Unitec & MIT; having their reporting line move to me until such time a permanent structure is established & embedded.
These teams are:
- Unitec – Fleet & logistics (incl. Copy Centre)
- Unitec – Security
- MIT – Security
- MIT – Cleaning & grounds
- MIT – Catering
Looking forward to working with Malcolm, Rachel & Albert over the coming months and ensuring we position our teams to continue to deliver for akonga during this period of change.
Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa
Dan Brady
General Manager – Operations
29 May 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
A return to non-Covid restricted activity has seen the first five months of 2023 propel our wider Under-25s team back out into our communities with a hiss and roar, as external facing activity has re commenced at a rapid pace. When I reflect on where we started in 2016/2017 with a re-build of reputation and engagement with our communities, and look back on the last five months alone, I can’t help but feel so incredibly proud of how we are now seen out in our communities – and of the places we are now privileged to get to be.
This year alone to date, from Waitangi@Waititi, Polyfest, helping out behind the scenes at Polyfest Māori stage, organising committees for major expos, College Games, expos at our Kura Kaupapa, Marae and wider school community and Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitematā managing stages and judging to name a few.
Our communities have embraced us and supported us and are as proud to have Unitec with them, as we are to be there. Our external facing activity is one part of the wider portfolio of activity we undertake, and is one of our key measures of how well we are doing across all that we do in serving our communities. When the opportunities keep coming, we know we are all doing the right things as an institution.
Our Unitec Under-25 Success Strategy 2019 – 2023 was developed to engage us as an institution to support how we work with our young people their communities and across our wider Unitec whānau. Taking a strengths-based approach, ensuring our Under-25s are partners and contributors in their own learning and success, and identifying our roles in supporting this. Led by the voices of our Under-25s, communities, stakeholders and partners we created a strategy that provided us with institution-wide initiatives that ensure we were able to manaaki the success of our Under-25 students and their communities. With a focus on four key priorities: Transition, Reputation, Parity and Retention, as a wider Unitec whānau we have all pulled together to contribute to improving the entire learner journey for our Under-25s from first engagement with us, to completion of qualification.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank every Unitec whānau member that has supported us, the Under-25 Success Strategy and our wider communities over this time. It is Te Noho Kotahtitanga that has sat at the core of all that we have achieved and we absolutely could not have achieved all that we have, without the partnerships and support of our wider Unitec whānau. Thank you for trusting us in your spaces and communities and supporting activity on and off campus, often above and beyond your hours of work.
Please see below a few photos from a very well attending inaugural Careers Out West expo last week. This was the first time a consortium of 10 of our West Auckland secondary schools came together in a consolidated, large scale expo – it was pretty epic! Unitec was one of the few providers that provided an entirely interactive stand, and had it not been for the Defence Forces bringing in a plane… we would have hands down had THE most interactive stand of the expo.
Ngā mihi nui
Andrea Thumath
Director Under 25-Success
22 May 2023
Kia ora koutou,
Chief Executive Peter Winder and Director of People and Culture Keri-Anne Tane visited Unitec and MIT on Friday.
Peter gave a presentation on the forthcoming change process. He also had some interesting things to say about Te Pūkenga direction and some of the big challenges and opportunities that are coming up for us to consider.
The presentation is available here, and I encourage you to spend time considering what was presented on Te Pūkenga future direction and the idea of a ‘Southern Cross’.
Right now, for many kaimahi our attention will be on the June consultation, so I’d like to reiterate some of the key points that I heard from Peter and Keri-Anne.
Consultation in the week of 12 June will be on proposals for achieving ‘structural integration’. That is, a structure for Te Pūkenga that allows us to operate as a single national organisation with regional and local operations.
At this point, Te Pūkenga leadership structure is mostly in place, with an executive, co-leaders for regions, Ako Network Directors and some enabling teams (People, Culture and Wellbeing, Finance and Digital).
The next step is to finalise designs for the remaining Te Pūkenga teams and to match all our existing roles to the draft future structure. This ‘structural integration’ is the focus of consultation and decision-making beginning in the week of 12 June.
There will be proposals for disestablishing some roles, particularly at senior leadership level, and some new roles will become available that fit the new structure. There will also be proposed ‘transition roles’ to take us through until new structures are in place. Mostly, however, what it appears we can expect to see is changes to reporting lines and a proposal to “lift & shift” teams of staff into parts of the new structure.
The key messages I took were:
Busines as usual continues and is as important as ever. We need to stay focused on supporting our learners to be as successful as possible – and we are really good at that.
This is structural integration, so it’s not going to mean changes mid-semester to what/how/when/where we teach and support our learners.
It is going to mean changes to some roles and structures, however. So, please look out for opportunities to provide feedback. Engagement with proposals and provision of feedback is important, because there is a lot that’s not yet decided.
And, it’s really important that we keep communicating and looking out for one another at this time. There will be some tough impacts of these changes, so please support each other.
Ngā mihi nui
Simon Nash
DCE – Learner Experience & Success
15 May 2023
Kia ora koutou
Many of us are heavily involved with annual External Monitor visits in May and June, and this provides a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the successes and learnings of 2022. We are currently halfway through our series of visits in the School of Creative Industries; the reports so far have been extremely good, with lots of clear feedback to help steer us forward in a positive direction.
With Academic Quality front of mind, I’d like to give a huge shoutout to everyone for continuing to work at the highest level over the past year and a bit, especially given the amount of work to be caught up on post the 2021 lockdowns. It’s humbling to see the depth and breadth of support that our ākonga have. Heartfelt thanks to Academic Programme Managers, Discipline Leaders, Course-Co-ordinators, and expert teachers in domains of practice. Many of you have been part of the reflective Monitor visits as well as doing the mahi throughout 2022, so thank you for being essential travellers on the diverse journeys of our learners. We’re lucky to have such amazing talent at Unitec.
As a School we are really looking forward to moving into Building 108 soon. The building is approx. 9,000sq m over 2 levels, and Creative Industries has a huge part of that footprint available to us in bespoke and shared spaces. It’s a significant commitment and investment, so we’re very appreciative of this home base and teaching spaces. Massive thanks to the teams of people essential to bringing B108 back to life. Again, it takes a village! We’d love you to be part of the building’s story, so please check it out once it’s ready. B108 will be a physical embodiment of our Te Pūkenga Values:
Ā Mātou Uara | Our Values:
– Manawa nui | We reach out and welcome in
– Manawa roa | We learn and achieve together
– Manawa ora | We strengthen and grow the whole person
Stay well and keep warm as we head into winter, and again, thank you for striving for the best possible outcomes for our learners.
Ngā mihi nui/ many thanks
Vanessa Byrnes
Head of School – Creative Industries
27 March 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
During the holy month of Ramadan, let’s take a moment to acknowledge and show our support to our Muslim colleagues and students. Ramadan is a time of reflection, spiritual growth, and community. At Unitec, we stand together in support of our colleagues and students who may be fasting, and we encourage everyone to be mindful of this important observance and show respect to those who are observing.
It is exciting to share with you some of the innovative and relevant ways our staff are teaching our learners in Community Studies and Bridgepoint. Have a look at what staff and students have been up to:
The Bachelor of Teaching Early Childhood held a talanoa last week where Dagmar Dyck shared her story as an artist, educator and Pacific leader at Tui Tuia (Learning Circle UoA). Unitec’s very own Daisy Bently-Gray, Rokosiga Morrison, Molia Alama, and Falaniko Taminiko were involved to share their own stories of leadership in education as well as support Tuvaluan dance.
L to R: Kilisi Palau, Lee-Anne Turton, Sue Emerson, Dagmar Dyck, and Pauline Bishop
Student learnings included:
- The power of slow teaching
- Respect for identity, language and culture
- The pedagogy of love that exists in ECE
- The focus on relational pedagogy
- Seasonal leadership
- We are cultural wayfarers
- Our cultural capital
- The superpower of intuition
The students shared their experiences with us:
Thank you and all Unitec ECE Kaiako for a beautiful day of Talanoa. A day that make us Pacific Islanders feel proud of who we are and our potential to become a good leader like those beautiful presentation that has been shared on the day. I am soo glad to meet Dagmar and listened to her presentation. Very proud Tongan❤️. I am always willing to help where I can and thank you for the great opportunity to build my leadership skills.
Today was really lovely. Very informative, and educational. I came to appreciate and value more of where I come from and it gave me the realization of how beautiful we all are as an individual! Thank you so much for the experience Whaea! Ka pai tō mahi
Thank you so much dear Kaiako! Today’s session was very informative. I learned and enjoyed it a lot. I am so blessed to be a student in Unitec.
I really liked seeing all the different culture that the guests gave us insight into and enjoyed the Tuvaluan siva. It was very fun. Thank you everyone for today J
The Fale has been an awesome teaching space empowering students to bring themselves and who there are into the ways they lead.
Additionally, I’d like to take a moment to recognise the legacy of osteopathy at our institution. I have endless gratitude to the staff for how they have held themselves during the change. Much aroha to the staff.
Ngā mihi nui,
Katie Bruffy
Head of School, Community Studies and Bridgepoint
Diploma in Sport, Recreation, and Exercise students discussing what Te Whare Tapa Whā means to them.
Here’s one of our students from Tuakana I Whaikaha who started their work placement at Bfm at Auckland University last week! This is a massive part of their 2nd year in BPED1210 Work-Based Learning.
