Issue 12 October 2021

Kia ora koutou,
 
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve made significant progress in the establishment of three key bodies who will provide valuable insight and advice to Te Pūkenga Council – our interim Staff Committee, interim Learner Advisory Committee and interim Komiti Māori.

Each of these Committees has been established as a statutory advisory committee for Te Pūkenga Council to consult with about “significant matters relating to the Council’s strategic direction” that are relevant to those represented by the Committee and consider any advice given on those matters or any other matters by the Committee.

As required by legislation, a representative from each committee will sit on Council. This will ensure your voices and the voices of our learners and Māori are part of every meeting and Council discussion.

I am delighted to share with you that:

1. representatives for the Staff Committee have been confirmed by each subsidiary and the group are soon to have their full induction. I want to congratulate, and thank, all those who were selected. The Council representative from the Staff Committee has also been approved by Council and will sit as a Council member at the November 2021 meeting. Congratulations to Heath Sawyer;

2. representatives for the interim Learner Advisory Committee have also been confirmed, together with their representative on Council. Congratulations to Jordan Gush; the appointments to our Komiti Māori have been approved; this Committee is now made up of experts appointed in partnership with Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group of the National Iwi Chairs Forum. The Komiti will provide our Council with advice, quality assurance and critical thought leadership. The representative on Council is soon to be confirmed.

3. the establishment of these Committees is a key milestone for Te Pūkenga as it provides a governance framework for Council to engage with staff and learners and partner with Māori. Collectively, these Committees will bring diverse and independent staff, learner and Māori voices to conversations about our development – ensuring we keep ākonga at the centre of everything we do, build on good practice and be locally responsive to the needs of all learners and Māori learners, their whānau and communities.

Each group will design and test the framework we’ll use when permanent committees are put in place in 2023. For staff, I encourage you to take opportunities to engage with your staff representative, particularly when they seek feedback from you.

Each committee is an essential element of our governance – so it’s a real milestone to have them established and providing advice to Council to ensure we deliver the best outcomes for all of our learners.

You can read more about the committees here. 

Ngā mihi,

Stephen Town
Chief Executive