Category: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

International student numbers at Toi Ohomai i Te Pūkenga in Rotorua is expected to increase by 30 per cent on last year. 

Students were officially welcomed to Rotorua by Mayor Tania Tapsell at the Council Chambers today. The council has welcomed international students to Rotorua as part of their induction week since at least 2009.
More than 100 Toi Ohomai i Te Pūkenga students, up from around 70 students in 2023, attended the ceremony today.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome international students to our city and its exciting to see an increasing number of students choose Rotorua as their destination to study,” says Mayor Tapsell.

“Students have often come from countries that are not as safe or secure as ours and they appreciate the opportunities here.

“It’s wonderful to be involved in welcoming students to Rotorua and showcasing the manaakitanga (hospitality) our city is so well known for.

 “We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming community.”

Toi Ohomai i Te Pūkenga International Services Manager, Ada Chen, says more than 200 international students are starting their tertiary education journey in Rotorua and Tauranga as part of the February 2024 intake.

“It is great to be able to return to Rotorua Lakes Council for this year’s Mayoral welcome. This ceremony makes our new ākonga feel very special during their orientation week.

“They add value to the learning environment and the community, enabling cultural diversity and competency as well as bringing much needed skills and ideas.”

This intake is made up of students from 32 different countries including China, France, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. 

“Rotorua has always been a popular place for international students to come and study. We are seeing increasing numbers of international applications, which is growing post Covid. 

“We expect a 30 per cent growth of international student enrolments in 2024 compared with 2023 numbers,” Ms Chen says. 

At the Toi Ohomai Mokoia Campus in Rotorua most have chosen to study accounting, applied professional studies, agriculture, business, culinary art, English, early childhood education, health, hospitality, management, nursing, tourism and Masters qualifications.
 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

A Ministerial delegation from Fiji was hosted at Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga to discuss indigenous education opportunities as well as potential educational partnerships. 
 
The Minister for iTaukei Affairs, Culture, Heritage and Arts, Hon. Ifereimi Vasu, is currently in New Zealand with a delegation from iTaukei Institutions. The purpose of the trip was around strengthening economic opportunities through better utilisation of resources and building local capability, with the delegation visiting various cities throughout the country.

As part of this, the delegation visited the Toi Ohomai Rotorua campus to discuss our approach to placing ākonga are at the centre of vocational education and training and what learnings can be shared from the success of ākonga Māori and Pacific.

Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga Regional Director Huia Haeata hosted the delegation and said it was great to be able to welcome them on campus with a pōhiri followed by a hui about different strategies and practices that support equitable outcomes.

“Aotearoa is often seen as world leaders in indigenous education models and approaches. It was great to be able to discuss the journey we have been on with Minister Vasu and his delegation. We also valued the opportunity to hear about their context and the kaupapa of importance to them with respect to the growth and prosperity of their communities.

“We know that in terms of strengthening the pathway from education to employment, we need to ensure that the vocation education system is responsive to the needs and aspirations of Tiriti partners, industry and communities alike. Our commitment to supporting ākonga Māori success is a key part of this and while we have some way to go, we are happy to share our learnings with other indigenous peoples,” Huia said. 

“Relationships like this are important from the perspective of understanding how we may be able to work collaboratively on achieving our respective educational aspirations.”   

Ministry of iTaukei Affairs Permanent Secretary Pita Tagicakirewa said it was his second time visiting the Mokoia campus, after a previous visit to Waiariki Institute of Technology in 2006. 

He said it was humbling to be welcomed with a pōhiri and that the delegation was focused on what learnings they could take back to Fiji, especially around educational pathways. 

“We want to look at how we can also upskill our people and how we can build an indigenous economy.”

He said it was important for them to look at ways they can not only provide educational pathways for high school leavers, but also how they can upskill and retain their workforce rather than losing employees to New Zealand or Australia. 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Hundreds of Bay of Plenty and South Waikato high school students have been formally welcomed to Toi Ohomai as participants in the institute’s Secondary Tertiary Programme. 

Record numbers of high school students have joined the initiative which is supported by Toi Ohomai and the Trades Academy. 

The partnership sees students take their first steps into vocational career pathways. 

Pōhiri were held at various Toi Ohomai campuses to welcome the ākonga as they embarked on their learning journey.

Toi Ohomai STP courses are designed to align with industry requirements in the best possible way by modelling an approach within authentic learning environments for the students. 