Students making Eid Mubarak sweets and doing a presentation on Ramadan
Whaikaha students preparing planter boxes for the garden between B111 and 112:
The Coaching in Action course at Te Pai netball courts, Waitākere.
English Language students enjoying a shared lunch.
Liaison Interpreting micro-credential students with a guest speaker from MBIE.
Bridging Education, NZ Certificate in Career Prep, Level 3, tala session.
Bridging Education piloting an initiative to integrating student support services and staff into course activities. This supports and promotes student strategies for success.
20 March 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
Today, we are observing Ōmutu and will be moving into Whiro by the middle of the week. These are lunar phases, and alongside our understanding of Māori months (we are now in Poutūterangi) were some of the tools available to help us appreciate our surroundings.
For example, this month signalled a period of transition from summer to winter where vegetables, like kumara, were harvested and stored in preparation for the winter months.
This period also indicates the migration pattern for birds like the kuaka (godwit), pipiwharauroa (shining cuckoo), and koekoea (long-tailed cuckoo) from Aotearoa to different parts of the world.
For ourselves, whilst Poutūterangi signals a time of high activity where vegetables and meat are stored, wood is chopped and ready to keep us warm, Ōmutu signals a time to rest, meditate, karakia, be mindful, and recharge the battery.
It has been wonderful to observe the renaissance of māramataka and many I have spoken to who are using these tools in their daily lives now feel more in tune with their surroundings. As we move through change in our organisation it’s really important to think about tools that may help you, your whānau, our ākonga, and those in your hapori (community). These may be traditional tools from your culture, or/and could be tools like those provided by Unitec | Te Pūkenga.
Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Scholarships were awarded last week. As a very quick overview , Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu was the only Māori to receive a Victoria Cross (posthumously) during World War II for bravery, determination, and outstanding leadership. These scholarships provide financial assistance to exceptional tertiary students of Māori descent who demonstrate characteristics consistent with Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu and members of the 28th Māori Battalion.
We were absolutely thrilled to learn that one of our very own Master of Architecture students received this scholarship last week in Rotorua. Me mihi ka tika kia Victoria Carran (Ngāti Awa (Ngāti Pūkeko), Waikato Tainui (Ngāti Mahuta)) – ka mau te wehi! In addition, I also acknowledge Julian Wilcox (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa), who supported Te Pūkenga’s Taonga project – Te Manu Tioro Tionga.
A quick plug here for Papa Ho too, who has kindly found time in his busy schedule to support our men to practice whaikōrero. Tāne mā, if you are eager to learn from our Taura Here, then please reach out to him by email hrenata@unitec.ac.nz
Ngā manaakitanga o te wāhi ngaro kia tātau katoa.
Toni Vaughan
Director – Maori Success Taharangi, Interim Pou Hautu
13 March 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
Getting our voice is out there is as important as ever, and continues apace, but now with an added message that tells our story as Unitec, Te Pūkenga.
You may have seen bus shelters around our campuses, heard radio ads, or seen digital adverts that ‘Unitec is now part of Te Pūkenga’; they’re part of a national campaign built around every business unit from Invercargill to Kaitāia.
But as collective kaitiaki (guardians) of our brand, it’s the gems from within our own whānau that will ensure our story is told with the authenticity, mana, and aroha that we’ve come to expect as a kaupapa Māori value-led organisation, and that will provide the most enduring and endearing tohu, or markers, for the future.
A shining example of this is one, which reminds me of a kōrero from a renown kaumātua Uncle Bill Tāwhai of Te Whānau ā Apanui, in which he shared the well-known practice of ‘whakatuapeka’ – the switching out of the kupu (words) of a waiata for a new kaupapa.
‘Whakatuapeka’ is a kaupapa which would have been prevalent in the recent Te Matatini performances, and one which has been revitalised by our own māreikura, Whaea Linda Toki and the Maia whānau, with the changing out of the kupu for ‘Ko Waiaraka Tēnei’ to ‘Te Pūkenga Tēnei’.
This was sung with pride for our ākonga at the recent orientation pōwhiri and also the pōwhiri last week for the new Te Pūkenga executive. It has been extremely well received. That to me is co-branding and storytelling, through waiata, at its best, done with humility, foresight and compassion, with our ākonga at the heart. There are so many more examples, I’ve seen across our people and campuses in recent weeks.
And our team as marketing and comms, are always here to tautoko, as we can’t make this change without us all. Kia kaha tonu rā e te whānau.
Keep an eye out on Te Aka for more of the story behind the waiata, our new pepehā and also a video/recording of the words.
Ngā mihi nui,
Vivienne Merito
Director – Marketing, Communications, and Industry Partnerships
27 February 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
This week the arrival of both new and returning students brings a shift and a sense of things coming alive.
It is always a pleasure to welcome our ākonga to our campuses and into our classes. To be able to do so by bringing students on to our marae and into our wharenui is an absolute privilege. Our learners and our people really are the heart of Unitec, and Te Noho Kotahitanga the heart of our campus.
It is beginning to feel a slow return to stability on the campus after the disruption of Covid and then the floods and Cyclone at the begininning of the year. On Friday I attended the karakia to mark the completion of Stage 4 on B108 – this is a great milestone for Unitec and on Monday, electrical engineering ākonga will start their new year in the facilty.
The first few weeks of semester are critical for our learners, and an exciting yet busy time for our teachers as we look to understand specific needs, identify ākonga who may require extra academic or pastoral support, and collaborate with teams across the institute to engage our learners.
A huge thank you to everyone for your mahi to ensure our learners are set up for success.
mā te whakaatu ka mōhio,
mā te mōhio ka mārama
mā te mārama ka mātau
mā te mātau ka ora
By focusing on excellence in learning, teaching, and student support our communities, our learners, and our people will thrive.
Ngā mihi nui,
Chris King
Director Schools
21 February 2023
Kia ora koutou,
My thoughts go to those badly affected by events of the past few weeks. After what seemed like a restorative Christmas break for many, it looks like that light was in fact a train heading towards us! Please do look after yourself, your family and friends, and reach out for help if you need it. At these times even small things can seem overwhelming, and I echo Peseta Sam and Martin’s message to reach out to the professional services available to us for support.
As I right some trees and put the outdoor furniture back outdoors (I’m not so optimistic as to unshackle the BBQ yet), I reflect on conversations of the past few weeks and some of the otherworldly scenes I’ve experienced first-hand. Discussions on climate and the environment that we have had for many years really are at our door, basements, gardens, and worse. The impact is devastating.
The School of Architecture has been acutely aware of the issues that have caught public attention these past weeks. Most timely, we are arranging an international conference this year on Resilient and Responsible Architecture and Urbanism. Dr Matthew Bradbury has promoted spongier cities and recently published a book on the topic. Dr. David Turner has for many years advocated for more considered responses to housing. Dr Hugh Byrd is a leading researcher on climate issues. Dr Bin Su has provided solutions for healthier homes and schools. Rau Hoskins is a leading architect on issues particular to Māori in the built environment and has made an incredible impact through his work and advocacy.
Much of this has worked its way into the curriculum and the minds of our students and graduates, many who will now be tasked with responding to these matters. We ask students to critically reflect on their work annually and publish it in our journal Asylum. To engage students meaningfully in their education many will have already worked with real communities on real issues, such as the Hīhīaua Studio. This project was interdisciplinary and integrated with the community, exposing students to clients, architects, other specialists, and importantly the mana whenua of Hīhīaua and colleagues of the Nga Aho Network of Māori Design Professionals so that students could begin to understand how obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi might be addressed.
There are numerous projects like this occurring within the school, the important understanding for our students, the professions, and public is that there are no singular answers. The challenges are complex and require expertise working together to resolve problems. There will be things that we can do quickly, however responses and understanding will change over time and the most expedient solutions are unlikely to be the correct ones. Our communities are clearly vulnerable and require resilience to be built into them in order to be sustainable into the future.
Ngā mihi nui,
Peter McPherson
Head of School- Architecture
13 February 2023
Kia ora team
Firstly, as I write this I’m very aware of the current Cyclone weather impacting us so I hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe during these unprecedented time of weather extremes. It doesn’t feel like we had much of a summer at all, yet the seasons are changing into Autumn in a few weeks time which is hard to process.
Orientation season has definitely arrived as we begin to welcome new learners to Unitec across both campuses. In particular for our International learners the numbers are incredibly positive as we prepare for International Welcome day on Wednesday 22 February. In a post-Covid world with travel and borders re-opened it’s really encouraging to know Unitec has returned to being an ideal study option for our International communities. Also encouraging is how we’re tracking for our Code of Practice for Pastoral Care across the organisation. Staff engagement and feedback has been awesome! We’ve hit 50% completion of all staff having finished our CoP training module which we launched in October 2022 and now Te Pūkenga have asked to use our module as a template for the whole country. Well done team … for those yet to complete the module, please know we have to report our final engagement numbers by end of February so you have only a few more weeks to get it done. It will take approx. 45mins to complete and it gives you great insight into our requirements for Pastoral Care of all our learners.
The next few weeks will be very busy for us all so please remember to look after yourself and your health. Extreme things like cyclones, flooding and pandemics are exhausting so it’s ok to feel unstable, uncertain and worried. Please continue to check on each other and find moments to laugh and love. Lots of deep cleansing breathing multiple times a day helps too!
