Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou
As I write this, I am aware that some of us have already left for the summer break, and many are about to head off. It has been a big year on so many levels and we achieved a lot. But we also go into the holidays, knowing that we will be returning to a very different direction from the path we have been on.
On that note, it was good to meet with senior leaders from across the organisation for a two-day hui this week to discuss the Minister’s Letter of Expectations and what we need to do to give effect to the new direction. As you can imagine there were a lot of diverse emotions acknowledged in the room.
As a Crown entity, it is our responsibility to implement Government policy and we now have a clear imperative to change direction. As we change direction, we need to work through competing priorities, including our current Charter and Statement of Performance Expectations, and our financial and employment obligations, while also working collaboratively with TEC, MoE and others on the future state. To that end, our Council is engaging with the Minister on how best to deliver to her expectations and timeframes for this work.
I acknowledge this is a further period of uncertainty and change, and you have been through a few years of that already. And while many at the leadership hui expressed disappointment about not being able to progress some innovative initiatives further, there are many lessons from the past few years that can inform the new structure(s).
Above all else, what continues is our commitment to deliver the best vocational education and training for ākonga, employers and our communities across the country.
One of the joys of my role has been the constant stream of good news stories about our kaimahi and ākonga every day. There have been many highlights this past year, from the completion of the trades training building in Otago and new building at Unitec to the course redevelopment work from ACLS – moving from 351 programs into 51 unified programs. Then there was the incredible resilience shown following Cyclone Gabrielle and the EIT rebuild in Taradale. We have also built some incredible new partnerships this year with the Air Force, Fonterra, Amazon and MSD to name a few.
Another highlight was the inaugural and hugely successful Te Pūkenga Pacific Research Symposium held at MIT on Monday. What came through clearly on the day was the key role that research played in highlighting Pacific excellence, Pacific people’s unique perspectives and experiences, and the need to share strategies to support greater Pacific ākonga success. We need to ensure that this good work continues regardless of what future structures our organisation takes.
You have all put in a lot of hard work and made many personal sacrifices to meet our obligations. I want to acknowledge the manaakitanga and thoughtfulness of colleagues throughout the year. And I especially want to acknowledge how you have cared for each other and for our learners and employers.
There is still a lot to work to do in relation to the recruitment process which was underway following Tāraia te anamata | Creating our futures, and which we have halted since receiving the Minister's direction. As Keri-Anne shared in her last update, our priority is to work with kaimahi who have agreements ending in December or January. In the new year we will continue to work with affected kaimahi and confirm next steps.
As you reflect on what a huge year we have all had, I hope you find time over the summer break to switch off and relax. Focus on your whanau and friends and return next year refreshed and committed to improving outcomes for all ākonga and helping to meet New Zealand’s vocational education and training needs. At the end of the day that is why we are all here.
My very best wishes to you and your whānau.
Season’s Greetings!
Peter Winder
Tumuaki | Chief Executive
Importance of vocational pathways to building Pacific success
We need to focus on breaking down the barriers to success for Pacific, said Dr Megan Gibbons, Pourangi Mātauranga me ngā Pūnaha Ako | DCE Academic Centre and Learning Systems, who gave the keynote address to Te Pūkenga inaugural Pacific Research Symposium on Monday.
Megan noted that Auckland is the largest Pacific city in the world, that its Pacific population is notably young (median age is 24 compared to Auckland’s 34.7 years median age), and that there are 25,000 Pacific ākonga studying at Te Pūkenga.
“The key thing for me is the importance of breaking down barriers to Pacific success and what we can offer that others can’t.
“The work needs to happen to ensure greater support for our Pacific community through career planning, financial support and that the guidance we provide is culturally affirming. Research tells us that this is critically important.”
She said the vocational education system offered pathways that worked well for Pacific.
“Pacific learners can start at diploma or certificate level and then see that degree level study is possible by the way we build the qualification structure. Success creates success and it grows from there.”
