Ōritetanga - Tertiary Success for Everyone Conference 2019: Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuHnIAnKWi8

Man speaking: The more we can come together collectively sharing our ideas and sharing our approach - it's going to benefit the project overall.

Tim Fowler, Chief Executive of TEC: We know that many Māori and Pasifika learners from challenging socio-economic backgrounds and learners with disabilities face barriers that effect their participation and the successful completion rates in tertiary education. We need to - and can do better. It sounds like a big task - and it is - but it is an achievable one. To create a tertiary education system that works for all, we must work together. The TEC is committed to a goal of achieving participation and completion patterns for Māori and Pasifika learners that are the same as for other New Zealanders within the tertiary education system within five years.

Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister of Education: Our Government's vision is for a high quality, collaborative public education system that provides all New Zealanders with lifelong learning opportunities so that they can live fulfilling and rewarding lives.

Helena Garisau, student story - NorthTec: So here we are in this moment - this moment right here! - and it feels like I've got this humming feeling in my body because it feels like an age of shifting - of change - of real change. Not tokenistic change.

Professor Tim Renick, Vice Provost and Vice President for Enrolment, Management, and Student Success - Georgia State University: The story of Georgia State is one of possibility. Of what can be done that may surprise you. We focused the data on our own processes, our own bureaucracy, our own practices, our own teaching, and asked the question!

Conference attendee: I think in our sector for a long time we sort of always considered the issue to be with the students rather than what we actually do and how we contribute it.

Professor Tim Renick: Without a lot of resources and without any kind of magical formula then there's no excuse for any of us to be complacent about the equity gaps any longer.

Man speaking: If one person described the phenomenal work that they were doing at Georgia State, I think there's a lot of things we can take away from it, but I guess it's applying a New Zealand context to it as well.

Jamie-Lee Bracken, student story - Massey University: For me, it made me want to study medicine. And my family, especially my parents, were overjoyed because I would be a doctor. I'm halfway through my postgraduate diploma in journalism now so my story.

Dr Tristan Denley, Chief Academic Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, University System of Georgia: So my ideas then are to recognise what does data have to say? What does data and research and evidence have to say about what the large-scale systematic barriers to student success are? What are the root causes for the kinds of disparity and outcomes that we sure enough have had in the United States and which you have here also in New Zealand?

Hon Kelvin Davis, Associate Minister of Education: So this week's meeting is about Ōritetanga for all New Zealanders - not just some New Zealanders, not just the same New Zealanders, but Ōritetanga for all New Zealanders.

Warwick Pitts, Executive Director, Products and Planning - Weltec: We all know that parity gaps and issues around participation, retention, and completion are systemic, complex, and multi-dimensional. There is no silver bullet for this. And that there are pockets of good things happening in the sector to address parity, but patterns - as we've seen before - are largely staying the same.

Nikki Makabama, student story - Unitec: As tertiary educators this is our job, this is why we come here, this is why we're here - not just to be under professional development - so we can reflect and learn from other people.

Dr Mereana Selby, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Porou, Tumuaki (Chief Executive) - Te Wānanga o Raukawa: We now can track a student's journey every step of the way. We know where the pressure points or pain points are and we're now developing ways of intervening because we can see it - and so can the students. So the student portals as well and they can see exactly where they are at.

Man speaking: I'm proud to be disabled. I'm proud to be Samoan. And I'm proud to be an academic.

Woman speaking: It's a good time to bring us together - to just refocus us on what's really important.

Woman speaking: The promise of the transformational change is great and we're here for the long haul to see that the promises actually turn into tangible and positive outcomes.

Paora Ammunson, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Te Arawa, Deputy Chief Executive, Learner Success - Ōritetanga Directorate, TEC: Tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tina! Tina! Haumi e! Hui e! Taiki e! Kia ora koutou katoa.

Ōritetanga - Tertiary Success for Everyone Conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xtZlEoyH1A

TEC chief executive: Tim Fowler: Kia ora koutou katoa, ko Tim Fowler tōku ingoa, ko au te Pouwhaka haere ō Te Amorangi Mātauranga Matua. We need a tertiary education system that works for everyone. New Zealanders need a system where learners have the support to make good educational choices, where communities have a voice in how and when they learn and we need tertiary education organisations that are focused on and successful in improving learner outcomes.

Deputy chief executive Ōritetanga: Paora Ammunson: Every New Zealander should be able to achieve and gain skills which lead to sustainable and fulfilling careers. However, we know that many learners particularly some Māori and Pacific people's, learners from the most challenging and hardest socioeconomic backgrounds and disabled learners face barriers that affect their participation and their successful completion rates in tertiary study. We need new approaches to ensure that all learners can succeed.

It sounds like a big task, and it is, but we believe it's an achievable one. To create a tertiary system that works for everyone we need to work together. The Tertiary Education Commission has partnered with Te Wānanga of Raukawa, Waikato University, Wintec and others to improve learner success outcomes for their students. But this is just the beginning - we need to work with all of you as leaders and influencers to successfully implement change that will benefit not only your students and their families and communities, but also help improve your organisation. We need a new system, a system change and we need all of the organisations to work with us, with communities, with learners and their families and whānau to drive towards that goal.

Tim: The Ōritetanga conference is an important opportunity to learn, discuss and be motivated by international and New Zealand approaches that put learners at the centre of tertiary education design and delivery. A range of speakers will discuss and variety of approaches they have used to improve their learner success outcomes, such as the use of data and information, leadership, funding and changes to the secondary and tertiary transitions. The conference will demonstrate the positive change that Georgia State University and the University System of Georgia have made, as well as highlighting learner success approaches currently underway in Aotearoa New Zealand. So, we're going to be bringing education ministers and leaders in tertiary education from the sector together to kick start this conversation about how it collectively can make change happen.

Tim: Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation. I look forward to seeing you all at the conference. Kia ora koutou.