Annette Pitovao
Poutama Angitū, Director Student Success
Te Tihi Ākonga Angitū, Student Success
31 January 2023
Kia ora e te whānau
As the rain continues to fall, I’d like to acknowledge the impact of this weather on members of the Unitec community. Some of you will have been heavily affected, including a number who have had to leave your homes in the last few days. Please take care of each other, put safety first, and keep in touch with your managers if you need support.
You may have seen in Peter Winder’s email yesterday the sad news that a member of Te Pūkenga’s Tamaki community, an arborist apprentice under the (former) Primary ITO, died in floods on Friday in the Wairau Valley, and our thoughts are with his whānau and everyone who is battling through the severe events.
What the coverage of the floods and even the past two years has reminded me is that we are now part of a much larger organisation, and we begin 2023 with significant changes underway as decisions on Te Pūkenga’s structure and operation are finalised and implemented.
We didn’t expect to be starting 2023 with a different sort of partial lockdown in place – this time because of the weather. However, it reinforces the importance of looking after ourselves and each other, and focusing on resilience and staying well.
Folks, there will be a lot more change this year and we need to be prepared for it. Please do continue to look out for information on changes as they are announced, and be ready to provide advice where you can. You have important expertise to contribute to the design of Te Pūkenga.
The goals of the Reform of Vocational Education are really worthwhile and the organisation we are now part of has a ton of potential to improve outcomes for our learners. For me, it’s useful to reflect on that as we get into 2023 and begin to face its challenges and opportunities.
Ngā mihi nui,
Simon Nash
DCE – Learner Experience and Success
23 January 2023
Kia ora e te whānau,
Ngā mihi o te tau hau me nau mai hoki mai ki o tātou Whare Ako.
Welcome back!
Whether you stayed locally, got out & about in Tamaki Makaurau or ventured further afield I hope you all got some time to relax, refuel & spend time with those important to you (including yourselves!)
For me, I had the chance to support a number of young athletes I coach in athletics at the North Island Colgate games. If there is anything as rewarding as seeing academic success; it’s seeing kids who have trained hard to earn personal bests, reach finals or in a large number of cases, win medals! Knowing those moments give them pride, reinforce the discipline of focus, teach sportsmanship & of course earn self-confidence to support becoming well rounded human beings – I couldn’t ask for a better start to the year.
The lead into Christmas was a busy time for Academic Staff with the marking of exams and assessments amongst changes to various programmes and of course, getting ready to kick 2023 off under Te Pūkenga.
Academic Support Teams were also busily working through several critical aspects to ensure 2023 starts smoothly for our learners and our Academic colleagues.
My considerable thanks to a large number of the Enrolments & Graduation teams who finished up on the 22nd of December and were back on the 4th of January.
Ensuring applications continued to be processed and giving assurance to those prospective & returning learners who choose to study with us shows the value we place on them as individuals. The Graduation team worked through to ensure that the recognition of those learners who have attained a qualification in 2022 will have the experience they deserve at Spring graduation following some changes with the move to Te Pūkenga.
The focus, outside of ensuring applicants become well supported learners now shifts heavily to getting in place the Unified programs once they are approved as well as embed the operational aspects of Te Pūkenga’s regulatory framework, Te Kawa Maiororo.
I’d take the opportunity to recognise the work of my colleague Simon Tries who has led this considerable about of mahi for the institute – we’re well placed due to his drive & commitment here.
Lastly, this year will be a year of change – however, our learners expect the same care, service, quality education and learner-centric services from us. As a Unitec whānau over the past 5 years we have lived, breathed & slept change!
Looking at the quality of work of our kaimahi from our Unitec staff awards in December & knowing they are representative of the mahi going on each & every day; I know we’ll continue to deliver for our akonga in 2023.
Kia pai ā koutou whakamua tau- have a great year ahead!
Dan Brady
Director – Enrolments & Academic Operations
23 January 2023
12 December 2022
Kia ora koutou,
What a cup-filling end of the year! Over the past few weeks we have had some incredible highlights.
Impossible not to start by mentioning the Excellence Awards – Ngā Tohu Kairangi o Wairaka 2022. Thanks to Viv and the team for putting together such a heart-warming event. Congratulations to our new Unitec Champion Sue Emerson and to all the finalists and winners, and the many more who were nominated. With every nomination came a fantastic story of the way in which people contribute to our Unitec whānau. It all adds up to a vibrant culture – clearly on display with a hundred people still tearing up the dance floor long after the formalities finished. Oi!
Our research symposium co-hosted with MIT, was once again a massive success. Titled “Rangahau: Te Mana o te Mahi Kotahitanga; Research: The Power of Collaboration”, it featured provocative keynote and panel sessions as well as undergraduate research and a staggering 85 parallel sessions. The many topics ranged from developing an understanding Io through Atuatanga, to managing disasters, to wastewater treatment. Thank you Marcus, Daud and your teams for pulling together this massive undertaking. Research is alive and thriving within Te Pūkenga!
This year’s Senior Academic Appointments and Promotions (SAAP) round provided a wonderful way to acknowledge some of our high-achieving academic staff. We promoted eleven kaiako to Senior Lecturer, and five to Associate Professor. This year, for the first time, we opened up applications to the rank of full Professor. Every one of our five new professors – Peter De Lange, Terri-Ann Berry, Helen Gremillion and Hamid Sharifzadeh – was insistent that their success reflects the excellence of the teams and partners with whom they work.
And to top the year off, we learned that our students’ satisfaction with their courses in S2 2022 is at 8.1 out of 10. This is the highest-equal score over at least the last five years (and with the highest response rate since S2 2020). Satisfaction from our Māori ākonga was at parity with tauiwi, and Pasifika learners were significantly more satisfied. It was particularly pleasing to see that the item “The teacher(s) created a culture of respect for all students” was at 9.0. Our learners are our kaupapa, and so it’s hard to imagine better news with which to wrap up an extraordinary year.
And so, with our cups filled, thank you, cheers and Hari Kirihimete!
Martin Carroll
DCE Academic
5 December 2022
Kia ora koutou
The last few weeks have been extraordinarily busy for our School and I expect for the entire institute. I have numerous highlights from this year I could share with you, however, I have limited words so I will just focus on three quite significant achievements for our School.
2022 was our first year of delivery of the new NZ Certificate in Electrical Pre-Trade (L3). Delivering new programmes brings challenges, and I really want to thank and congratulate the team involved in this programme. Each course was new, and all material and assessments were redesigned for 2022. Unitec was the first Institute to offer this programme after leading the collaborative design process with our Te Pūkenga colleagues. This meant that our academic team led the way for the sector, evaluating, revising and reviewing as they went. I am really grateful to the team for this mahi.
The second major achievement was our collaboration with the School of Digital Tech at MIT, that resulted in our brand-new Post Graduate suite of programmes for Computing that will be delivered at Unitec in 2023. Our teams have been working on this significant piece of mahi for almost 18 months. As we move into Te Pūkenga shared programmes will become the norm, however this collaboration is the first for the Post Graduate programmes for Te Pūkenga. Certainly, being first was not without difficulties as we all navigated the unknowns of a Te Pūkenga programme with NZQA and TEC, and a whole lot of new knowledge came from this project. Many, many thanks to all involved – these programmes are now open for enrolment!
Our third celebration is that related to the group of academics in our School who were successful in the SAAP process. Congratulations to Professor Hamid Sharifzadeh and Senior Lecturers, Soheil Varastehpour, Jone Tawaketini and Lei Song.
In addition, congratulations to all the other successful recipients of the SAAP process and to our wonderful winners from the Staff Awards Celebration last week.
And finally, many, many thanks and all the very best to our Unitec whānau (especially the SCEAT whānau) as we look to the end of 2022.
May the holiday break bring peace, joy and relaxation for us all.
Ngā mihi nui,
Susan Bennett
Head of School of Computing, Electrical and Applied Technology
28 November 2022
Talofa everyone,
It has been one full-on year here at Te Wananga O Wairaka and like many of you, I’m looking forward to the Christmas break to spend time with whanau and friends.
Although Covid restrictions have hung over us during the past two years, the second half of the year has started to feel a little like a return to normal. It’s heartening to walk through both campuses and see our learners in person and our staff doing their mahi with passion and drive.
Despite the disruptions, it has also been a year of many accomplishments and I want to acknowledge and give thanks to all the kaimahi whose ongoing efforts have contributed to these.
Unitec is a place with many extraordinary stories, across all schools, and the work that we are doing is making a difference in the lives of many New Zealanders. This relates to both teaching our ākonga new skills for lifelong careers, and through applied research. This is making an impact across many areas, such as cybersecurity, social issues, climate change, waste reduction, the environment, and healthcare education.
Because of this work, we’ve had a pleasing uplift in media coverage this year. I’m delighted to share a video overview of our Unitec Highlights 2022. A big thanks to all staff and ākonga who shared their stories and also to the comms team who have led this out.
Behind the scenes, Dan Brady’s team in Enrolments and Academic operations have also driven our enrolments hard. During difficult economic conditions and a restrictive environment due to Covid , we have done well to reach over 5.400 EFTs.
For our international enrolments, led by Viv Merito and Don Sirimanne we have exceeded budget by 50 EFTs and reached 345 EFTs. Also the enrolment cart for our Top 30 programmes was in place at the earliest time in our history, and our Top 30 programmes (85% of our EFTs value) are now all open.
