Tēnā tātou katoa  

I’ve been impressed by the great initiatives announced over the past fortnight showcasing the positive impacts Te Pūkenga is having for our ākonga. I’d like to acknowledge the mahi that goes into these announcements as I’m well aware it takes determination and a team effort to get them across the line. 

Andrew signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart to establish the New Zealand-China Vocational Cooperation and Development Alliance last week. This follows my trip to China recently, and is a huge opportunity as it leverages our scale and will encourage more Chinese students to study with us. The agreement signing was witnessed by the education Ministers of New Zealand and China and is another step in building a stronger connection with Chinese educational institutions.  

This mahi was showcased at the New Zealand International Education Conference held in Ōtautahi Christchurch last week. Te Pūkenga was strongly represented, with Ruth Thomas from Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga and Dr Pii-Tuulia Nikula from EIT | Te Pūkenga speaking about pre-arrival conversational English and global engagement. Keynotes at the conference highlighted how education is changing with particular emphasis on vocational education, multi-modal delivery, and lifelong learning due to demographic changes and a strong focus on the employability of learners. These are all trends that we are well placed to deliver on.  

Last weekend we signed an agreement with Air New Zealand for Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology | Te Pūkenga (NMIT) Aviation School of Engineering's tutors to provide training to more than 150 students each year to build, repair and maintain a variety of aircraft. The agreement came about after NMIT and Air New Zealand, supported by the Ringa Hora (Services) Workforce Development Council, discussed how we could work more closely together. The agreement means that from 2024, an aviation engineering stream will be added to the local trades academy initiative in high schools.   

We hope that this is just the start. We can offer training in aviation engineering through NMIT and Service IQ | Te Pūkenga, and our national network allows us to expand this capability to ākonga in other parts of the country to address future workforce challenges. It’s a great example of the types of opportunities as we come together as a national education provider with local delivery all around Aotearoa New Zealand.   

These two achievements, alongside the graduation ceremonies our colleagues have recently attended, show that we are already embodying our vision – Whakairohia he toki, tāraia te anamata | Learning with purpose, creating our futures – as we support and nurture ākonga through to graduation or to complete their learning on the job. 

 On a related note, there was an inspiring article in The Press this week about 74-year-old Neri Johnson, originally from the Philippines, who recently completed an apprenticeship in health and wellbeing disability support with Careerforce | Te Pūkenga. Neri is now working in the adult services team at CCS Disability Action, supporting a variety of people in the disabled community. This is a great example of learning for life and for the good of our communities. 

 I'd like to thank Megan for her leadership while I was away. ELT have made significant progress towards final decisions on our structure, and you can expect an announcement soon about our timeline for decisions.  

This week Megan also presented to Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education Commission regarding the Higher Education Funding Review the Government announced in June. She talked about the unique role and position of Te Pūkenga vis-a-vis the universities, our focus on practical learning, and our research toward solutions for real-world challenges that benefit our ākonga. Another focus was the role of degree apprenticeships, an area that has taken off in the UK in recent years. She gave the example of the Bachelor of Engineering Technology we currently deliver and that we are looking to trial a Degree Apprenticeship in Occupational Therapy in Northland in 2025. 

Finally, we're thrilled with the kaimahi response to our two-day Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa programme, with almost 250 kaimahi already registered for training. This workshop follows a request from our ākonga for kaimahi to be empowered to handle conversations about mental health. On this theme, we are looking forward to the upcoming Movember SpeakEasy workshops. The 90-minute online programme is designed to destigmatise mental health challenges, highlight the importance of seeking assistance, and provide ways to support your hoamahi (colleagues), ākonga, whānau, and friends. Find out more and secure your spot for Movember SpeakEasy by visiting Te Whare. 

Nāku iti noa nei, nā  

Peter Winder    
Tumuaki | Chief Executive    

Ngā kōrero hou
Our updates

Aviation education boosted by Air New Zealand collaboration with NMIT | Te Pūkenga

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology | Te Pūkenga (NMIT) and Air New Zealand have signed an agreement to work together in responding to the country’s skills needs for aviation engineering.

The agreement will ensure there’s a clear pathway in both general aviation engineering – the school’s current focus – and the airline industry.

