Ngā kōrero hou
Our updates

Kaimahi kōrero 

Starting this month, representatives from ELT will join some of your regular calls and hui, and will also hold dedicated hui that provide time for you to kōrero with them. 

These will be the first kaimahi kōrero sessions, which we will continue in the future and they will give you the opportunity to share any whakaaro (feedback), ask any pātai (questions) you have and chat with ELT members about Te Pūkenga.  

ELT will rotate around the motu each time, meaning you’ll get time with different members each visit. ELT will try and get to as many locations as possible over the course of the next few months. Visits will also be supplemented by online meetings. 

The first series of visits will be in the week of 15 May.  

We are hosting sessions across the motu in all regions we operate in.  Please make a point of coming to any session that best suits where you are at the time.  

The initial schedule is shown below and on our new Te Whare page. We will be updating this page as more information is available, including confirmed times, venues (and how to get there) and how you can join.  

Preparing for consultation

We know many kaimahi won’t have experienced a workplace consultation before. Because of this, we thought it would be valuable to outline the process we’re following, where we’re at and what you can expect during consultation. 

What is the process we’re following?

• Our People, Culture and Wellbeing, Digital, and Finance and Property business groups have completed consultation and are now in the implementation phase. 
• You can find detailed information about these consultations on YourVoice (you need to create a profile or log in to see the information).  
• Recruitment for the new roles in these new structures is well underway and many roles have been appointed. You can find recent appointments here, and vacancies here and here on our recruitment portal. 
• We’re currently in the Develop proposed structure phase for five other business groups. In the week of 12 June, we’ll move into the consult phase for the Ako Delivery, Learner and Employer Experience and Attraction, Academic Centre and Learning Systems, Tiriti Outcomes and the Office of the Chief Executive business groups. 

What does the next consultation look like? 

• The consultations for the Ako Delivery, Learner and Employer Experience and Attraction, Academic Centre and Learning Systems, Tiriti Outcomes and the Office of the Chief Executive business groups start in the week of 12 June. The consultation will run for five weeks.  
• Proposal documentation will be loaded onto our dedicated consultation portal. The documents will include the proposed functions and structure for each business group. It will include any proposed impacts on current positions including proposed disestablishments, proposed changes to reporting lines and any transitional arrangements. It will also include any proposed new roles. 
• Part of the design process includes working through which functions may be best suited to which business groups. These proposed functional groupings will be included in the consultation. 
• ELT will hold sessions about their business group design so you have the information you need to provide feedback. 
• Leaders will have conversations with kaimahi whose roles are proposed to be impacted. Kaimahi will also receive information outlining those impacts and what support is available. 
• It’s really important you take the time to read the proposals and to provide feedback either as an individual and/or part of team. This will inform the final decisions. 
• Please remember that you have access to EAP support (or your local employee support service) if you need it. 
• We will meet with union representatives before consultations start, to ensure they can continute to support union members. 
• Final decisions are expected in mid-August.  

Mahi Kotahitanga creates cybersecurity career opportunities 

Thirty new ākonga, recently welcomed into the whānau at Unitec | Te Pūkenga, have embarked on a unique journey exploring and understanding the intricacies of cybersecurity.  

The programme is a collaboration between Te Pūkenga, Microsoft, TupuToa and Te Whatu Ora, and is designed to help address the underrepresentation of Māori and Pacific in a rapidly growing industry.  

Vanessa Sorenson, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand says “We’re hugely excited to partner with Te Pūkenga, TupuToa and Te Whatu Ora to deliver something tangible and real that’ll benefit the whole country”. 

This qualification expands on similar collaborative learning opportunities underway with community partners including the Papa Te Whatitiri, Digi Tech programme at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi.  

Papa Te Whatitiri kaiako, Tahuri Tumoana, says the programme teaches students how to turn social media, the internet and digital technology into tools to empower whānau and carve out career pathways.  

“Learners are taught to understand what information technology is, and the impact of the internet and interconnectivity - for Māori, especially. There are a lot of opportunities out there, there are a lot of threats as well and we need to make sure rangatahi are provided with opportunities to help them navigate this realm safely and effectively,” she says.  