A particular highlight for me this year was the wonderful celebration we had with the Fale Opening in July. Seulupe Falaniko and his capable team brought together staff and our wider Unitec whanau to celebrate this important milestone. The new location of the Fale is significant, as it is visible and accessible to staff and learners.
We also got to have The Pacific Graduation Celebration in October, the first since the lockdown in 2021 which again highlighted the impact we have had on learners and their families.
Finally, there were many So’otaga initiatives led by Unitec and MIT Pacific staff. These were joint initiatives between Unitec and MIT staff and included Pacific cultural workshops for staff (Niuean and Tuvaluan cultural welcoming/dance and crafts; weaving and tapa making). These initiatives included student engagement events at Mt Albert and Waitakere, the workshops and engagement events reflected an excellent example of collaboration between Pacific staff at both institutions.
On this theme, celebrations of the Pacific Language Weeks from May to October, also brought people from the wider community to share their experiences with us.
With the end of year almost upon on, have a safe and relaxing Christmas break, and I hope to catch up with many of you at the Excellences Awards on Thursday.
Faafetai
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
DCE Pasifika, Partnerships and Support
21 November 2022
Kia ora koutou
How about those Black Ferns! It is such a fantastic time for women’s sport. The engaged and delighted crowd of 42,000 at Eden Park was a sight many never dreamed of 15 years ago. The energy and connection, the wana, is an indication of the strength of the women’s sport movement.
Attendees from the IWG World Women and Sport Conference at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae
On the theme of sport, the Unitec Māia team alongside the Sport, Recreation, and Exercise team hosted attendees from the IWG World Women and Sport Conference at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae last week. It was a showcase and celebration of Māori culture and a wonderful opportunity to share our beautiful taonga (our values, our people, and Ngākau Māhaki marae) on the world stage. The wairua from the session will sustain and empower women from around the globe to address inequality. I love that we at Te Whare Wananga o Wairaka are able to make ripples that travel to all corners of the world. Well done to Sue Emerson on her leaderships with the organisation of the conference and for engaging so many of our graduates, staff and industry stakeholders to get involved.
The year has flown by whānau and it is nearly beach time! As I reflect on the journey we’ve had, I am so grateful to the Schools of Bridgepoint and Community Studies for focusing on the things in our control, prioritising students and reconnecting with our communities post lockdowns.
Our staff, with the support of the Unitec whānau have been inventive, collaborative, reflective, and committed. Nga mihi nui! I am forever grateful for your engagement and care for our learners.
Here are a few highlights from Bridgepoint and Community Studies:
Whaikaha, as educators of students with learning difficulties or challenges, the Supported Learning staff constantly innovate to meet the needs of their students, supporting them to be independant adults. The staff really extended themselves when they decided to tackle their first ever overnight trip with the students to Waitangi for a noho marae stay. The health and safety team were instrumental in ensuring the safety of students while away.
Sport, Recreation, and Exercise at Unitec are launching the NZ Certificate in Exercise, Level 4 in late January. The new Exercise Lab used by staff and for teaching is integral to the programme, delivering high components of Work Based Learning. In addition, the Sport and Recreation team has led inclusion in sport for many years, being one of the only programmes in the country to teach adapted physical activity. The feedback we received from one of the amazing tauira, Neelam ONeill who is a Para Sport Athlete, about how she felt included and supported by the teaching team and by Unitec’s disability service is a great example of how Unitec continues to be leaders of social change.
Language Studies has had an exciting year as we welcomed a large cohort of Afghan refugees, who have brought a vibrant and chatty energy to the classroom. It is a privilege to be part of their journey as they make Aotearoa home. We have also enjoyed the return of international students with a healthy cohort of students, mostly from China starting in Semester 2b. The international and marketing team have done an excellent job keeping Unitec as a preferred option of study for our international students. The numbers for next year are encouraging.
The Liaison Interpreting team had a very successful day on Saturday running their Interpreting exams on Teams. The logistics around this event are significant and apart from the four team members, we had nine Languages staff running the nine different rooms on Teams along with around 12 external Interpreting assessors covering 12 different languages. In 2022 the Liaison Interpreting courses have partnered with MBIE and TPA to develop an online version of their micro credentials to expand the reach of the programme to the regions. This team has been nominated for a Unitec Staff Award.
Early Childhood continues to have stunning student success, with over 89% success for all student groups. They have also been implementing their new degree, which has a strong commitment to weaving reo throughout the programme. They have also had a bit of fun with marketing making Tik Tok videos.
Bridging Education’s Semester 2 2022 NPS for New students was 70, our highest ever! Returning students had a standout score of 63. The standard of work being produced from essays to presentations and performances is being showcased in the last few weeks of the semester. It was great to see Bridging students included in Creative Industry’s Grad Fest. There is great work by the team at the coalface.
Bridging Education staff, along with a range of experts across the organisation have been instrumental in starting a working group to advocate for Foundation Skills in vocational education. There is significant evidence that levels of Foundation Skills (Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Literacy) are not only low in some areas of the general population but are declining for those leaving secondary schools, thus many people who take up tertiary study or change careers lack the necessary foundational skills to succeed. As a group, we are collaborating across the country to address the issue, ideally through a CoVE. No pressure! Please reach out if you are keen to be involved.
It is evidenced in Unitec’s student NPS results that we’re not the only Schools who prioritised students this year. The Semester 2 2022 NPS score of 22 for returning students has remained consistent over the last six semesters and the whopping score of 50 for new students has surpassed previous highs by seven points. A special shout out to Trades and Services for their strong showcase this year. The mahi you have put into your pastoral care is having epic results. Ka Rawe!
Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge the Osteopathy Programme and team. After 20+ years of delivering osteopathy education in New Zealand, the programme is nearing the end of a very long five year teachout. The majority of teaching concludes early next year. The change has certainly brought its challenges, yet the remarkable students and staff have respectfully and graciously responded. Despite the teach-out and Covid, the Osteo team continue to deliver an exceptionally high quality programme and osteopathy clinic, serving a population who wouldn’t normally be able to afford osteopathic health treatment. At the right time, we will celebrate the Osteopathy legacy at Unitec.
All the best to everyone as we continue to link arms to support our learners and each other in the remaining few weeks of the year.
Nga mihi nui
Katie Bruffy
Head of School, Community Studies and Bridgepoint
31 October 2022
Kia ora koutou,
There is a buzz around the School of Architecture as the end of year is suddenly upon us. After far too long off-campus, it is such a pleasure to see the energy around campus as students work to complete their design studio projects to present to a panel of academics, invited practitioners and, of course, their peers. This is an integral part of an architectural education and marks a real celebration of the efforts throughout the year.
It has been a joy to connect with colleagues across the motu these past few months. In particular, around the Tuia Pito Ora NZ Institute of Landscape Architects 50th Conference recently. Unitec and the NZILA Auckland Branch hosted staff and students from Lincoln University and Victoria University of Wellington for a wānanga at Ngākau Māhaki wharanui. It was a great way to highlight the natural beauty of our campus, along with some of the things that make our programme and Unitec special. A big thank you must go to the Maia team for supporting this mahi, and for always being such welcoming and gracious hosts.
The NZILA Conference was also a chance to acknowledge and celebrate our own. Associate Professor Matthew Bradbury was awarded a President’s award for his contribution to the profession of Landscape Architecture, specifically his work in Climate Action Advocacy. And recently departed for MIT to undertake her PhD, researcher and lecturer Jacqueline Paul also received a President’s award to recognise her voice as an Emerging Leader in Landscape Architecture. These are outstanding achievements, and highlight our commitment and engagement with practice.
Recent graduate, Myint San Aung was awarded a gold pin at the Best Awards for his thesis project, Pyit-Taing-Htaung, “Every time you toss it, it stands up”.
Judges highlighted the deep relevance of the research question to our times – exploring the social alongside spatial role of architecture in a rapidly changing and unstable world. San is now back sharing his experiences with the next group of students looking to head into the national student architecture competition. This connection and culture of reciprocity is invaluable to the school, and reinforces the idea of education as an experience, and a time of life to develop your ideas while gaining a group of peers and friends that you will go on to have lifelong careers alongside, supporting each other as you go.
Finally, I spent the best part of a week in Perth recently connecting with Heads of Schools of Architecture from across Australia and New Zealand. It is reassuring to be reminded that whatever the changes and pressure that I’m feeling at my own institution, they are not unique, and certainly part of wider sector pressures in education. While there is almost universal uncertainty, due to things such as restructures and/or budget pressures, we can all talk to extraordinary achievements of our students and colleagues. It reinforces to me that what we do has great value, and reinvigorates me to ensure we transition through upcoming changes with a focus on our staff and students, ensuring that we maintain our great programmes and connections to the communities that we serve.
Ngā mihi
Peter McPherson
Head of School – Architecture
25 October 2022
Kia ora koutou,
As our students start to hand in their last assignments for courses and prepare for tests and/or exams, it’s a good time to be reminded of the beautiful grounds we are blessed to be residents on and to think about how this can contribute to our wellbeing. Our Kaitiaki Taiao, Tanya White, provides constant reminders for us, and below you’ll find some of these moments.
Regeneration of the puna Te Waiunuroa o Wairaka – Planting Day Friday 9th September
Regeneration of the puna Te Waiunuroa o Wairaka – Planting Day Friday 9th September
Many hands helped to plant one hundred trees and shrubs around the water’s edge at the Planting Day last month. Including 2-metre tall Puriri, Kohekohe, Taraire, Tūrutu, and Kiokio. An irrigation setup is being planned before the summer months arrive. Matua Haare Williams blessed the proceedings and shared kōrero pertaining to the puna and whenua.