Classes as delivered by industry professionals while in realistic settings for the subjects. 

The STP was established at Toi Ohomai in 2017 and has continued to grow. In 2023, the institute had 877 students from 35 high schools enrolled in STP courses, of those, 36 per cent enrolled into full time study in 2024. 

Toi Ohomai Associate Dean Dan Taylor oversees the STP partnerships and says it was exciting to be able to officially welcome these students to Toi Ohomai. 

“This programme gives ākonga an introduction into their chosen career path. They learn here at Toi Ohomai as well as continuing their studies at their high school. 

“We have seen great successes with this programme and many of the ākonga have gone on to employment in their chosen industry. 

“One of the benefits of STP is the exposure they get to career opportunities in the vocational space outside their secondary school setting.”

Check out our website for more information about STP or email [email protected]

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga has been recognised for its commitment to kaimahi at the annual Minister of Defence Force’s 2023 Tohu Awards.

Run by the Defence Employer Support Council (DESC), the annual awards officially acknowledge how employers of Reserve Force and Cadet Force Officers are vital to Defence Force effectiveness, enabling attendance of training, fulfilment of deployment opportunities and supplementation to Regular Force members.  

The awards recognise that employers also benefit in employing and supporting members of the Reserve and Cadet Force Officers, as well as Limited Service Volunteer Graduates, as the training they received through the NZDF helps develop and sharpen their skills in leadership, teamwork, communication, discipline, planning and management.

Toi Ohomai |Te Pūkenga, was named the Employer of the Year, and was nominated by Major Eli Crawshaw, an automotive tutor and a Cadet Force Officer. In the nomination, it stated that Eli’s commendable service was made possible through the institute’s commitment to the New Zealand Cadet Forces (NZCF). The judges said the institution had consistently provided support to Eli and the Cadet Units in the Western Bay of Plenty.

The recognition extends beyond a mere acknowledgment of employer support. 

“Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga has human resources policies that prioritise service in the organisation and recognise the value of skills obtained through the NZCF training program, regularly utilising skills gained from NZCF in the workplace,” judges said.

“Leadership and guidance provided by line managers at Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga have been instrumental in helping MAJ Crawshaw achieve success in his role as a senior Cadet Force Officer.” 

Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga Associate Dean Dan Taylor says the institute values its kaimahi (staff), and says it was humbling to accept the award on behalf of the organisation.

“As Eli’s line manager, I was able to accept this award. I’ve seen first-hand Eli’s dedication and commitment, not only to Toi Ohomai but also in his role as a Cadet Force Officer. It’s great that we have been acknowledged for our attentive and responsive approach to the needs of our kaimahi.” 

Dan says all employers who were nominated spoke about people who have volunteer roles outside of their main employment and the exceptional value they bring to their respective organisations.

Encouraging volunteer work and social contributions, Dan says, leads to diligent, high-performing employees in the workplace. 

“They bring these skills and their values into our organisation, which is hugely valuable.” 

Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga’s recognition as the New Zealand Cadet Force Officer Employer of the Year highlights the institution’s commitment to fostering positive relationships between employers and members of the Reserve and Cadet Force Officers, contributing significantly to the overall effectiveness of the Defence Force.
 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Providing both ākonga and members of the community with education, training and employment pathways was the catalyst for collaboration between Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and Connected. 

The Toi Ohomai Careers and Employability team hosted a Summer Jobs event in 2021, and team leader Susie Borell says that the event coincided with a parallel initiative by MSD. The team recognised an opportunity and approached MSD and Connected. This opportunity swiftly transitioned into a strategic collaboration. 

“We recognised the synergy between our events, it made sense to collaborate, creating opportunities and bringing together employers, community members, their whānau and ākonga.” 

Susie says Toi Ohomai and MSD share a kaupapa of education, training and employment pathways, which made the collaboration a perfect alignment. 

The following year, Toi Ohomai and MSD joined forces to host the Spring into Work event at the Windermere Campus. This collaboration was a resounding success, attracting more than 200 individuals eager to explore study and work options. The event, co-hosted by Toi Ohomai, MSD and Connected, served as a platform for Toi Ohomai ākonga to discover employment opportunities while also allowing members of the community to explore potential study paths.