The first outcome sees Level 3 and Level 4 New Zealand Certificate of Aeronautical Engineering introduced at NMIT along with the sharing of resources and expertise. The certificate provides a foundation for trainees to move into the airline’s apprenticeship programmes.

“It’s great to be working closely with Air New Zealand to foster the industry’s talent pipeline while offering ākonga greater choice and support for where they see their futures’ heading,” says Reid Carnegie, NMIT Curriculum Area Manager – Engineering, Construction and Infrastructure.

“It’s critical we have the engineering and maintenance workforce to meet our operational needs. The global market for aircraft engineers is highly competitive, and the agreement will help to ensure we are developing local talent here in Aotearoa,” says Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren.

Education Minister Jan Tinetti was present to witness the signing ceremony.

Te Pūkenga provides aviation engineering training through NMIT and workplace training provider Service IQ.

New partnership with China to benefit vocational education in both countries 

Last week Te Pūkenga and the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange officially signed a partnership that will benefit vocational education in both Aotearoa New Zealand and China. This long-term partnership includes talent cultivation, cross credits, student exchanges and academic visits between our two countries.

This journey began with Peter's visit to China in July as part of an official delegation led by Prime Minister Hipkins. Peter’s visit was a perfect opportunity to explore working together with China for our mutual benefit.

In many ways, New Zealand and China’s education systems have similar aspirations. Increasing emphasis on vocational education to improve productivity in the economy through skills training. This partnership responds to that oncoming demand while also recognising that Te Pūkenga is now a national network and the largest tertiary education organisation in the country. This partnership demonstrates the potential of what that means in the international education market.

Andrew McSweeney, DCE of Learner and Employer Experience and Attraction says, “Collectively, there is a lot of experience and understanding in Te Pūkenga of what it takes to care for and deliver successfully to Chinese students both as international learners and in their home country, and we are excited to take that to the next level with the scale we now have as Te Pūkenga.”

Te Pūkenga vision and technology on show for Minister of Education

Modelling the vision of ROVE and exploring how learning technologies are used in vocational education were the focus of the Minister of Education Jan Tinetti’s visit to Ara | Te Pūkenga in Christchurch last week.

Covering two campuses and many classrooms, the Minister observed medical imaging ākonga using virtual reality, future midwives simulating a home birthing environment, and nursing learners practising emergency procedures and operating-theatre skills using simulated mannequins as patients.

At Ara’s Kahukura, Engineering and Architectural Studies block – itself a teaching tool with its exposed structures and sustainable design – the Minister took a 3D tour of the building to see how ākonga learn engineering and architectural skills.

The Minister also met with Pacific learners during a ‘Study Jam’ hosted by the Pacific mentor programme. Ākonga raised with the Minister the barriers to education that they experience, including economic ones.

“I was so impressed by what I witnessed during my visit,” said Tinetti. “Both staff and students were amazing, and speaking with the Pacific learners during their Study Jam provided me with a clear reminder of how important mentoring groups are for student success. It was really pleasing to hear how successful the programme has been both in terms of recruitment and retention.

“The staff I met impressed me deeply with their expertise and professionalism. I look forward to hearing of the ongoing successes and I hope to visit again soon.”

Darren Mitchell, Rohe 4 co-leader and tour host, said that the Minister “spoke of the potential of the technologies we demonstrated, and how important they are to the learning experience. As our transition to Te Pūkenga continues, these are some of the things that we must ensure we protect and grow.”

BCITO and Competenz, now co-located on Ara campuses, joined in the tour. “Bringing to life the vision of ROVE as we toured our campuses was very powerful,” said Mitchell. “And by including our iwi and other partners such as He Toki ki te Rika (Māori Trades Training Corsortia) and Te Whatu Ora, we were able to really show the benefits of working closely and differently, and the impact this brings to learners.”

Helix Global, a construction company that uses building information modelling and an industry partner on the He Toki ki te Rika consortia, showcased the use of 3D modelling and encouraged Te Pūkenga to integrate even greater use of technology within its teaching and learning environments. Industry representatives spoke to the positive impacts that technologies like these have had on the He Toki Māori Trades Training apprentices that they’ve employed.

