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Our Pathway » Learner Journey and Experience

Learner Journey
& Experience

Te Pūkenga is putting Learners and their Whānau at the Centre of Everything We Do

The ‘rito’ is the inner shoot of the flax. In the same way, our learners and their whānau must be at the centre of Te Pūkenga. Everyone has a role in ensuring the success of the rito – staff, learners, whānau and communities, our Treaty partner, leadership, and employers.

Our Commitments:

Prioritise putting learners at the centre of everything we do

Operate in a way that allows us to empower learners on academic, non-academic, and wellbeing matters and matters relating to our practices and services

Work towards equity for learners of different genders, ethnicities, cultures, and abilities

Respond to the needs of and improve outcomes for Māori learners

Meet the needs of all learners especially those we haven’t previously served well: Māori, Pacific and disabled learners

Not only are these things guiding what we’re doing, there is legislation to support this!

Learner Insights - Te Rito Reports

At the beginning of Te Pūkenga journey in 2020, we started the Ākonga at the Centre research project. This project involved a small research team that travelled across Aotearoa to gain insights directly from our learners, and those who support them. We asked “what were the enablers and barriers to learner success at all stages of the journey?” From there, we identified potential opportunities to enhance success for all learners, especially those who haven’t previously been served well: Māori, Pacific and disabled learners.

These learner insights at the centre of all our mahi at Te Pūkenga.

You can download this research and hear from our learners and the people who support them.

Te Rito Learner and Staff personas - imagined characters based on real-life learner research 

Download all Te Rito reports here:

Te Rito Insights from Māori learners and all learners, Part One

Te Rito Insights from Pacific learners, Part Two

Te Rito Insights from disabled learners, Part Three

Further accessible versions

We’ve heard from Learners

In 2020, we activated online and face to face engagements so that a deep understanding of the unique needs of learners, especially those we haven’t previously served well, are understood. The insights gained from what we heard have been shaped into reports that bring together the current state across the learner journey with future priorities for Te Pūkenga as we seek to bring together on-the-job, on campus, and online vocational learning as a unified network.

Case study
    • I want stigma free access and equity to succeed - instead of structures and practices holding me back
    • whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are essential - I need to feel connected, encouraged and believed in
    • Learning is life long and it should fit around me, my life and my goals
    • Success is more than a qualification, it's about gaining confidence and skills, meaningful relationships and contributing to my community, my whānau, hapū and iwi
    • My voice matters - I want a system that values and enables my input to be heard and acted upon

  • This report provides a summary of the insights from a stocktake conducted in 2021 to understand how learner voice is currently captured and used to improve learner outcomes and experience throughout the network.  The insights detailed in the report will be used to help inform recommendations and next steps to strengthen learner voice systems, in order to enable effective learner voice across the network.

    Read the report here: Learner Voice - Stocktake Summary Report 

Learners are shaping their future with Te Pūkenga

Having learners input to strategy, decision making and how we operate is a principal goal if learners are to have their voices heard and acted upon.

  • Te Pūkenga is setting up a national student committee.  Learners from throughout the network will be elected to the committee, which will enable real opportunities for active participation in Council’s decision making. We have been working with a team of learners to design the Learner Advisory Committee (LAC), it’s function and how learners will be elected, both for the interim and long-term.

  • Te Pūkenga is designing a future operating model that will describe what we will be, what we will do, and how we will be different. Building an operating model will help us work out what we want to achieve and how we will deliver it. Learners have been involved in the core co-design group and have been invited to provide feedback at each stage of its development.

  • We will reciprocate the tāonga gifted by those that shared their experiences, by reporting on what we have heard as a resource for our network and others. Their experience can inform us to take action. For example, the Learner Insights captured in our Te Rito report are utilised within our various portfolios and workstreams to ensure the learner voice is at the centre of Te Pūkenga’s strategies, decision making and development.

  • Learner voice means ideas, feedback and thoughts from anyone who is a learner, about anything that they care about. The learner voice framework will help strengthen learner voice systems, to enable effective learner voice across the network.

  • We have involved learners in a variety of working and reference groups already, such as the development of the Learner Advisory Committee and the Ākonga at the Centre project and more will follow (see ‘Have your Say’ section below)

Have your say

Opportunities for you to get involved with Te Pūkenga

  • Academic regulations set the rules and standards that ensure the integrity and quality of teaching, learning and assessment throughout Te Pūkenga. The first draft of Te Pūkenga Academic Regulations has been completed and is available for your feedback

  • Te Pūkenga is designing a future operating model that will describe what we will be, what we will do, and how we will be different. Building an operating model will help us work out what we want to achieve and how we will deliver it.

    You can have your say through our CitizenLab (Our Journey) platform.

Let's keep in touch

We can keep you updated about the Learner Journey and Experience Team mahi and how you can have your say in future Workshops or Reference Groups

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We will endeavour to give responses in our ‘hot topics’ section of our monthly newsletter

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