Regeneration of the ngahere beside Penman House
Regeneration of the ngahere beside Penman House
Ngā Kaitiaki are collaborating with EAS and FM to support the regeneration of the ngahere beside Penman House. To be utilised as an outdoor classroom/laboratory. During hīkoi rākau and tipu (seedlings / shoots) and species that need to be cleared were identified. The ngahere is planned to be divided based on the lay of the land, and taking into consideration what and how the ngahere is naturally being/becoming. For example, there is a natural gully that would have been a path for water at some time. This has been identified as an area for the regeneration of ferns and tipu from various rākau, including the larger pūriri and totara that are already there.
Restoration of Rangimārie pā harakeke
Restoration of Rangimārie pā harakeke
Work in the pā harakeke is ongoing with most of the convolvulus and blackberry that took hold during Covid being removed. The next focus is to remove and diminish harakeke blackspot, one whānau at a time. The Corrections whānau remain the main hands-on kaitiaki. We are really careful to ensure that no herbicide/pesticide is used for weed management.
Rethinking urban landscape design and ecology
Rethinking urban landscape design and ecology
On Tuesday 11th of October, a Landscape Architecture wānanga with students from Lincoln University, Victoria University of Wellington, and Unitec landscape architecture programs gathered at Ngākau Māhaki wharenui at Te Noho Kotahitanga marae, Unitec. The purpose of the wānanga was to develop ideas and proposals for the future resilience and mauri ora of Te Waiunuroa o Wairaka, the aquifer-fed natural puna wai (spring), as well as the awa (river). Any impacts to te Taiao (natural environment) in anticipation of development on adjacent land was also considered. The program was held on in conjunction with the Tuia Pito Ora NZILA conference. The event was supported by Unitec and the Auckland Branch, TPO NZILA.
We look forward to sharing future taiao related events with you and hope you’re able to join us when time allows.
Ngā mihi
Toni Vaughn
Director Maori Success Taharangi Maia
17 October 2022
Kia ora koutou
It’s been almost over eight months into the new role as ‘Acting Head of Finance’, and I admit it has been super busy yet an exciting journey!!
One successful year end with a clean audit report, launch of a new budgeting and forecasting system, 2023 budget submissions, an internal audit, 100% compliance in regulatory reporting, a lot of prep-work for transition to Te Pukenga, and now preparing for an early year end for transition to Te Pukenga with one more final year end to go in December. However, this would not have been possible without my great Finance team, incredible support from the members of the Executive Leadership team and my Unitec whanau.
We are nearly at the end of the year, and I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone. Finance Team is back with energy and enthusiasm after going through a series of exits during the year. In the last few months, we have had four new members join our team – Thi Nguyen and Siphiwe Kumwenda filling out Accounts Administrator roles, whereas Rebecca Millward and Michal Chudzinski-Pawlowski joined as Management Accountants just in time for the 2023 budget work. They have done a great job of getting up to speed.
We recently submitted 2023 budget and await final approval from Te Pūkenga. With the expected drop in EFTs, both domestic and international, we will need some time to get back to the pre-covid levels. The budget exercise this year was unique and challenging considering a lot of uncertainties around the future Te Pukenga operating design and the level of available information while preparing budgets. Irrespective of this, we appreciate all the time and efforts that went into this from across the business with the shortest turnaround time – a huge thank you and aroha to everyone!!
Kudos to the finance team being one of the key stakeholders ensuring a smooth Transition to Te Pukenga and managing vendor/supplier communications and related year end processes apart from carrying out BAU activities. You make an amazing team!!
The festival of lights is just around the corner. Yes, we head into ‘Diwali’ next week – a time to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. ‘Diwali’ is a name derived from the Sanskrit phrase “a row of lights”.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali!!
May the festival of lights fill your life with the glow of happiness and the sparkle of joy…
Ngā mihi
Manasi Khatkul
Acting Head of Finance
10 October 2022
Kia ora whānau whānui,
As we move into yet another form of ongoing change as our formal name Unitec becomes Te Pūkenga, it’s a great opportunity to think about what else is changing.
The Code of Practice for Pastoral Care merged both Domestic and International requirements into one single large code at the beginning of 2022. We are live team!
The Code sets out the outcomes and requirements that all tertiary education providers must meet for the safety and wellbeing of all domestic tertiary and international learners.
The purpose of the Code is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all tertiary learners and outlines a set of clear expectations for us as Te Pūkenga. It provides a system of support for the safety and wellbeing of domestic tertiary and international ākonga, through one set of clear rules and expectations that can be tailored to learners’ needs.
The Code must be implemented in a way that appropriately responds to the needs of learners within particular learning, communal and residential contexts and is consistent with Code expectations.
Learner voice is central to how the Code operates. We must understand and respond to diverse learner voices and wellbeing and safety needs in a way that upholds their mana and autonomy. The Code outlines prescriptively what actions we, as Te Pūkenga, must take in order to ensure we all have the systems and capability to respond to diverse ākonga needs, including new concerns that may arise.
In great partnership with our wonderful Learning and Development team, we have co-designed a Professional Development module via moodle for The Code . This will help all our staff get up to speed and be fully refreshed with the Code requirements. It’s a fun 45-60min interactive module that goes towards ADEPs.
We have also set up a dedicated Code email address which is codeofpractice@unitec.ac.nz for any feedback, comments, queries, key info sharing.
Ngā mihi nui
Annette Pitovao
Director – Student Success
3 October 2022
Kia ora koutou kahoa,
ESRC Director Dr Terri-Ann Berry and Minister for the Environment David Parker at the PIF announcement event.
It has been a crazy whirlwind of a journey for the ESRC since our formation in 2019. We’ve seen our little core team of three grow to six, and over the past three years have gone from strength to strength tackling issues concerned with waste and pollution in Aotearoa.
We pride ourselves on delivering a mixture of practical solutions combined with robust research for better environmental outcomes, and last week, we reached a milestone for the centre when we were one of four projects announced for the $50 million Plastics Innovation Fund. We will be working in collaboration with Marley and Waste Management NZ to research ways to reduce and recycle plastic piping used in construction.
Asbestos research concerned with health risks, exposure pathways and soil contamination is another core area of focus for the centre, and in the past couple of months we have worked hard with the communications team to get wider coverage on this important issue.
Hopefully you will have seen some of the coverage on Seven Sharp, the NBR and an in-depth article published in the Sunday Star Times for Mesothelioma Awareness day on 26 September.
In 2022, we exceeded $1 million of external funding for the first time, and thanks to the efforts of the team, we are regularly contacted by governmental groups for expert opinion and by industry for help and support over a wide range of subjects such as carbon emissions, waste production and health hazards.
Next year in March, we start a new project with HRV, which will continue to investigate the impact of mechanical ventilation (and COVID lockdown) on occupant health and comfort in NZ homes across the North Island.
I would like to thank the awesome ESRC team for their hard work and tireless dedication and our partners, colleagues and funders for their continued support. To the other research centres at Unitec and anyone keen on environmental research- do get in touch (ESRC@unitec.ac.nz). Looking forward to setting the rest of the world on fire with you (metaphorically speaking!)
Read about the PIF project here
Ngā mihi nui
Terri-Ann Berry
ESRC Director
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 September, 2022
Kia ora koutou katoa,
Artist’s render of Building 108
In late 2022 and early 2023, the completion of the Building 108 redevelopment will represent a milestone in the consolidation of the Unitec campus and the provision of modern facilities for multiple schools. The project is part of the multi-million dollar upgrade of Unitec’s facilities and, when completed, Building 108 will be a significant asset to Unitec and all the Schools that will be housed there. Our Unitec Pathways College and the School of Architecture are already in the building and are making good use of the new facilities, including the Hard Materials workshop, and MakerSpace Workshops.
Hard materials workshop
As we head into September, I can share the welcome news that as supply chain issues eased, a delivery of GIB gave the project a huge boost, with Stage 4 progressing towards completion. We’re currently planning for Computing and Electrical Engineering to move into the building in Semester 1 2023, along with the Trade’s Painting courses. The School of Creative Industries will follow them to their new home, hopefully sometime after March.
As the areas take shape, it is now easier to visualise the final result. You can check progress with the 3D tool View Building 108 in 360 [If you use your mouse on the picture you are viewing, you can move around the room – full 360 viewing. The map of the building also has yellow tag that you click to the location 360 photo.]
For most Schools, the new areas will be an expansion of their current spaces, but for the School of Creative Industries, especially the Screen Arts ākonga, it will be a new purpose-built, industry-standard facility. One of the most exciting areas is the film studio, which will give our ākonga the ability to build sets, act and film in a professional studio environment. A new screening room will have seating for up to 80 people, while the eight editing suites are equipped with a remote server, giving students easy access to their work, on and off-site, similar to those used in industry-standard post-production facilities.
Design and Contemporary Arts will be joining them with a significant upgrade of their current facilities.
A film studio to industry standard specifications
Being able to train in the same type of facilities that you will eventually work in is an enormous advantage for any student and aligns with Unitec’s work-ready philosophy. Building 108 represents a significant investment by Unitec in modern facilities to ensure that our commitment to real-world teaching and learning aligns with industry expectations.