"It's a game changer!" said Reegan Lawton from Helix Global. "We’ve employed a number of He Toki graduates over the years and have observed how their growing proficiency with technology has helped them navigate some learning difficulties and rapidly overcome them.”

“Not only will it help address learning inequities, it also prepares Te Pūkenga learners for the realities of current and emerging industry practices," he said.

Primary ITO | Te Pūkenga volunteers soak up FIFA fever

Primary ITO | Te Pūkenga kaimahi soaked some FIFA Women’s World Cup fever while volunteering at the quarter-final between Spain and the Netherlands in Wellington. 

Andrea Adams, Anne-Maree Michael and Sasha Dombrovska used their Primary ITO community day leave when the call went out for volunteers to help as food and beverage attendants and cashiers at the match. The opportunity was teed up through ServiceIQ | Te Pūkenga colleague Vanessa Mohi-Goodchild, who works with hospitality and food service business Delaware North, who contract to Wellington’s Sky Stadium. Primary ITO and ServiceIQ share offices in Wellington. 

Primary ITO | Te Pūkenga kaimahi can choose to spend a day each year working in teams in the community. Others have used their community days to assist with Cyclone Gabrielle recovery. 

The team took up station at the stadium’s aisle 6 food and beverage counter. Andrea and Anne-Maree were on the till, while Sasha and her husband Paul, who tagged along, worked behind the scenes helping to prepare and open beverages. 

“The people we were working alongside were really helpful,” Andrea says. “It was a lovely atmosphere, so much fun, and it took me back to my hospo days 30 years ago. The tills were easy to use and it was made easier by no cash allowed. We only had one challenging customer – who demanded to use cash.” 

Time went quickly, with a busy patch just before the game start time of 1pm. During their break the team was able to pop out and watch a bit of the action, and after finishing at 2.30pm they joined the crowd to enjoy what ended up being the most exciting part of the game, with Spain beating the Netherlands 2-1. 

Sasha loved the chance to volunteer. “We were so excited,” she says. "It was a huge privilege to be there and so easy to do. As volunteers we also got free access to public transport and free tickets to a game (South Africa vs. Switzerland), which I went to with my husband and best friends.”  

Anne-Maree was impressed with the state of the sports turf at the stadium. "The grounds people, including some of our sports turf apprentices, did an amazing job of getting the grounds up to standard for all of the New Zealand games before the official handover to FIFA.”  

FIFA rewarded volunteers by donating $200 each to our team’s chosen charities of Wellington Free Ambulance, Women’s Refuge, and cat rescue charity Outpawed.  

All three were delighted to put their Primary ITO community days to good use. “It was nice to do this together, get out into the community, and see our charities benefit as well. We were lucky in that it was sunny Wellington day, a Friday game, and we got to have a good time and meet people. It’s been such a successful tournament and so amazing for women’s sport.”  

Zero Fees Scheme continues in southern regions for 2024

Ākonga studying with SIT | Te Pūkenga in the southern regions will continue to enjoy Zero Fees in 2024.

“Te Pūkenga was established to create a stronger vocational education and training network. Southern ākonga are already benefiting from improved access to learning opportunities,” Pourangi Ako | DCE Ako Delivery Gus Gilmore says.

“For example, the new aquaculture programme being offered at SIT | Te Pūkenga was developed by NMIT | Te Pūkenga. Southern ākonga no longer need to move to Nelson to pursue this course of study.”

In 2024, the SIT Zero Fees Scheme will continue to apply to ākonga residing in the southern region and studying at SIT’s Invercargill, Gore, Queenstown or Telford (Balclutha) campuses. It will not apply for SIT2LRN students residing outside the Southern region, or those at SIT’s Christchurch campus.

For SIT ākonga enrolled in multi-year programmes, the SIT Zero Fees Scheme will continue while they complete their current programmes. Those enrolling for multi-year programmes in 2024 will also continue to be eligible for the scheme while they are studying at SIT’s Southern region campuses (terms and conditions apply).

“The Zero Fees Scheme transformed SIT’s student numbers and made a significant impact on the region’s economy. Unfortunately, recent changes to tertiary education funding mean the scheme is no longer sustainable,” Mr Gilmore says.