The new cybersecurity programme will connect ākonga directly with employment opportunities and the dedicated and tailored manākitanga provided by TupuToa.  

Ākonga will learn both on-campus and in the workplace over six months and come out with the training needed to gain entry level roles in cybersecurity in Aotearoa New Zealand.   

The development of the programme was built on the strong networks and connections held by Dila Beisembayeva, Senior Implementation Lead (Micro-credentials) at Te Pūkenga, who has championed a series of extremely successful micro credentials.  

She told those celebrating the new intake of ākonga at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae that the collective dedication of everyone involved helped bring the programme to life.  

Te Whatu Ora Chief Information Security Officer, Sonny Taite, says the opportunity to support the growth of talent in the cyber security workforce, particularly amongst Māori and Pacific peoples, was one that couldn’t be missed.   

“We’re really proud to be partnering with Te Pūkenga, Microsoft and TupuToa to help bridge what we know is an existing workforce shortage in an area with a growing importance in both the health sector, and for wider New Zealand. Being able to increase representation and diversity in the sector is also something we feel very passionately about,” he says.   

Academic leaders come together at hui 

Academic leaders from across the rohe recently came together at a hui to discuss the progress and challenges of programme unification, learning development and academic quality. 

The in-person hui was held in Wellington and was led by Dr Megan Gibbons, Pourangi Mātauranga me ngā Pūnaha Ako | Deputy Chief Executive Academic Centre and Learning Systems (ACLS).  

It was the first time many of the participants met face-to-face and provided an opportunity for the team of academic leaders to meet and hear from six of our eight new National Ako Directors, including Angela Beaton, recently appointed to lead the Community, Health, Education and Social Services portfolio.  

Megan says the hui brought together academic leaders from across the network, which helped strengthen connections and deepen conversations. 

“It was important to hear our academic leaders’ views and listen to their ideas. We’re all working towards the same goals, are passionate about the difference education makes, and it was a fantastic opportunity to ensure we’re all on the same page and heading in the same direction,” Megan says.  

“There’s magic in all parts of the network and we want to connect kaimahi to enable us to work cohesively.” 

National Ako Directors Diane Lithgow, Amanda Whitaker, Mike Crossan, Layelin Stewart, Angela Beaton and Andrea Leslie gave an overview of their careers so far and some of the key highlights of their portfolios.  

Julie Thorburn, Tristin King, Richard Nyhof, Patrick Jones and Linda Sissons, members of the Unification team, also gave updates. 

Key takeaways from the hui included the need for network kaimahi to regularly connect and talk about ways of working, the need for a common language across Te Pūkenga and the need for more frequent progress updates.  

“We need to create national consistency, while also being innovative and thinking about future skills needs all the while being responsive to our communities,” Megan says. 

You can request the slides by emailing Communications@TePukenga.ac.nz. 

Did you know? 

In this regular section of Ngā Taipitopito, we explore some of the things that most of us don’t delve into as part of our everyday mahi at Te Pūkenga.    

This week, we’ll learn about Te Pūkenga from a Māori worldview.

Mataia Keepa, Principal Advisor Te Reo me ngā Tikanga and Amomai Pihama, Co-manager Communications and Engagement, created a series of videos to help us learn more about Te Pūkenga from a Māori worldview.  

Te Pūkenga strives to be a Tiriti honouring organisation. This means we look at ourselves and what we do from both a Pākeha and Māori worldview perspective.  

These videos will help us deepen our understanding of how we got our name, Te Pūkenga, our whakapapa Te Ahokura, our vision and our values from a Te Ao Māori worldview, and a best practice example of how we seek to demonstrate tikanga here at Te Pūkenga.  

Visit Te Pūkenga mai i te tirohanga Māori | Te Pūkenga from a Māori worldview on Te Whare.

If you’d like to suggest a topic you’d like to know more about (or you’d like others to know more about), let us know by emailing communications@tepukenga.ac.nz.    

