Ngā Taipitopito Issue 3 | February 2024

Tēnā koutou katoa

I have the privilege of writing the introduction to this fortnight’s edition of Ngā Taipitopito as Te Pūkenga Council has asked me to continue as Acting Chief Executive until next week.

I trust you all managed to take some time out on Rā o Waitangi (Waitangi Day) last week, amidst fitting your mahi into a shorter working week. I took some additional leave, so my two days at work felt especially busy. I hope you managed to acknowledge our national day, perhaps by watching or listening to the dawn service or some of the deliberations at the Treaty Grounds.

We held our first Te Pūkenga Council meeting of the new year last week, where much of our discussion naturally related to our disestablishment, including our strong engagement with Government officials. As previously mentioned, we’ve established a Disestablishment Working Group to oversee disestablishment matters, with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and the Working Group currently focused on ensuring our actions align with the Minister's Letter of Expectations.

Although today marks the start of consultation with kaimahi most affected by the September 2023 Tāraia te anamata | Creating our futures structure, I acknowledge that others among us, including those on fixed-term contracts or in seconded roles at national office, continue to wait for clarity about their longer-term employment status. Many kaimahi were appointed into roles of limited duration for specific reasons, and we will need to work with these colleagues to evaluate and understand how they may also be impacted by the change in direction.

I extend my sincere thanks for the unwavering support that you provide to our learners. It’s evident that they, too, value your efforts, as reflected in promising growth in our 2024 enrolments. Admittedly, it’s still early days, but we are making good progress towards achieving our targets. We’ll share details with you in early March. Our Council also acknowledged our recent outstanding midwifery and nursing results, which will no doubt contribute to strong enrolments in coming intakes.

On a different note, I highly recommend taking the time to listen to a compelling segment on Nine to Noon featuring a BCITO apprentice and mother of two. Her journey from addiction to vocational education is truly inspiring.

As we embark on the year ahead, let’s continue to uphold the best of what we’ve learned from being part of Te Pūkenga in all that we do. For me, this means prioritising connecting with and supporting my colleagues throughout the motu. Together, let’s continue to empower our learners to reach their full potential.

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment.

Ngā manaakitanga

Gus Gilmore

Tumuaki o-nāianei me te Pourangi Ako | Acting Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive Ako Delivery

Consultation: Tāraia te anamata - te ahunga ki mua | Creating our futures – next steps

Consultation starts today for kaimahi most affected by Tāraia te anamata | Creating our futures.

The consultation includes: 

1. Kaimahi in disestablished positions
2. Kaimahi who were offered new positions 
3. Kaimahi who were advised of a reporting line change (sometimes called ‘lift and shift’ or ‘mapped in’).

These kaimahi will receive a letter outlining the proposed options and inviting them to provide feedback.

Kaimahi being consulted can ask pātai (questions) and provide feedback by emailing PeopleAndCulture@TePukenga.ac.nz including their name, business division and current position.

The consultation closes at 5pm on Wednesday, 28 February. Decisions will be shared as soon as possible following the close of consultation.    

Ngā pātai auau | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

More FAQs can be found here on Te Whare.

I think I should receive a letter but haven’t what should I do?

If, as part of Tāraia te anamata | Creating our futures structure, you’ve received a notice of disestablishment, were offered a new position or were advised of a reporting line change, you should receive a letter by close of business on 15 February. If it’s after 15 February, please either speak with your local PCW team or email PeopleAndCulture@TePukenga.ac.nz.

I have questions and/or concerns; who should I direct them to?

Please seek support from your manager, your divisional PCW team, or email PeopleAndCulture@TePukenga.ac.nz. Please remember union representatives and your local employee assistance programme (EAP) can provide support, too. 

I’d like to discuss my options with someone; who should I meet with?

All kaimahi consulted with are welcome to meet with their manager or PCW during the consultation. Kaimahi will also have time to seek support from their union representatives or external advisors, or EAP Services/ Vitae.  

I’m not in the group being consulted (recent new starter, on a fixed-term contract, or started working for Te Pūkenga national office before Tāraia te anamata | Creating our futures); what’s happening with my employment?

You will continue in your position. It’s important to note if significant changes are proposed for your position, a consultation will occur. Work is underway to review our work plans to ensure that our mahi aligns with the new direction for Te Pūkenga. 

Rārangi wā | Timeline

Here’s what to expect, when, noting different business divisions may move through this timeline at a slightly different pace:

Ngā rauemi me ngā tautoko | Resources and support

There are several support services and resources available to help, outlined below. If you need further support, please speak with your manager or your local PCW team.

Free confidential counselling:

Taumauri

Our wellbeing platform, Taumauri, has information to support kaimahi with change:

• Navigating change: This three-part module will help you identify your values, provide insight into why they matter, and how they can help you navigate change.
• A choice of articles to help you navigate change, build resilience and manage stress.

Unions

Here’s a list of unions that can provide support to members:

• Tertiary Education Union (TEU)
• Ara Academic Staff of Canterbury (AASC)
• Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association (TIASA)
• Public Service Association (PSA)
• E tū
• New Zealand Educational Institute.

Te Whare

• Your career journey: This three-part video series encourages you to reflect on your personal values, your career, and next steps.
• Moving through change and common reactions: This document explains what people experience when going through change.