Any building project is a daunting undertaking, but the past two years has certainly brought challenges far beyond an ordinary build. Once again, I want to thank all the teams and Schools associated with the project for their incredible mahi, patience and perseverance in navigating through this time. It is wonderful to see this new facility come online as it progresses towards completion.
Ngā mihi nui
Michelle Teirney
DCE Operations
29 August 2022
Kia ora koutou katoa,
It’s been an exciting couple of months, but don’t you wish things could be mundane for a few weeks? We have had a pretty good semester with many positive activities underway.
We have quite a few new teachers in the school bringing fresh ideas and energy, and it’s been heartening to see how the teams support them. For my sanity, I frequently visit Mataaho and as I wander the workshop floor I am continuously amazed at the skills our learners demonstrate. The relationships with teachers and learners also humble me. As I write this article, an email from Jake (our APM) has hammered home what makes us all at Unitec so unique. The email contained a fantastic story, concluding with the student stating that ‘the course saved him’. As Jakes says, “great example of where Unitec is serving a function in our community well beyond teaching and assessment”.
Orientation was a great success for our school, with seamless organisation thanks to Tu, Gabriel and everyone involved. It was encouraging to see so many female students joining all programmes. This week on Te Aka, you may have seen the article on our Carpentry student, Courtney, who has started the Diversity in Trades association. The school continues to excel in providing an excellent level of pastoral care, with Tu leading the way in refining our reporting systems and processes. It’s humbling to see our teachers work hard to keep their students on track to success. Beware Richard’s 6 am wake-up call if you don’t attend class!
With the previous two lockdown-impacted years behind us, teachers can now bring renewed focus to teaching and delivery, and we have 11 teachers currently studying towards qualifications. The spirit of collaboration is high, with some of these teachers coming together to create a study support group. The NZCCT and Level 3 plumbing teams are involved in collaborative moderation. They are finding this an effective and efficient way to get the Mahi done while supporting newer teachers to upskill in this essential skill and set them up nicely for the upcoming external moderation events they have organised. It’s great to see Automotive and Mechanical Engineering continuing to grow in their innovative approach to learning and teaching and focus on continuous improvement, which has always been a theme of these two programmes.
Our Plumbing Level 4 has recently gone through a consistency review with NZQA. The final piece of a long journey starts with significant quality and compliance issues and finishes with a healthy tick from NZQA. If you were to ask for my top five highlights from the school, it would undoubtedly be a contender for number one. It has been an exercise in perseverance, collaboration and belief while battling consistent attempts to discredit us. Huge thanks to TKK. They have been there from the start. I don’t believe I have the words to express sufficient superlatives to describe my opinion of the Plumbing, Drain laying and Gasfitting entire team.
If you want a taste of Trades, pop in the office – you’ll know you’re in the right place when you hear the belly laughs from the door and see all the world cup flags in celebration of Wales’ impending win in the football World Cup in November. What a ride it’s been these last few years. We don’t know what lies ahead but always remember it’s the people who make the difference. So as long as we face the future as one, we’ll be more resilient. Let’s ensure we have each other’s back and always tell the truth to power. Remember, when you get the Te Pūkenga letters, follow the instructions and docu-sign them.
You may have noticed Jake Curran is running for Albert-Eden local board, and I am sure he would relish any debate. Good luck to Jake and you all for the remainder of the year.
Ngā mihi
Lee Baglow
Head of School- Trades & Services
22 August 2002
Kia ora koutou katoa,
How awesome it has been for the team and I to start to see a sense of ‘normality’ return with what has now been five good solid months of the return of community events and expos. School Expo season now runs from late March right through into late September/early October and has kept the team busy right across Tāmaki Makaurau and up in the Far North.
The volume of activity has been pretty high, higher than what we normally would expect, which has shown us that our communities are taking every opportunity they can to promote tertiary opportunities to their young people after a couple of really disruptive years in this space. Thank you to all of the wider Unitec Whānau who have, and continue to be out on the expo circuit with us sharing the amazing programmes that our Unitec Schools deliver and supporting the mahi of our team with your rich narrative, gadgets, activities and animals!
Our school holiday workshops continue to grow and provide an incredible opportunity for young people from our communities to experience Unitec before they make their decisions on where they may study. Feedback from these continue to be nothing but positive and we again thank the staff from our Unitec Schools for their support in enabling us to deliver such integral kaupapa.
Today, we sent out our confirmed 2023 offerings to our current and prospective Vocational Pathway and Trades Academy partners. Since 2016 we have grown from eight partners in this space to 35, with a few more looking to onboard from 2023. I would like to acknowledge all the lecturers and wider UPC staff for their incredibly hard work in this space over the past six years, it is growth we can be proud of. We look forward to having our teaching facility Te Kākatai fully completed for 2023 and ready to welcome a few new partners and cohorts through the doors.
I would like to Tautoko Simon Nash’s korero last week and encourage people to read this insightful report that came out last month Transitions from Secondary School it is a great report and highlights many opportunities for continued growth in this critical pathway for learners. There is also a TEC Webinar that was released on this link that you may also enjoy.
Ka kite ano
Andrea Tumath
Director – Under 25s Success
15 August 2022
Kia ora koutou katoa
Reaching out to our rangatahi – the UPC speciality
There’s been quite a lot of media and policy coverage recently about the need to support young people who are at risk of disengaging from education as a result of COVID and its knock-on impacts. Particularly for our Māori and Pacific rangatahi, the demands of COVID lead to many leaving school early or giving up goals of vocational education and training because they need to work or have found online learning too difficult.
In some cases, secondary schools are unable to contact these learners, meaning we need to reach out to communities and government agencies to connect if we are to engage them in further education or training. Our Unitec/MIT Board has been challenging us to do this more because Board members can see a pipeline of disengaged young people and the risks for their futures.
A recent TEC report Transitions From Secondary School provides very good data on what is happening for school leavers. It shows that the experiences of our rangatahi are very complex and there are myriad practical and psychological barriers that need to be overcome to support them in making good decisions about training and employment. The Vocational Education and Training sector has an important role here – we need to ensure that we support our rangatahi by giving them access to training, building their confidence, allowing them to explore different options, and recognising diverse needs.
A team who does this work exceptionally well is the Unitec Pathways College team. UPC works directly with secondary schools, but also engages widely with communities, alternative education providers, iwi, youth agencies, marae and others. The UPC team is out in the places where our rangatahi are, building trusted relationships so that our local communities are happy for their young people to come to Unitec.
Talk to the UPC team and you’ll hear stories about rangatahi with very difficult life stories who have developed hope and confidence and then flourished under the care UPC are providing. You’ll also hear the commitment and pride this team have in their mahi.
A great example of this is the Mahi ā Toi Academy, which UPC supports. On Saturday 20 August, rangatahi from West and Central Auckland colleges and kura will be exhibiting their creative works in Te Puna. There will be some pretty amazing mahi presented there by Mahi ā Toi ākonga, sharing with whānau and stakeholders. Their mahi reflects the rich, diverse whakapapa of these artists. Thank you to Andrea and your team for making a difference.
Ngā mihi
Simon Nash
DCE – Learner Experience and Success
8 August 2022
Kia ora koutou katoa
Like many of you, I tried in between all else to get an occasional glimpse of the Commonwealth Games. To watch people from many countries come together to find and celebrate excellence is a pretty special thing. It is especially wonderful to witness activities that we might not be exposed to very often (for me, high diving).
These Games have been packed with inspirational stories. With this being New Zealand’s best golden haul ever, there has certainly been much to celebrate. But the best stories aren’t always of those who won gold. For example, I loved Sam Tanner saying “I think I’m the happiest sixth-place getter ever!” after the Kiwi shaved three seconds off his personal best in the 1500m final.
It occurred to me that there’s a metaphor in there somewhere for what we do at Unitec. We strive to deliver the best that we can for Aotearoa, and it is through being constantly challenged that we become the best we can be. Unitec is packed with individual and team stories of striving and success. It is a privilege when we get to learn of them.
One I want to celebrate with you is our Student Net Promotor Score, that Annette shared with us recently. To achieve a best-ever result in these times is quite simply phenomenal, and a testimony to the incredible commitment, skill and values of everybody – teaching and support staff alike. Thank you!
At the risk of really stretching it, I have toyed also with the idea that the Commonwealth Games are quite a good metaphor for the Te Pūkenga confluence, because we don’t just celebrate and learn from the Kiwi stories. For example, who will ever forget Nigeria’s Goodness Chiemerie Nwachukwu smash (with a seemingly casual ease) her own world record in the para-athlete women’s discuss, only to then break it again with her next throw?
I was in a hui with DCE Delivery and Academic Angela Beaton last week. She announced that Te Pūkenga would soon be setting up processes to facilitate sharing of best practice across the ako subsidiaries. Good idea. One of the best things that can come out of RoVE is facilitating collegial academic networks for sharing best practice nationally. We at Unitec have much to share, but also recognise best practice from anywhere. This is at the heart of the transition from competition to cooperation. It can be initially uncomfortable to put out there our previously-confidential and competitive best practices for scrutiny and feedback, but it’s how we will grow as a network. And for every idea or teaching asset we contribute, we may get many more back – a good return on investment
So, as soon as I have more information about how that will work, I’ll be sharing it within Unitec with a recommendation that we all lean in.
