Contents
About us
Where We Are
Unitec Research and Enterprise Strategy
Why Research and Enterprise is Important at Unitec
What is Research?
Research Committees
Applying for a research ethics approval
Early Career Researcher Support and Funding
2025 PBRF Preparation
Others
Tūāpapa Rangahau Research Documents – page
Tūāpapa Rangahau Research Funding Documents
Tūāpapa Rangahau Research Key Dates – 2025
About us
Tūāpapa Rangahau, partnering research and enterprise, combines the management and administration of staff and student research at MIT Unitec, under the leadership of the Director of Research and Enterprise. Tūāpapa Rangahau is the Research Office of MIT and Unitec.
Across our campuses, staff and student researchers are investigating topics from a range of disciplines – from nursing and architecture to computing and construction. The topics are as diverse as the areas in which we teach; the common factor is their focus on creating research that has a concrete output for the world around us.
Our staff are active in research in order to stay relevant as teachers, develop new knowledge and advance practice in their field. This helps equip staff with the professional, industry and academic currency essential for tertiary education. The practice of research also has benefits for our students, who by extension become work-ready and graduate with greater currency in their chosen profession.
Tūāpapa Rangahau is the glue that binds the research activity at MIT Unitec together. It supports both staff and student research, and provides a vital link for outside organisations who wish to work with our researchers. We are here to help our staff and students and our other research partners achieve the research goals of the institute.
Where We Are
Tūāpapa Rangahau is situated in Building 112, Room 2004, Mt Albert Campus
For general enquires: research@unitec.ac.nz
Responsibilities and Who We Are
Connecting Researchers
Research Partners work with the Director of Research and Enterprise to support schools, and also to provide specialist expertise across the institute in private and public-sector partnerships, contracts and funding.
Director Research & Enterprise
Dr Rosanne Ellis
Ph: 021 192 0927
Email: rellis@unitec.ac.nz | rosanne.ellis@manukau.ac.nz
Commercialisation
Tūāpapa Rangahau is responsible for commercialisation activity, technology transfer and the management of intellectual property.
Email: research@unitec.ac.nz
Research Outputs and TREF (formerly PBRF)
We are responsible for collecting and reporting of all MIT Unitec’s research-related activity and research outputs, and managing Tertiary Research Excellence Funding (TREF) activities.
Research Advisor
Arun Deo
Ph: 021 269 7565
Email: adeo@unitec.ac.nz
See Guidelines for Documenting Research Outputs
Project and Contract Management
We manage external contracts in support of Principal Investigators, ensuring legal, financial and human-resource oversight. Assisting staff to deliver on their externally funded research and consultancy contracts by overseeing the hiring of research assistants, procurement, invoicing, etc.
Research Contract Specialist
Hadley Brown
Ph: 021 634 362
Email: hbrown@unitec.ac.nz
Contracts Administration
Asma Munir
Ph: 892 7027
Email: amunir@unitec.ac.nz
External Grants and Funding
We assist staff to seek and win external funding for research projects and in consultancy activity. We serve as a point of contact for external stakeholders wishing to engage with Unitec and the expertise of its staff.
Senior Grants Advisor
Brenda Massey
Email: bmassey@unitec.ac.nz
Research Professional Development
We support researchers in achieving their professional development goals. Researchers are invited to participate in workshops, master classes, writing retreats and a variety of other professional development offerings.
Email: research@unitec.ac.nz
Postgraduate Student Research
We oversee the administration and management of several aspects of student research, in particular the examination processes for student theses and dissertations above 60 credits, and the Supervision Register. The unit is also responsible for administrative support for the Postgraduate Research and Scholarships Committee, including Postgraduate Scholarships.
Postgraduate Academic Administrator
Cynthia Almeida
Email: calmeida@unitec.ac.nz
Ethics
We are responsible for administrative support for the Research Ethics Committee (REC), an institutional ethics committee.
Ethics enquries should be directed to ethics@unitec.ac.nz.
Research Ethics Administrator
A/P Evangelia Papoutsaki
Email: epapoutsaki@unitec.ac.nz | ethics@unitec.ac.nz
Publishing
We have a peer-reviewed, creative commons, electronic publishing platform, ePress, on which researchers are able to publish their work.
ePress Editor
Gwynneth Porter
Email: gporter@unitec.ac.nz | epress@unitec.ac.nz
MIT Unitec Research and Enterprise Strategy
A new Research Strategy is currently under development.