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 Peter Fletcher-Dobson who’s recently moved from Work Based Learning into a permanent role in Digital as our Digital Experience Director.

Read Peter’s profile on Te Whare 

Join the ultimate team challenge with Whānau Fortunes

Join the fun with Whānau Fortunes, a team challenge inspired by popular TV game shows Family Feud and Family Fortunes.  

To participate, organise a team of 2-6 and get ready to compete with others across Te Pūkenga from Monday 15 May for two weeks. Teams can be made up of kaimahi, whānau and friends. 

Your goal will be to choose the most popular response to a series of questions to earn points. The more popular the answer, the more points you’ll earn. It’ll also only take a couple of minutes each day to do! 

There are plenty of prizes up for grabs, so don't miss out. Head over to Taumauri and register your team today. 

Privacy Week 2023: Privacy rights in the digital age 

Next week, 8-14 May, is Privacy Week. This year, the theme is ‘Privacy rights in the digital age’.  

Privacy Week gives us an opportunity to revisit our privacy responsibilities and remind ourselves of the importance of protecting personal information.  

The Privacy Commission is running a series of free webinars covering topics related to digital privacy like online dating, biometrics, AI and more. Check out the topics on offer and register here. 

Here are some privacy tips: 

• All personal information, whether ‘sensitive’ or not, requires legal protection. Personal information must be treated with care and respect. 
• Access to personal information should be restricted to only those who need to see the information. This protects the individual who is the subject of the information, as well as kaimahi and Te Pūkenga. 
• Identifying, reporting and reviewing privacy breaches, and acting when individual or systemic issues are identified, are vital to ensuring a strong privacy culture.   
• Poor email hygiene is a common cause of privacy breaches. Always double-check the recipients of your emails, and use the BCC field when emailing groups of recipients. Privacy breaches could include ākonga records being sent to the wrong person, or an email message being sent to a group of personal email addresses with all the email addresses visible to all recipients.  

Please report all privacy breaches, big or small. It’s important that our privacy lead and privacy officer are aware of all breaches to determine their seriousness and provide advice on the next steps. Under the Privacy Act 2020, we’re required to report serious privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner and can be fined if we do not report accordingly. 

• If you work in a business division, please contact your business division privacy lead about any privacy breaches.  
• If you work at head office, please contact the privacy officer about any privacy breaches.  

Te Pūkenga National Privacy Policy and National Privacy Procedure are useful documents that list kaimahi requirements. Business divisions may also have additional requirements that apply to local kaimahi, for example, local data response plans.  

You may like to visit the Privacy Commission’s website  - it has some excellent resources. 

If you have any questions or concerns about privacy at Te Pūkenga, please email privacy@tepukenga.ac.nz. 

Celebrating Aotearoa New Zealand Language Weeks 

May is a special month in Aotearoa New Zealand, as it’s when we celebrate three important language weeks: New Zealand Sign Language Week, Rotuman Language Week and Samoa Language Week. These events aim to promote and honour the rich linguistic diversity of the communities in which we live, work and play. 

New Zealand Sign Language Week runs from 8-14 May this year. As an official language, New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is used by around 28,000 people. Learning NZSL not only enhances communication but also fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of the deaf community's unique culture and experiences. To learn more about NZSL and the events happening during NZSL week, visit their website.  

Rotuman Language Week is the first of many Pacific language weeks this year and runs from 7-13 May. Spoken by around 2,000 people, the Rotuman language is an important part of Fiji's cultural heritage. To help preserve and promote the language, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples has provided various resources and events. 

Samoa Language week runs from 28 May-3 June. Spoken by more than 85,000 people, Samoan is the third most spoken language in Aotearoa New Zealand. This years’ theme is ‘Mitamita i lau gagana, maua’a lou fa’asinomaga’ which means ‘Be proud of your language and grounded in your identity’. Find resources and event details on the Ministry for Pacific Peoples website. 

Language Weeks are recognised as one of the top ten enablers for language use in Aotearoa New Zealand. By celebrating and learning about different languages and cultures, we can create a more inclusive and understanding society. 

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