Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou  

As I write this, the one thing we are all waiting for is clarity on the election result – who our Minister will be and what that will mean for Te Pūkenga and our ākonga. Tomorrow (3 November), the Electoral Commission will announce the results of the special votes. Following that, we can expect to know the exact composition of the new government and, in time, the Ministerial portfolios and policy positions.

We are wrapping up our Briefing for Incoming Minister (BIM), which we will provide to the Minister at the earliest opportunity.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual and that is very busy.

I want to thank all applicants for engaging in the recruitment process currently underway. The high volume of applications for the roles demonstrates the commitment by kaimahi to being part of the future of Te Pūkenga and its vision and values to deliver better outcomes for ākonga and employers regardless of where in the country they are based.

Many senior managers are deep in interviews this week and interviewing will continue for some time as we look to initially confirm Tier 3 kaimahi into their new roles and then cascade recruitment through the organisation in a progressive way. I acknowledge that this is a challenging time for many and thank you for your patience and manaakitanga throughout this period.

I also want to acknowledge the People, Culture and Wellbeing (PCW) team for their considerable behind-the-scenes support. We know that some of our kaimahi have been away from the job market for a while or wanted to build their confidence in preparing for the recruitment process. The PCW team has hosted a series of well-attended online workshops to help kaimahi write their applications and prepare for interviews.

As some of you will be aware, we also have consultation underway for our Digital team structure. The proposed structure aims to make the most of our scale and the benefits that brings through a unified digital function, offering consistent, cost-effective, and responsive high-quality digital services to ākonga, employers and kaimahi. There are no job cuts proposed.

This week we also provided our quarterly report to the TEC, as well as drafts of our new Statement of Intent (SOI) and Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE) for the incoming Minister to provide feedback on. There is a lot happening around the network and the revised SPE will ensure we capture the different activities we provide to support better outcomes for learners and employers to ensure equitable outcomes, and to meet the skills needs of the country.

The SOI and SPE build on our updated strategic framework, which is centred on: maximising ākonga success, equity and wellbeing; becoming a highly valued, trusted and sustainable organisation; and a nationally enabled and regionally responsive network.

Council met yesterday and approved the 2024 budget, which is all about focusing on our path to financial sustainability. It will come as no surprise that we need to lift our revenue, both domestic and international, but we also need to continue to manage our costs well. One consideration you will be hearing more about in future is how we manage our property portfolio. Changing learner demands and reshaping our network to take advantage of being co-located, fostering collaboration and shared environments, are factors we will need to take into account.

Our Council is also very focused on wellbeing and safety. The Wellbeing and Safety team completed walks with Council members around three campuses in South Auckland, and the plan is to do more of these walks at other sites over the next year. We want to ensure our sites are safe environments for ākonga and kaimahi as well as those who engage with us in different ways. This is something we are all responsible for, we all play a role in keeping each other safe and well.

Ngā mihi nui 

Peter Winder
Tumuaki | Chief Executive

Ngā kōrero hou
Our updates

Digital Consultation Phase 2 underway 

The consultation for the proposed structure for Digital is now underway and is open until 17 November 2023. It is supported by a roadshow and a number of online hui.

The Digital team led by Chief Digital Officer Teresa Pollard will be visiting some sites across the country together with her leadership team over the next few weeks.

“The proposed structure presents a unified digital function that stabilises the provision of responsive and high-quality digital services to ākonga, employers and kaimahi,” Teresa says.

A first online Q&A last Friday attracted more than 500 kaimahi. There’s more information on Te Whare.

Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga ākonga feature strongly at Best Design Awards

Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga ākonga have won several medals at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards 2023, with the Architecture programme featuring strongly.

Associate Professor Tobias Danielmeier, Head of Architecture, Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, says the Best Design Awards success reflects the work and skill of ākonga, as well as all the expertise and passion of those who teach them.

“Our School of Architecture is proud of the fact that our ākonga find employment easily. Certainly, those in the industry comment positively about the attributes and skills our learners display in workplace settings.”

Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Chris Williamson says it’s an outstanding achievement to have 12 finalists at New Zealand’s most prestigious design awards.

“The latest success continues Otago Polytechnic’s strong representation over many years at the Best Design Awards. Previous Best Awards finalists and winners have gone on to launch their design careers in New Zealand and overseas.”

Georgia Pope, who is in her first year of the recently introduced Master of Architecture (Professional) programme at Otago Polytechnic, won a Gold Medal for her project “Harmony in Motion”, which envisages a vibrant multipurpose space centered around a dance studio and a gin distillery on Dunedin’s Filleul St.