Why Research and Enterprise is Important at Unitec
- NZQA requires research-engaged staff in order to be able to confer degrees
- At MIT Unitec, teaching, learning and research are interdependent
- Research facilitates many other institutional objectives, such as external engagement, work-integrated learning, graduate pathways to employment and general improvements to New Zealand society and the environment
Summary
Research at MIT Unitec sits within the context of the government’s Tertiary Education Strategy, which sets the framework and expectations for tertiary education in New Zealand. The Tertiary Education Strategy recognises that tertiary education research “provides significant economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits. This includes helping us to better understand our unique culture and our place in the world, effectively manage our natural environment, and improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.”
The strategy emphasises the importance of realising value from research in the tertiary sector and gives particular focus to tertiary providers working with industry and community. There is an expectation that tertiary providers will work with industry and community to improve the relevance of research that we undertake, and ultimately make a more direct impact in lifting New Zealand’s economic growth.
The current Research and Enterprise Strategy has been developed in response to the rapid changes that have taken place in the New Zealand education sector. At MIT Unitec, teaching, learning and research are interdependent. Staff and students are involved in quality research and collaboration with others across the TEO sector, in specialist disciplines, in transdisciplinary teams, and with industry and community. Significant innovation in teaching and learning through research will improve the outcomes for students across the tertiary sector. Importantly, NZQA guidelines clearly state that degree-level “teaching must be conducted mainly by academic staff engaged in research.” Therefore, any teaching on courses (regardless of their level) that contribute to a degree programme is considered degree teaching, and the majority of staff teaching on that programme should be research active.
The focus on research at MIT Unitec is on applied, practically oriented research with impact. It is carried out in partnership and collaboration with government, iwi, industry, community organisations and other institutions, locally, nationally and internationally. Research and enterprise at MIT Unitec focuses on opportunities, challenges and problems identified and brought to the institute by iwi, industry and community. This ‘outside-in’ approach is central to the research strategy.
Further reading
Unitec Research and Enterprise Strategy 2020-2024
Guidelines for Programme Approval and Accreditation to Provide Programmes
Key Relevant Government and Public Sector Priorities and Strategies
What is Research?
Research is original, independent investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and understanding and, in the case of some disciplines, cultural innovation or aesthetic refinement. Research typically involves inquiry of an experimental or critical nature driven by hypothesis or intellectual positions capable of rigorous assessment by experts in a given discipline.
MIT Unitec upholds the notion of academic freedom and ethical research.
Research includes work of direct relevance to the specific needs of iwi, industry, community, government and commerce. In some disciplines, research may be embodied in the form of artistic works, performances and/or designs that lead to new or substantially improved insights. Research may include contributions to the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines (e.g., dictionaries and scholarly editions); the use of existing knowledge in the experimental development to produce new or substantially improved materials, devices or products, communications or processes; and the synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and creative.
Research findings must be open to scrutiny or formal evaluation by experts in the field, commonly described as peer review. This may be achieved through various forms of dissemination including, but not limited to, publication, manufacture, construction, publication presentation or presentation of confidential reports.
The implementation of research through community, iwi, business and environmental development, research innovation, action research and research-related enterprise is also encouraged and supported at MIT Unitec.
Research and Enterprise – What and Why
Research at MIT Unitec is applied, and partnered with industry or community. It gives staff and students the opportunity to be creative and innovative, while making positive and powerful changes in our industries, communities and environments.
Research Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Research is important at Unitec, with six KPIs that we measure annually, as outlined in the Unitec Research and Enterprise Strategy 2020–2024 with data available on the PowerBI Dashboard https://app.powerbi.com
- Rangahau Māori Productivity – productivity in this context would be aggregated as – QA outputs by Māori staff, funded projects with named Māori staff, Māori supervisors, Level 9 and 10 Māori postgraduate scholarships, QA outputs that demonstrate excellence in Vision Mātauranga, accredited Vision Mātauranga and Kaupapa Māori rangahau professional development achievements and rangahau Māori research stories in the media.
- Industry Funded Projects – research and enterprise projects Unitec is receiving funding for, where the service Unitec is providing is applied contract research or consultancy from all funders excluding any governmental contestable funding sources. This is measured as a count of the number of projects.
- External Research Income (ERI) – income received from external sources for research purposes, calculated on the project milestones achieved and spending to date, in a particular year. This is measured in dollars.
- Research Productivity – measure of staff teaching on degree programmes who meet the agreed levels of research in the research traffic light. This is measured as the ratio of research-active staff to the total number of staff on a degree programme.
- Quality Assured (QA) Research Outputs – recognised research outputs that have been through a peer-review process or have been specifically commissioned. This is presented as a ratio of counts of the number of QA outputs to FTE of degree teaching staff.