Ka kite ano
Martin Carroll
DCE – Academic
1 August 2022
Kia ora koutou colleagues
What a beautiful, clear day we had recently for our semester 2 pōwhiri that was shared between our two schools of Creative Industries and Bridging Education ākonga. As was the case with all our Schools, it was humbling to see the excitement of all our new learners as they travelled through this important process at Ngākau Māhaki ki Te Noho Kotahitanga. Huge thanks to Papa Hohepa, Whaea Lynda, Whaea Darlene, and the wider Marae and Orientation teams for your continued leadership and support of our students and staff.
I’d also like to acknowledge the tremendous work that went into the July Winter Workshops which ran over the Semester break. Some great mahi happened across Schools in collaboration with UPC. In our School, we delivered four successful workshops in Acting, Dance, Screen Arts, and Visual Art. We had other workshops planned over the break but were unable to run these due to illnesses and COVID. Despite this, it was great to see strong attendance and so many of our graduates coming back to help with running these workshops, too. These are important activities for our recruitment and stakeholder/high school engagement, so we appreciate the effort by lecturers and support teams to ensure positive impact with these activities.
‘He toi whakairo, he mana tangata’: ‘Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity’.
We have a full range of events and activities happening in semester 2 in the School of Creative Industries, so please check this out here; and if you know of anyone who’d like to receive our weekly newsletter please sign up here creative@unitec.ac.nz. For more info on either, contact Peter Rees: prees@unitec.ac.nz.
Lastly, huge gratitude and thanks to our teaching experts in all the Schools and our manaaki-centred support teams across Unitec as we continue to build together on the recent highest-ever Unitec Student Net Promoter Score (NPS) result of 23 for new students and 43 for returning students. It really does take a village to get this fantastic endorsement from our learners. Thank you to all our dedicated people.
Remember to take some time for your creative pursuits, whatever they may be, to ‘fill the tank’ over the next couple of teaching & learning terms. All the best for a creative and fruitful semester.
Mauri ora
Vanessa Byrnes
Head of School: Creative Industries
25 July 2022
Kia Ora Koutou, Welcome back to semester 2 whānau
We have much to celebrate after a semester of great accomplishments and achievements from both students and staff. We are excited to start another semester while happy to deliver both online and face-to-face when suitable for what may be challenging times. Pohiri and Whakatauke’s to welcome new and returning students have taken place…so get ready!!
The School of Healthcare and Social Practice has just established the first research centre focused on an aspect of education –The Centre for Research in Education for Healthcare Professionals, located at the Waitakere campus. The research centre is timely and able to work nationally and internationally with Public health, health educators, aged care, literacy learners, and more. We acknowledge Associate Professor Dr. Samantha Heath for her foresight, leadership and passion.
Nursing students – Post-state exam ( please note masks were removed for photo only)
Our Nursing programme have 47 graduates in the Bachelor of Nursing programme this semester and a similar number that will graduate in semester 2, plus 20 in Certificate in Applied Practice, International and return to Nursing Graduates. Our staff and New Zealand Health Auckland District (ADHB) wish to acknowledge the students who continue to fulfill their placements under such challenging times. We have continued to receive positive feedback on their work capability in an already strained environment, while our year ones are currently in Aged Residential care areas. A busy time for our Academic Programme Manager Kate Barry and her staff who have also achieved an excellent report from NZQA monitors this year.
Linda Aumua
Head of School | Healthcare and Social Practice
11 July 2022
Kia ora e te whānau
One of the great pleasures of my role is to be able to attend ‘End of Programme’ celebration events with our tauira. The first was our whānau day for the pre-degree Computing programmes. At this event we invite whānau and friends of our tauira along to share in our celebration of their mahi. This group of tauira are early in their journey with Unitec and we very much enjoy supporting them in their progress and providing personal support for their future study choices.
Students at the Capstone showcase
The second event was our Bachelor of Computing “Capstone Showcase”. At this event we invite industry, as well as friends and whānau. These tauira have completed their degrees and are celebrating their final piece of mahi. One example is a project that was initiated by Blind and Low Vision New Zealand Guide Dogs. The client needed a way to pull together the data they held on individual guide dogs into one easily manageable and searchable space.
Our Project tauira have spent at least six semesters with us and as we all know five of those semesters have been Coivd-19 disrupted. Because of that disruption the graduates have developed some very valuable additional skills. They have developed very strong online collaboration skills, focus, stronger self- determination and resilience. They have learned how to work remotely with their colleagues while developing autonomy and independence. All of these skills make them very valuable in the work force as the post Covid world-of-work now demands those skills.
Capstone showcase
Another ‘Student Project Demonstration” was held for our Engineering projects in Mataaho. This event also involves selected industry representatives as tauira present their engineering prototypes with supporting posters.
So, the achievements of our tauira is celebrated and our School teams are thanked. As we know, our teams have gone above and beyond for a very long time, over and over, to support, guide, develop, inspire, motivate, assist, and encourage while being the teaching experts in their subjects.
Ngā mihi
Susan Bennett
Head of School – School of Computing, Electrical and Applied Technology
4 July 2022
Talofa everyone,
It was a blessing to attend the reopening of Unitec’s Lupe Fale on our Owairaka campus last Friday. Relocating the fale after 20 years on the east campus to its new home came up against its fair share of delays due to Covid. But on Friday, the sun shone on all of the Unitec whānau who came to the reopening.
It was one of the first on-campus events and many people commented how good it was to come together again as a whanau, so I want to thank everyone who attended this much-needed celebration of our Pacific culture.
I also want to thank the many people who made the relocation and celebration possible:
Matua Hare, who blessed the beginning of the work and who recommended the spot where the fale now stands near the Puna.
Jaala Jacobs, Bill Dobbin and the FM team for overseeing and managing the move.
The Mainline team who executed the move, especially Jordan and Roy who specifically worked on the reconnecting of the fale.
Athol Greentree (tufuga from Samoa) who was instrumental in advising on the move, as well as for his work in helping to reconnect the different parts of the fale and the rethatching of the roof.
Clint Hill, who started the move project before he left Unitec in 2020, and Albert Refiti and Ronnie Matafeo who were also advisors during the moving process.
We also acknowledge our MPTT students who volunteered their time to build the pebble path around the fale.
A big thanks to our organising team for the heartfelt and inspiring opening ceremony – and especially Seulupe Falaniko Tominiko for your strong leadership and commitment.
There were many inspiring speeches and performances at the event, and I would like to mention a couple – former School of Design lecturer Aanoalii Rowena Fuluifaga, for reminding us of stories of the Lupe fale and especially that the original Samoan Pandanus leaves came from Poutasi in Samoa.
There were musical performances by the Fijian Choir, MPTT learners and also our Tongan whānau for leading the final dance (or taouluga).
While it was named and designed by Pacific people, it is everyone’s fale and a place for all of us to share. Its name “Lupe” is Samoan for dove and in that spirit, I encourage people to use the fale as a space of contemplation, reflection and conversations.
In the time of Matariki as we move towards Te Pukenga, my hope is that we carry on these important cultural values, taonga and learner aspirations of Te Wananga o Wairaka well into the future.
Faafetai
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
DCE Pasifika, Partnerships and Support
27 June 2022
Kia ora e te whānau,
We’re close to the end June – mornings are darker and colder, and we’re sharply focused on supporting our ākonga through exams, final assessments, and the last few weeks of semester.
We’re also not far away from details on the next iteration of the Te Pūkenga Operating Model, including Ako Networks and the proposed Organisational Structure. Consultation begins 19 July, and continues for four weeks. This is a significant step towards 1 January, 2023, and I encourage you to be involved. A useful way to stay directly informed of Te Pūkenga updates is through the Ngā Taipitopito newsletters.
I’ve been at Unitec for a little while now, and over the years there have certainly been some changes and some challenges. What has remained the same though, is our focus on doing what’s best for our learners, our stakeholders, and our communities. He waka eke noa, whānau.
On that note, over the few months of monitor and accreditation visits, I’ve had the pleasure of being able to both reflect on and highlight just how well we support our learners. It’s abundantly clear, from student and course surveys, class reps, and informal feedback, that our learners deeply appreciate everything that you do for them.
Ka mau te wehi – awesome stuff.
Go well over the next few weeks, and have a fantastic and well-deserved mid-semester break.
Ngā mihi nui,
Chris King
Director Schools and Performance
27 June 2022
Kia ora koutou
In recent weeks I’ve been wearing two pōtae (hats): Director of Marketing and Communications and also now Director of Industry and Partnerships. With the departure of two prodigious leaders in Heather Stonyer and Dila Deisembayeva to Te Pūkenga, as they head new projects and portfolios under the Workforce Development Council, I’ve been buoyed by the resilience and indomitable spirit of Te Noho Kotahitanga in the Industry, Partnerships and Employability team, as they have navigated significant personnel challenges, alongside Covid ups and downs, and wider organisational pressures.
Like us all at Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka, their focus remains on our tauira and supporting our key partners, to ensure tauira success beyond our doors as they build, pivot and embark on the next stage of their lifelong learning journey. As I’ve gotten to know more about what the team do, I thought I’d share a couple of statistics from the past month of the work the team are doing.
Careers and employability:
- 52 CVs created,
- 13 School careers workshops,
- 185 Unitec job site applications
Micro-credentials:
- 2 new micro-credentials/ training schemes launched. 4 now in total with 143 students in the classroom.