Final-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies ākonga Marissa Tresslor claimed a Silver Medal (Student Spatial) for her project “Te Wairua o Te Piopiotahi”, which aims to stimulate a deeper connection to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi.

Bronze Medal success was achieved by Master of Architecture ākonga Hunter Dale, second-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies ākonga Eden Rose-Yon, Bachelor of Design (Product) graduate Alice Wassell, and final-year Bachelor of Design (Communication) ākonga Jacob Burnet and Ryan Dombroski.

UCOL | Te Pūkenga aims to empower community with new Māori and Pasifika Arts course

UCOL | Te Pūkenga have announced that they will be introducing an exciting new Māori and Pasifika performing arts course in 2024.

The new Performing Arts Level 3 course, which will provide an introduction to Māori and Pasifika performing arts, is a hands-on energetic programme, says Campus Director Carrie McKenzie.

“The modules will cover Māori, Cook Island and Samoan basic skills in song and dance. If you haven’t done it before or you’re keen to upskill in your reo and tikanga - now’s your chance to try. Everyone is welcome!”

With classes running just one evening per week, Ms McKenzie says that upskilling in cultural performing arts is now more accessible for the Wairarapa community.

“We have already run a diploma in Performing Arts (Māori and Pasifika), but we understand that for many people, committing to two years is quite an ask. That’s why we’ve introduced the Level 3 option, to provide performing arts on our campus on a part-time basis.

“We know from our community that lots of people want to try kapa haka but it may not have been available to them when they were growing up or they’ve never had the opportunity to learn. We’re making this a possibility for them!”

The course will be run at Te Whare Amorangi, the marae on UCOL’s campus in Wairarapa.

“It’s a safe space where ākonga (learners) can have the confidence to learn tikanga, te ao Māori and te reo Māori. Here they’re able to learn, make mistakes in a supportive, non-judgmental environment, and feel proud and included.”

We have two kaiako (teachers) available to teach the programme - Shari Taylor-Kawana and Kiri Riwai Couch, says Ms McKenzie.

“Shari and Kiri both teach the Diploma and are really well known in Wairarapa. Just last month, they took their Level 6 Performing Arts ākonga to the National TheatreFest in Christchurch. They came away with a collection of accolades, including second place with their production, ‘Say my Name’.

The course offers useful foundational knowledge that can be applied to a range of industries, says Ms McKenzie.

“The course itself is around building confidence in performance but it would also be a great experience for those looking to work within the tourism industry and those in government roles.

“For non-Māori, it’s important to have a good understanding of Tikanga and te ao Māori while living in Aotearoa. For people of Māori, Cook Island and Samoan descent it can help them to find a connection with their own identity, learning where they’ve come from and expressing it through movement.”

The course also offers a pathway into other UCOL programmes.

“Once ākonga have completed this course, they can go into any of our other performing arts programmes - whether they want to get into music, DJ-ing, or go straight to the top and do the Level 6  Diploma or the full Bachelor of Performing Arts.

“For ākonga who didn’t quite finish high school, but are interested in doing a degree or diploma, this course can act as their entry qualification too! As long as they have NCEA Level 1, they are welcome to join. It may even be fees-free for some people if it’s their first year of study.”

Find out more information about the Level 3 Performing Arts programme.

Wintec supporting Pacific scholars to gain skills to benefit their home communities 

After a three year break due to Covid, Wintec | Te Pūkenga is again home to a vibrant group of scholars from the Pacific Islands, thirsty for knowledge and skills that they can take back with them to improve their communities. The group of eleven scholars are here in New Zealand for between 6 months and a year, thanks to Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarships (STTS). The scholarships are funded through the New Zealand International Development Programmme, and administered by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao, on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

The scholars have come here from Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Tuvalu, and range in age from 25-51. Studying a wide range of subjects across all three Wintec | Te Pūkenga campuses in Hamilton, their chosen careers are as diverse as their homelands, spanning business to horticulture, engineering to IT, and electrical to automotive.

Anderson is one of the scholars here from Papua New Guinea studying Accounting. His parents back home are self-employed and he’s equipping himself to take over the business one day, “I must know some basics of business and financial things so that hopefully I can expand or grow the business and make opportunities for my people back home.”

One month into their stay, we met with eight of the scholars along with Susan Ye, Wintec | Te Pūkenga International Student Services Advisor to find out a bit about their journey. From the outset it was obvious the newfound friends, who are living together in a central Kirikiriroa hostel just down the road from the Wintec City Campus, are settling in well and have already formed a tight-knit and supportive group.

This is not least due to the care and support they have received from Susan and the rest of the International Student Services team to get them settled and ensure they have everything they need to succeed.