- Student Integrated Research – a measure of student input into staff-engaged research including authorship, contributions to wānanga, creative outputs, studentships, or research assistant positions, awards or other contributions (as defined by the PBRF)
Research Planning
To assist with supporting our staff research and achieving the Institute’s Research Goals, Tūāpapa Rangahau has introduced a partnered approach to research planning. We actively work with Heads of Schools, Research Leaders, Academic Programme Managers and research staff to achieve this planning process.
A critical part of this research planning process is ensuring that all research-eligible staff with time allocations for research have completed an annual Individual Research Plan, and that their main research goals for the year are included in their ADEP so line managers can support their research activity throughout the year (with assistance from the Research Leaders, Network Research Partners and others as needed).
Here is the Individual Research Planner . If you have any questions about the Individual Research Plans please contact your Research Leader.
Research Committees
MIT Unitec Research Committee
Description
The MIT Unitec Research Committee provides thought leadership in the research aspect of MIT Unitec’s core purpose, operating through the Conduct of Research Policy. It oversees research strategy and policy, providing guidance to Tūāpapa Rangahau (the Research & Enterprise Office) on research goals, quality, compliance and support. Membership is representative of schools, priority group directors, new and experienced researchers and students.
The Research Committee derives its authority from Academic Committee.
Terms of Reference
The Research Committee is charged by the Academic Committee to:
- Foster the conduct of research, and support the achievement of the Institution’s strategic research, enterprise and innovation priorities;
- Propose and advise on strategic directions and priorities for research, enterprise and innovation generally, and review the Institute’s Research Plan in particular;
- Recommend to the Academic Committee the approval, amendment or rescinding of policies pertaining to research, enterprise and innovation;
- Develop procedures and guidelines and make recommendations in relation to the conduct of research, enterprise and innovation;
- Encourage and enhance the development of a culture of research, enterprise and innovation including student and staff research capability, with an emphasis on the development of Māori and Pacific research capability;
- Oversee the monitoring of research outputs and research reporting (including funded projects);
- Approve the awarding of internal Research Grants;
- Foster multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, applied research, enterprise and innovation;
- Draw to the attention of the Academic Committee any identified risks to the quality and integrity of research, which may be recorded in the Academic Risk Register, and make recommendations for their further analysis and mitigation;
- Consider and report to the Academic Committee on any other research matters, which are referred to it by the Academic Committee, or which the Research Committee believes are of significance in relation to its Terms of Reference; and
- Undertake an annual self-review (using a process prepared by the Institute) of its effectiveness.
Policies
All linked policies are listed on The Nest under Policies and Procedures > Academic Policies.
PGRSC – Te Komiti Whakahaere a ngā Pia | Postgraduate Research & Scholarships Committee
Description
Te Komiti Whakahaere a ngā Pia | Postgraduate Research & Scholarships Committee (PGRSC) provides oversight of policy and quality of our Level 9 and 10 programmes and their research activities, including approving thesis proposals, appointing examiners, approving thesis grades, and awarding scholarships. Operating within the Conduct of Student Research Policy, membership includes the Directors of Research and Student Success areas, postgraduate programme leaders, other academics and a Student Council member.
PGRSC derives its authority from Te Komiti Mātauranga | Academic Committee.
PGRSC works closely with Tūāpapa Rangahau.
Purpose
To oversee the Institute’s postgraduate Level 9 and 10 quality systems, to identify areas of good practice and areas for improvement and monitor academic quality issues and trends.
Kaupapa
PGRSC is framed within the values of:
- Kaitiakitanga for the Academic Portfolio and Academic Quality, and
- Mahi Kotahitanga and Ngākau Māhaki for its support of the Level 9 and 10 programmes.
PGRSC is accountable to Te Komiti Mātauranga | Academic Committee for ensuring appropriate standards and quality are maintained at Level 9 and 10.
Policies
All linked policies are listed on The Nest under Policies and Procedures > Academic Policies.
- AC 4.0 Conduct of Research Policy
- AC 5.0 Conduct of Student Research Policy
- AC 5.1.1 Supervision and Advisement of Student Research Guidelines
- AC 6.0 Research Ethics Policy
Te Komiti Tikanga Matatika | Research Ethics Committee
Description
Te Komiti Tikanga Matatika | Research Ethics Committee (REC) is an Insitutional ethics committee which operates within the bounds of the Research Ethics Policy. Researchers (students and staff) who are researching human beings, make applications on a range of purpose specific templates to have their research reviewed by the committee, which is comprised of internal and external experts. This process is designed to protect the participants and the researchers from risks such as conflict of interest, exploitation, breach of privacy, health and safety.
REC derives its authority from the Unitec Academic Statute and reports on its activities to Academic Committee
Policies
Research Ethics Policy
Applying for a research ethics approval
- Research Proposal Approval Letter
In order for a student to submit an ethics application to the Research Ethics Committee (REC) for review, the research project must be approved by the Research Proposal Committee in the relevant programme. For more information about proposal approval, a student should contact their supervisor. This step is not required for staff.