Fact sheets: Building resilience, Looking after yourself, Integrating body and mind in everyday life

Brand transition

We are making changes to our brand approach in response to the Minister’s Letter of Expectations to disestablish Te Pūkenga and establish regional-based individual institutions. The new approach reflects a visible shift away from centralisation to regional/divisional brand identities.

We will transition away from Te Pūkenga branding and return to our previous model of using individual business division brands. This transition includes not making any further investment into the Te Pūkenga brand.

We will use existing supplies of either co-branded or single Te Pūkenga branded items, such as promotional items, merchandise, uniforms and brochures, until they are depleted.

When existing stock has been depleted, any new items should only have individual business division branding. A point to keep in mind is Te Pūkenga remains a legal entity until there is legislative change. So when we revert to individual business division branding, we should make it clear where necessary that “XXX is a Business Division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.

No changes need to be made to expensive co-branded or single Te Pūkenga branded items, such as motor vehicles and campus signage. Changes should only be made on replacements and new or damaged supplies on an as-required basis and where financially prudent.

This brand approach is based on the information we currently have and may change as we receive further updates. While these changes are underway, our core mission to provide quality education to benefit learners, employers, and communities remains unchanged. 

For more detailed information and frequently asked questions regarding the brand approach, please visit Te Whare. Your local communications and marketing teams are also available to provide support and guidance on brand-related matters.

Accommodation community of practice wānanga

Kaimahi from nine business divisions gathered in Auckland from 17-18 January to participate in the first Accommodation Community of Practice Wānanga.

Facilitated by the Te Pūkenga Pastoral Care Code team, the wānanga provided a first-ever opportunity for accommodation service kaimahi from around the motu to meet kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face). Pastoral Care Code mahi has included establishing and convening online Accommodation Community of Practice since 2022, as a significant element of the Code requirements is ensuring ākonga are safe and cared for as residents in accommodation.

A priority for the wānanga was to ensure that kaimahi responsible for accommodation provision, resident support, or managing third-party accommodation links could interact with counterparts at other divisions, as accommodation services are usually a small part of ākonga service provision within each division.

In a series of workshops, kaimahi discussed the current practice in the sector, learned about the legal and contractual aspects of providing different modes of accommodation or support services to ākonga, and evaluated ways that student accommodation providers in other countries used online virtual tours to give prospective residents a preview of facilities offered by tertiary institutions.

A field trip to University of Auckland student accommodation sites gave kaimahi the opportunity to contrast and compare the university sector's provision of accommodation services with existing practice and provision by their business divisions.

An important part of the wānanga was an interactive capability development session facilitated by Like-Minded Education, who are developing digital capability development training modules for the Pastoral Care Code. The insights and feedback kaimahi provided at this session will inform the development of dedicated accommodation capability development content for business division kaimahi to use.

Although there’s change on the horizon for our network, the wānanga was an excellent opportunity for kaimahi to strengthen links amongst a community of fellow accommodation sector professionals, helping them inform practice and improvement within their respective business divisions into the future.

Te Pae Ora wellbeing hub competition for ākonga

We're excited to announce a competition for ākonga, running until 28 March, designed to inspire them to explore and use our Te Pae Ora wellbeing hub and to promote mental health and wellbeing practices.

How does it work?

Social media posts and on-campus posters will direct ākonga to our landing page at Te Pae Ora, where they can fill out a short form to enter.

The competition is taking place on social media and our website. We're asking ākonga a simple question: "What's one thing you do for your wellbeing?" We're seeking concise, meaningful answers that promote wellbeing among themselves and their peers.

We'll randomly select three winners, who'll each receive one of the following prizes:

$3,000 digital prize pack (two available)

This pack includes an HP 15" laptop, a STM MYTH 15" 28 litre backpack, a Logitech G703 Lightspeed Gaming Mouse, Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones and a $250 Harvey Norman voucher!

Luxury Mystery Break for two people

This high-end break will be a great way for ākonga to unwind. It includes luxury 5-star accommodation for two nights, return flights including checked luggage, daily breakfast and dinner, and AVIS rental car hire for the entire stay.

Playback – phase two

In the second phase of the competition, we'll showcase three of the top answers received (not necessarily from the winners) that best promote learner wellbeing. We'll attribute the answers to the individuals using their first name and course and respect their privacy by not displaying their photograph.

These answers will be shared with our ākonga through additional social media tiles, on-campus posters, and our website.

Get involved

The competition runs for 6 weeks until 28 March – please, spread the word with ākonga and encourage them to enter!

You can order posters to print here, on Brandkit.

Master your money – monthly financial wellbeing workshops

Over the next four months, external financial providers will share their knowledge at a series of four online financial wellbeing workshops:

1. 29 February - Budgeting and managing your cash-flow successfully: learn to manage cash flow effectively, discover key success traits, and implement proven systems to meet your spending goals.
2. 28 March - Mastering your mortgage: unlock mortgage basics, explore loan types, leverage compounding, and learn strategies to pay off your mortgage ahead of schedule.
3. 18 April - Optimising your KiwiSaver: maximise your KiwiSaver with fund selection tips, avoid common mistakes, and ensure a solid retirement balance.
4. 30 May - Being retirement ready: plan for retirement confidently, understand financial needs and explore non-monetary aspects to ensure you have a fulfilling retirement.

Spaces are limited and will fill up fast – to register or learn more, check out the Hotaka Hauora| wellbeing Programmes page on Te Whare