Brendon who is here from the Solomon Islands studying Horticulture for six months said, “Susan is really here for us. She’s like a mother to all of us.” This sentiment was echoed by all the scholars, who have clearly formed strong bonds with Susan.

Arriving in New Zealand on a long weekend, Susan and the team wrapped them in support from the minute they arrived. With some coming unprepared for the colder weather in New Zealand, one of the first trips Susan took them on was to go shopping for warmer clothes and other things they needed. As well as the shopping, this trip had an unexpected highlight for the group, who were abuzz at having their first drive in an electric car. “I didn't hear it but it just moved, like magic! And it had the screen that you could see when you reversed,” said Robert, who along with the others got lots of photo.

Robert, who is here from Solomon Islands studying engineering said of the International Services team supporting the group, “if we need anything, they will just come. So yeah, I rate them 100%. I feel at home and I really appreciate it.”
For Susan, she says sometimes she feels like she has a second family. “I really enjoy spending time with everyone, they are just very positive and very caring. I like to go see the scholars during their dinner time and I love the hugs from them when I go home. Like that's the purpose of why I'm doing this job. That's why I'm here.”

Pastoral support is so important to the scholars, who have moved to a new country leaving behind their family support networks. For some, like Dovena who has come from Solomon Islands to study accounting, it has also meant having to leave behind children to take up the opportunity. “I have a 3 year old girl at home and that will be a challenge for me as a mother.”

Add to the family aspect the colder weather, unfamiliar food and new technology to learn, and there have been many challenges and hurdles to navigate. Most of the scholars were used to pen and paper as their main communication tools back home, so our heavy use of technology that we take for granted, has been a challenge for many and something they have had to learn quickly.

Susan reflects on the many things we take for granted, which are new for many of the scholars, “every time I go home after spending time with the scholars, I think how I should appreciate what I have in my life and not take things for granted like a laptop, internet and time with family.”

When the scholars arrived, Susan and the team took them to pick up their laptops, which had been funded through their scholarships, and helped get them used to a new way of working. As they have come to grips with the technology, it has proven to have lots of other benefits for them too, including allowing them to communicate with their families face-to-face via video chats to help them to feel closer to their loved ones.

After spending some time chatting with the group, one of their highlights of their experience so far has definitely been the people here in Aotearoa.

“I love the friendliness. I love the smiles. The hellos and kia oras,” said Vali who is here from Papua New Guinea studying business and leadership. She enjoys hearing our Māori language spoken, having previously only seen ‘kia ora’ written in emails from the High Commission. “We are learning words in another language on top of our own and its good.”

Brendon from Solomon Islands loves the practical aspect of his horticulture course and the collaboration with his classmates, “my classmates are really good and friendly. No one does things by themselves, we just all share ideas and always help each other.

Barao, an Internal Auditor from Kiribati, is studying IT and really appreciates the help he gets from his fellow students, “it's quite new for me so it's challenging. I am very thankful for my friends in my class. They've been helping me out with all the activities.” He also really noticed how peaceful it is and how safe he feels relative to home, “when I accidentally left my equipment behind in the hub, I went back later it is still there!”

Studying business and leadership after not being in education for ten years, Puasina says it’s a blessing to be here, “everyone around me and where we stay is very supportive and helpful.” She works in a library back in her home in Samoa and is very lucky to be here on a bond with her employer, so she is able to receive half of her salary while studying. She found it challenging leaving her kids to come here but she’s positive about the leadership skills and management knowledge she will be able to take back with her.

Karen Kemsley, Wintec | Te Pūkenga International Student Services Manager, is always proud to see the strong, heartfelt and genuine relationship that Susan and the team build with our international ākonga.

“We have had the opportunity to welcome, settle, nurture and uplift each of our Pacific scholars by extending our usual manaakitanga processes, pastoral care and support systems, and we cherish the thoroughly authentic, two-way learning and development that has taken place from having them in our care."

One-on-one digital training update

In the last issue of Ngā Taipitopito, we shared that the digital training team offers kaimahi a 30-minute digital training session. At this time, the session is only offered to those who have a Te Pūkenga email address in the format firstname.lastname@tepukenga.ac.nz.

Register here to book your session. You will receive a confirmation email and your designated trainer will be in touch.

If you do need any digital support but don’t yet have a Te Pūkenga email address, please reach out to your organisation’s ICT team in the first instance.

Get to know our leaders

Our leaders bring together a wide range of skills, diverse backgrounds, and some interesting guilty pleasures. Visit the ‘Our leaders’ page to find profiles on our leadership. 

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