- Type of Application Form
You will need to decide on what type of ethics application your project will require. This will either be a Form A, Form B or, if you are a teaching staff member submitting an application for blanket ethics approval as part of a course, a Form C. If you are unsure as to what form to use, please download and complete the Application Screening Questionnaire. This should give you a good indication of which form is best for you to use. For additional information about each application type and the application process, please see the document Applications for Ethical Approval on The Nest or contact the REC Secretary and Ethics Administrator, A/P Evangelia Papoutsaki ethics@unitec.ac.nz.
- Submitting Your Application
Once your application is complete, this can then be submitted to the REC Secretary for processing. If you are a student, your supervisor does this on your behalf (staff may submit their applications directly to the secretary). To ensure your application is complete and ready for submission, and you have support documents, signed copies of your application and all other information ready, please see the checklist on the document Applications for Ethical Approval on The Nest. Note that all sections of the application form must be completed.
It is requested that applicants and their supervisors please ensure that applications submitted to REC are of the highest quality possible, clearly formatted and well written in order to allow for smooth and prompt review. Applications considered to be poor quality will be returned to the applicant outlining any issues, and will be accompanied by a request for amendment and resubmission.
Application deadlines apply. Please note that late applications are unable to be accepted.
- Reviewing Process
Once submitted, your application is then processed for review and you will receive an email advising you of your unique ethics application number. Your application is then uploaded to a secure site within the Moodle network and the REC review will commence. For a step-by-step guide to the REC review process, please see the document Process for UREC Ethics Application.
For all other information on research ethics at MIT Unitec, or if you have any queries about the ethics application process, please browse the information provided in the folders below or contact REC Secretary and Ethics Administrator A/P Evangelia Papoutsaki ethics@unitec.ac.nz. For advice on cultural consultation, please refer to the document Guidelines for Researchers Regarding Māori and Community Social and Cultural Responsiveness, available on The Nest.
Early Career Researcher Support and Funding
Growing the next generation of researchers and leaders of research is a priority for research organisations around the world.
MIT Unitec operates an Early Career Research (ECR) Forum which is currently chaired by A/P Kristie Cameron kcameron@unitec.ac.nz.
ECR support and funding products are currently being reviewed.
2025 PBRF Preparation
2025 PBRF Assessment – Support for Staff
This page is designed to provide information and resources for Unitec staff completing a PBRF evidence portfolio for the 2025 PBRF staff quality assessment.
Please see here the 2021 Key Research Dates
Who to Contact for Support
- Research Advisor – Advises on the quality of journals etc, administers the Research Output Management System and leads the PBRF review
- Research Leaders – One 0.2 FTE position on each School; liaising between Tūāpapa Rangahau and research staff.
Guide for Unitec Staff Completing a PBRF Portfolio
This guide has been designed specifically for Unitec staff, and covers:
- What to write in the Research Platform, plus examples
- What to write in the ‘My contribution’ section
- What to write in the ‘Description or justification’ section, plus examples
- Suggested format for the Research Contribution entries, examples, and a list of what items (not exhaustive) might go into each of the Research Contribution categories
- A checklist
PBRF Portfolio Structure – What Needs to be Completed (summary)
Panel and Overview
- Select Panel and Subject Area and subject keywords
- Platform of Research – research area, context, portfolio overview (approx. 3 paragraphs)
Research Outputs
Please see here the Unitec Research Outputs Guide.
- Select best four outputs from 2018–2024
- Write ‘Author contribution’ for each of the four best outputs (1 x paragraph)
- Write ‘Description or justification’ for each of the four best outputs (1 x paragraph)
- Ensure there is assessment evidence attached, e.g. full text of published item – as published, or plans of design, etc.
- Select up to 12 other Research Outputs (the next best 12). Just select.
Research Contributions
- Create up to 15 Research Contributions. These are groups of research activities and one entry may contain one or more items. Each entry is up to 2 x paragraphs in length.
- Ensure evidence supports your entries.
- Indicate which items should be cross referred to the Maori Knowledge or the Pacific Research Panel, if applicable.
ROMs
PBRF portfolios must be created in ROMs. However, the various text sections can be drafted in Word or a similar text editor and then simply pasted into ROMS.
PBRF Report – Evidence Portfolio Report
ROMs allows staff to print a copy of their PBRF portfolio. In ROMs, go to the ‘Reports’ function on the grey toolbar and select ‘PBRF Report’. This will create a Word version of a PBRF evidence portfolio based on the content selected or entered. This can then be used to review the content and identify where improvements could be made.