- 4 large industry events: TechWeek, Māori and Pacific Careers SuperFair, Health CareerFest (with MIT), Tuputoa Māori and Pacific Internship workshops,
- 31 types of industry activities are monitored and tracked via Zoho our industry database. To find our more on what that means, be sure to read this week’s ‘Get to know’ – where Sue-ann Wang shares more about this important engagement resource that is a backbone of much of the mahi we do.
Whatever the important numbers across your team, we’re in this together and each of our contributions matter.
Mā tōu rourou, me tōku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.
Vivienne Merito
Director- Communications and Marketing
__________________________________________________________________________________
30 May 2022
Kia ora koutou,
Doesn’t this feel nice? We are back on campus with our colleagues and face-to-face with our ākonga. However, I don’t know about others, but something feels different for me as we transition back to life on campus after being isolated at home for periods over the previous two years. Certainly, Covid continues to disrupt attendance for all of us. But I also notice our behaviours have shifted. While back-to-back-to-back online meetings became the norm at home, it does not translate to office life for most of us. We need to leave ourselves time and space to get from one thing to the other and for those opportune conversations in a hallway, at a desk, or while getting a drink. I am fortunate to discuss with many of my colleagues what they enjoy about working at Unitec through the ADEP process. Nearly everyone notes the collegiality of those they work with. It is our people that make Unitec a beautiful place to work. I urge you to think about your working day and if you are simply completing tasks, or are you enjoying the workplace and connecting with your friends and colleagues?
I believe that our connections with those around us will become ever more important as 2023 and the transition to Te Pūkenga proper occurs. We are informed that the updated Operating Model and greater detail as to what 2023 will look like for all of us will be released through June and July. It will be our opportunity to engage before we see the first round of major changes to our organisational structure. The Unitec Change Support Survey is out now and a way to let us know how we might support you. Ensuring we have good lines of communication with each other for questions and support will be important to the enjoyment of our work over the next few months and beyond.
And I am pleased to say that in the School of Architecture we have had much to enjoy throughout this year so far, and more to look forward to as the year progresses. We welcomed students back to campus after the Easter break with a celebration of student success in 2021 at an awards event, attended fulsomely by students, graduates, and members of the profession. We recently attended the opening of the Brick Bay Folly, a project we support as part of our engagement with the architecture profession and emerging practitioners. We are settling into our new workshop space in Building 108 and look forward to being up and running 100% in the space later in the year. We are currently fabricating a pavilion project in collaboration with material sponsor Abodo, and community partner, Auranga. We are also preparing to exhibit our work at BuildNZ, back again after Covid enforced hiatus.
These projects provide hands-on experiences for our students as they see their sketches and digital models come to life. We are co-editing an industry-led edition of our design research journal, Asylum, as we seek to provide a platform for non-traditional research outputs in the architecture space. Later in the year we are hosting an international symposium on Pacific architecture. We are in discussions with MIT to collaborate on the construction a tiny home for one of our research partners at Papatūānuku Marae as part of a Ngā Wai a te Tui project. And we are seeing outstanding results with Master of Architecture professional student Keisha Rawiri being awarded the first ever Kate Edgar Scholarship for a Unitec student, and Ciaran O’Neill taking out the top prize for the highly competitive nationwide TEAM Architects Award. And past graduate, and current Unitec lecturer and researcher, Jacqueline Paul, has been awarded a full scholarship to study at the other MIT in America.
Uncertain, but exciting times ahead I feel. And I look forward to seeing us all becoming a bit more firmly connected back to our campus in the weeks and months ahead.
Peter McPherson
Head of School- Architecture
__________________________________________________________________________________
23 May 2022
Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te tau
2022 signals a momentous occasion for Māori and all New Zealanders in Aotearoa as we officially celebrate Matariki as a public holiday on 24 June.
Matariki reminds us to come together; to celebrate the year that has passed; to celebrate the present; and to plan for the future. This has provided an opportune moment to pause and reflect on the awesome mahi happening across the Māia spaces and to see how impactful this has been and will be for Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka.
Taonga Māori Project
The Taonga Māori project mahi has begun with Matua Hare bringing together representatives from Te Pūkenga and Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka to share kōrero about taonga here at Unitec. I can say it was an absolute privilege to sit and listen to the kōrero from Matua Haare Williams and Matua Hare Paniora who eloquently led us back down memory lane and reminded us of our responsibilities to the whakapapa of significant Māori names and sites around the campus. There were also considerations for Te Pūkenga for some of the more contemporary artefacts we have at Unitec. This is just a start and kōrero will continue over the coming weeks and months. We look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Our Māori Learning Advisors
The Learning Advisors have been super busy running initiatives that will benefit our Māori students. These include post-graduate writing retreats, Kainga Talanoa with Creative Industries; Taituarā with Electrical Engineering and many other activities. If you’re not on the mailing list to receive their newsletter then please reach out to Darlene Cameron.
Our marae
The marae spaces are alive and thriving. Pōhiri are happening for internal and external rōpū and the happy, busy sounds emanating from the PASA classes is fabulous. Whai Ake are also back in the whare on Thursday afternoons with a full programme ready for the remainder of the year. Whaia Tanya White continues to support our taiao to thrive and has re-engaged our communities whānau to return to campus on Thursdays. We’ll soon see invitations for staff to join in, so keep an eye out for that.
Embedding mātauranga Māori
The importance of embedding mātauranga Māori continues and Kaihautū are engaging with Schools to get through this work. Te Pae Tawhiti, the Te Tiriti excellence framework from Te Pūkenga has added further impetus for us to continue to challenge this space. Whilst this will be new language for some, please take confidence that we have been on the right track for some time and the work we have achieved through I See Me initiatives like badging and Hāpai Ō have put us in a good position. However, as always there is still more to do and we look forward to continuing our awesome mahi together for the benefit of our tauira – kia manaakitia a tātau rito.
Ngā mihi
Toni Vaughan
Director Māori Success
__________________________________________________________________________________
16 May 2022
Kia ora e te whānau whānui
I’m going to take this opportunity to help promo a great deal that Burger Fuel is offering Unitec staff and students! Burger Fuel is offering an exclusive deal – it ends Sunday 21 May.
Celebrating our 2021 Spring and 2022 Autumn graduates in September
On 5 April, over 1000 Unitec grads from 2021 and 2022 were due to cross the stage in front of friends and whanau as we celebrated their success, however Covid-19, once again, had different plans. Crossing the stage during our Unitec Graduation ceremony signifies a major milestone for our tauira and is an event that many of us look forward to. And so, over the coming weeks we are inviting our 2021 Spring and 2022 Autumn graduates to a bespoke celebration where they will cross the stage and be acknowledged by our Unitec whanau.
This celebration will be held on Tuesday 20 September. Not to be confused with our Autumn Graduation ceremonies held in April, this is a special celebration for us all to come together and acknowledge our Unitec graduates. A ‘Save the Date’ email with more information will be sent to staff in the coming weeks once we have finalised plans.
Partnership to support our female construction students
Recently the wonderful Lydia Ko, our professional golf icon, told a reporter who asked about her possible back injury, that her back discomfort and the need to stretch on the course was due to having her period and experiencing her “time of the month” Lydia Ko winning followers with period talk | RNZ News. This is a reality for many of us, actually half the human population deals with menstrual cycles!
On the construction site our female students are also challenging old-school ways of thinking – here’s a wonderful example directly from one of our wahine studying carpentry…
“I am interested in AWWA period undies. While working onsite I find it difficult when I have a period to deal with sanitary products, especially while in a portaloo. I would like if possible to get a pair of the period undies for when I am a school working onsite.”
“Free AWWA period underwear and Wā Cups are a great initiative that could benefit so many women. I find having a period can be challenging at the best of times but even more so when I’m working outdoors and the closest toilets are portaloos. I believe having a pair of AWWA undies and a Wā Cup would greatly improve my study conditions, as it will be one less thing to think about when it’s that time of the month.”
So we are partnering with AWWA, a New Zealand-based company, to provide sustainable period products for our female students and it’s been an incredible success!
Ngā mihi
Annette Pitovao
Director Student Success
__________________________________________________________________________________
9 May 2022
Kia ora e te whanau…..and Noaˈia ˈe mạuri gagaj ˈatakoa (it is Rotuman Language Week).
It is great to have more staff and students back on campus, and to have that busy atmosphere back. Many of us in the School of Environmental and Animal Sciences have been back on campus for most of the Semester doing practical classes with the students, but not all at once. We had our first face to face staff meeting last week and it was great to have everyone together in one room, even if partially hidden with masks!
The sector-wide changes that are happening have created a lot of extra work for everyone, and we in EAS are no different. All of our animal programmes are currently being rewritten as unified programmes, and three of these (NZ Certificate in Animal Care, NZ Certificate in Animal Management and NZ Diploma in Veterinary Nursing) are due to be rolled out semester 1 2023. In addition, Unitec staff are part of a community of practice with academics from eight other Te Pūkenga subsidiaries writing a new Master of Applied Science programme with a major in Biodiversity Management. Both of these programme development groups have been an excellent opportunity for us to forge new collaborations with our colleagues throughout the country and they give us an insight into some of the benefits that we can expect to flow from the development of Te Pūkenga over the months and years to come.
In the mean time, I look forward to saying hello in person to more of you in Te Puna!
Ngā mihi
Dan Blanchon
Head of Environmental and Animal Sciences