She noted that this pathway structure is unique to vocational education, covering Foundation-level study up to Master’s degrees and professional doctorates.
Megan said it was great to see so many Pacific kaimahi assembled and to hear what’s possible. She particularly noted the cross-section of people there, including from work-based learning, government agencies, and people from all over New Zealand.
“I really got the sense that everyone had been waiting for this – that there is a collective voice emerging. The Moana Pacific Kaimahi group came together after Covid and they’ve just grown and become more confident and they’ve spoken about the things that are important to them.
“They’re seeing that they can work collectively with learners and get better outcomes, and I said to them that while we may not be Te Pūkenga for much longer, we can still work together and be a community, and I could see people nodding and agreeing, and seeing that what was possible was limitless.”
Co-convenors Aiono Manu Fa’aea, Senior Pasifika Manager at Te Pūkenga MIT and Daisy Bentley-Gray, Interim Manager, Pacific Centre at Te Pūkenga Unitec were delighted with the day.
“The symposium provided a platform to hear from the amazing speakers, and to highlight Pacific excellence and opportunities for Pacific peoples in the vocational education sector,” said Daisy.
“The future for Pacific and research in vocational education is exciting!”
Building the next generation of tradies starts at school
Trades Academy ākonga (learners) have been celebrating their successes with teachers and whānau at prize givings across Aotearoa New Zealand.
The academies allow ākonga opportunities to access a wide range of trades and technology-related learning, while completing NCEA to support positive post-study transitions.
Ninety-three percent of ākonga overall move into employment or further study after participating in an academy (this figure is 91.5% for ākonga Māori and 89% Pacific).
More than half of the 11,186 academy places offered throughout the motu are delivered either on campus or in the workplace by business divisions of Te Pūkenga.
“Not only do Trades Academies provide an opportunity to learn technical and industry-specific skills, but they also develop employability and soft-skills of ākonga,” says Pounuku Ako ā-Motu: Tūāpapa me ngā Huarahi Ako | National Ako Director - Foundation and Pathways, Koren Hopoi.
Porohu Hagai Noa who is in Year 13 at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate was valedictorian at MIT | Te Pūkenga Trades Academy Prize Giving.
As the top student at MIT’s academy in Building Construction and Allied Trades Skills, Ms Hagai Noa is excited about recently landing a five-year apprenticeship with Taylor’s Construction.
“As Sir Ed once said, ‘it is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.’ So go out and conquer the world,” she told those graduating from the academy.
Fourteen Prime Minister’s Awards for Vocational Excellence were given to ākonga in MIT Trades Academy joining the more than 300 Te Pūkenga learners who received such recognition this year.
“(When I received the PM’s Award), I was speechless and proud of myself,” says Christina Tuinauvai-Fuatogi of Mt Roskill Grammar, who plans to continue studying Carpentry next year at Unitec | Te Pūkenga.
“As a Year 12 student, I was clueless of what I wanted to do when I leave school and this opportunity was a great shift in my life, knowing there’s so many things I could study and do in the future.”
Destination Colombia for Te Pūkenga Prime Minister Scholarship winners
Te Pūkenga has awarded five Prime Minister Scholarships for Latin America (PMSLA) to ākonga from across our national institute. Our proud awardees are Jayden Houghton (NMIT); Justina King and Jess Nicholson (Otago Polytechnic); Olivia Robinson and Georgia Willoughby (Wintec).
The Prime Minister's Scholarships are funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ). These scholarships aim to enable Kiwis to broaden their horizons through life-changing learning experiences. The scholarships are fully funded, covering programme fees, travel and medical insurance, and contribution towards flights, visa and living costs.
Our PMSLA awardees will be participating in a six-week internship in Medellin, Colombia. Internship placements have been organised via The Intern Group (TIG) who provide a thorough process to ensure our ākonga are matched with a well-suited host organisation and to a role that suits their career and study aspirations. TIG not only facilitate ākonga in obtaining their internships but will also be available in Medellin to offer ongoing support throughout their internship programme.