Pricing for 2025 and beyond has not been determined and is likely to be communicated in the first half of 2024. All local fee strategies will need to be financially viable.  

SIT2LRN is proposed to become part of a new Online and Distance Learning Directorate within Ako Delivery. Online fees are likely to be harmonised. That work has not started yet and Te Pūkenga will work with TEC and other stakeholders to ensure compliance. In the meantime, fees filed with TEC will apply.

Ohu Whakahaere o Te Poari Akoranga: Rangahau Māori, Research and Postgraduate

Te Poari Akoranga is the academic board for Te Pūkenga, providing strategic academic direction and leadership and a national infrastructure to ensure quality, compliance and consistency of teaching and learning. Several ohu whakahaere support Te Poari Akoranga.

Applications are invited for two research member positions on Te Ohu Whakahaere: Rangahau Māori, Research and Postgraduate.

For both positions, applicants will need to demonstrate the skills, capabilities and experience to effectively contribute to and support, monitor and lead rangahau Māori, research and innovation activity; to help determine and support the strategic directions and approaches for rangahau Māori, research and postgraduate provision; and to provide oversight of rangahau Māori and research funding and ethics.

One position also requires someone who brings knowledge and expertise in teaching, rangahau and research in the design-led creative arts, toi and taonga disciplines.

Appointed members will hold their position for up to two years with an option of renewal for a third year and will need to commit to supporting the work of Te Ohu. Work will vary across the year but will include approximately two days per month to prepare for and attend meetings.

Final appointments will be made by Te Poari Akoranga.

To apply, please send your application and current CV to governance@tepukenga.ac.nz by 5pm, Friday 15 September 2023.

Finding support during times of change

Navigating periods of change can be challenging. It's important to remember that support is readily available. 

Where to find support: 

• Your leader: your local leaders will be supported to provide you with information, advice, and guidance on the consultation process.  
• People, Culture and Wellbeing (PCW): Reach out to your local PCW team, who are dedicated to helping kaimahi navigate periods of change. They can provide you with personalised support and answer any questions.  
• If you’re a union member, your union representatives will also be available to provide support. Unions will be attending our briefings, so they will be connecting with us during the consultation period. 
• External providers: You can access your local Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider or our Te Pūkenga provider (www.vitae.co.nz or phone 0508 664 981) for all kaimahi. EAP can offer you support with a range of challenges including:
  • stress and pressure – personal or work 
  • depression and anxiety 
  • workplace issues and changes 
  • bullying and harassment  
  • anger and conflict issues 
  • relationship and family matters 
  • grief and loss 
  • life transition and personal development 
  • health and wellbeing 
  • career planning 
  • budgeting and money management or coaching 
  • personal legal advice. 

Resources: 

• Taumauri: Our wellbeing platform Taumauri contains a wealth of information to support you with the challenges of change. 
• Navigating change: This three-part module will help you identify your values and provide insight into why they matter, how they can help you navigate change and how to use them to strategically design your life. 
• Here’s a selection of articles to help you navigate change, build resilience, and manage stress. 
• Challenge of change: This collection of videos on Te Whare features Ihopūmanawa (talented and extraordinary people) sharing their stories of connection. Their stories remind us that we don’t journey through changes alone and can lean on others. 
• Your career journey: This three-part video series encourages you to reflect on your personal values, your career and next steps. 
• Fact sheets on Te Whare (under Resources): 
  • ​Building resilience 
  • Looking after yourself 
  • Integrating body and mind in everyday life. 
     

Remember, you don't have to face this time alone. Please take advantage of the support available and reach out.

Meet our kaimahi

‘Meet our kaimahi’ is where we get to know some of our colleagues, recently appointed into new roles.

This edition, we’re profiling Craig Bulloch who’s recently been appointed as Kaikorkiri Hauora | Wellbeing and Occupational Health Lead.

Read Craig's profile on Te Whare 

Network wins

74-year-old making an impact for disabled people in her community 

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Nursing ākonga field trip 

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Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga has multiple finalists in Best Design Awards 

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Student’s wife enrolled him in EIT Te Pūkenga and now he is graduating with diploma

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