We caught up with the PMSLA awardees to find out what they hope to learn from this life-changing experience in Colombia.
Read more about our scholarship winners.
National Procurement Policy for 2024
A new national Procurement Policy will come into effect on 1 January 2024. The updated Procurement Policy reflects our commitment to fostering responsible, inclusive and effective procurement practices. This policy aligns with the Government Procurement Rules, best practices outlined in the Procurement guidance for public entities and incorporates recommendations for improvements from Audit NZ.
You can read the new national Procurement policy here
Key points of the new Procurement Policy include:
- The policy introduces updated processes and procedures for procurement, ensuring efficiency and adherence to public entities’ best practices.
- The importance of ethical business practices – the policy outlines measures to ensure that our contracted businesses operate with integrity, transparency and accountability.
- A commitment to actively engaging with Māori, Pasifika and regional businesses, as well as social enterprises. This initiative aims to increase supplier diversity for Te Pūkenga.
- The new policy will streamline existing procurement processes to maximise overall benefits.
By implementing these changes, we aim to enhance the value we deliver, support sustainability initiatives and actively contribute to the growth of our local economy.
The Procurement Policy is applicable to all kaimahi, including Council members and advisory committee members.
You can find the new Policy on the Procurement Page on Te Whare.
Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the details of the new Procurement Policy. If you have any questions or need further clarification, do not hesitate to reach out to the Procurement team on procurement@tepukenga.ac.nz.
Te Pūkenga produces first greenhouse gas emissions report and reduction plan
Te Pūkenga has produced its first Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory, along with a plan to reduce emissions from next year.
The document allows Te Pūkenga to understand what our emissions currently are, and where these emissions occur across the network. As this was the first emissions inventory produced at the network level for Te Pūkenga, an extensive emissions screening process was undertaken to identify the material emissions sources.
It found that Te Pūkenga GHG emissions (also known as a ‘carbon footprint’) for 2022 were 23,697 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e).
The largest emissions source was electricity, followed by stationary fuels (coal, diesel, gas), then transport fuels (petrol, diesel) and travel (flights, mileage claims, taxis).
BCITO’s vehicle fleet was the largest single contributor to the overall emissions total.
The inventory and reduction plan were produced as part of our commitment to New Zealand’s Carbon Neutral Government Programme (CNGP) which requires public sector agencies to measure and publicly report on their carbon emissions.
The emissions reduction plan proposes that Te Pūkenga takes a pathway to a 35% emissions reduction by 2030. This surpasses the minimum globally accepted reduction targets aimed at limiting warming to a minimum of 2°C.
The reductions would be achieved through a range of actions, including improvements in energy efficiency, switching from fossil fuel boilers to lower emissions alternatives, gradually replacing fossil-fuel vehicles with lower emissions vehicles, and choosing the lowest available emissions flight options when travelling.
These would be carried out as cost-effectively as possible.
Te Pūkenga Sustainability Lead Ehsan Jacobi says the emissions inventory provides an opportunity for each business division to enhance their understanding of emission sources and take proactive measures to address them.
“Thanks to all the business divisions for their contribution to this mahi.” You can read the reports here.
Networks wins
Kiwi technicians triumph at the I-1 Grand Prix in Japan
Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pūkenga celebrate 127 Māori and Pasifika trades training scholarship graduates entering the workforce
Cementing her place: apprentice Jess Nielsen crafts her own success
Q&A With Shelly Ann Dale, 2023 Beauty Therapy Apprentice Of The Year
Table of contents
Importance of vocational pathways to building Pacific success
Building the next generation of tradies starts at school
Destination Colombia for Te Pūkenga Prime Minister Scholarship winners
National Procurement Policy for 2024
Te Pūkenga produces first greenhouse gas emissions report and reduction plan