Building on this success, 2023 saw the continuation of the collaboration between Toi Ohomai, MSD and Connected. The three entities offered a series of four co-branded events, providing more opportunities for ākonga, employers, and the local community to connect. MSD and Connected continued their expos in Rotorua and Tauranga, while Toi Ohomai integrated this partnership into the existing Huihuinga Hapori Community Connect events, which were held at both Mokoia and Windermere campuses. 

“We had a range of employers at each event, Toi Ohomai had a presence at the events hosted by MSD, and MSD had a presence at our events offering ākonga the opportunity to explore Industries through the Virtual Reality headsets,” Susie says. 

The collaborative effort was well-received by the community, with feedback overwhelmingly positive. The events not only showcased employment opportunities but also demonstrated the commitment of Toi Ohomai and MSD to fostering education and employment pathways.

The Careers and Employability team has a focus on supporting ākonga who are transitioning into employment, making these collaborations instrumental in creating connections and enabling pathways for ākonga. 

“It’s great that we were able to provide four opportunities in semester two, working with local employers, the community and government agencies. We hope that these events will help bridge the gap between student job seekers and employers fostering local talent retention’’ 

With a keen eye on the future, Susie says there is potential for further growth.

“It is also something that we can continue to build on. We don’t know what next year will look like, but we have developed great working relationships with other agencies and teams that are actively engaged with the community and enabling people to get into education and employment.”

The collaboration has not only benefited the students but has also opened doors for the local community. 

“Working together at this scale is significant for our ākonga and communities.” 

The series of events provided a platform for face-to-face interactions with local employers, opportunities for virtual job experiences through VR Skills, and a chance to lay the groundwork for future enrolments in 2024.

This collaboration demonstrates the importance of partnerships, connecting pathways for education, training, and employment, and creating a positive impact on both students and the broader community.
 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

For the past three years, Toi Ohomai ākonga have teamed up not only with each other but with the Cambodia Charitable Trust to raise vital funds for educational programmes. 

This year’s fundraising initiative unfolded as an engaging event that granted ticket holders the unique experience of a captivating fashion show. Executed by the adept Culinary Arts ākonga and overseen by their counterparts in Tourism and Hospitality, the evening showcased the multifaceted talents of both teams.

The proceeds derived from this initiative play a pivotal role in supporting education programs in Cambodia, with a specific focus on vulnerable children.

The fashion show featured the latest designs from Magazine Designer Clothing and Shoo-Bethlehem stores. The 45-minute showcase, witnessed by an audience of 80 guests, provided a platform for the students to exhibit their culinary prowess and hospitality skills.

The delectable selection of canapés served before the show was meticulously designed and produced by the culinary students as part of their final capstone project, according to class tutor Marco Fuchser.

Marco says he was impressed with the menu his ākonga put together. 

“The event was totally led by my ākonga. This put their newly acquired kitchen management skills to the test.”

In addition to the culinary showcase, Kylee New’s tourism class seized the opportunity to display regional food trails as part of a showcasing assessment. Guests were invited to peruse and engage in discussions with the participating students.

The preparation leading up to the event involved students actively participating in two meetings to iron out details such as the preferred style of food and beverage, venue layout, and suitable timing. 

Kylee says the feedback received from the guests on the night was overwhelmingly positive.

“Ākonga designed, distributed and collected feedback forms to evaluate the success of the event. This data will be utilised for a comprehensive assessment.”

Committee members from the Cambodia Charitable Trust said it was a great night.

“We arrived to find the venue set up beautifully, students ready and offering to help where needed. We have had lots of really positive feedback on how much people enjoyed the show, the venue and hospitality of the students,” they said.

Kylee says it is evident that these collaborative efforts provide invaluable opportunities for tertiary students on their personal journey of growth and development.

“This is a great collaboration and one where the results are far more wide-reaching than the classroom. Our students really enjoy being part of this kaupapa and take pride in the knowledge they are contributing to a worthy cause.”

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Getting to and from campus is now more accessible for nine Toi Ohomai ākonga, thanks to Good Neighbour and the Netherlands’ women’s football team. 

The Netherlands team, known as the OranjeLeeuwinnen or Orange Lionesses, was based in Tauranga during the FIFA Women’s World Cup. During this time, they had 30 bright orange bikes which they used regularly to get around the city and for training.

When their World Cup journey ended and the team left Tauranga, they chose to gift their bikes to several Tauranga charities, including Good Neighbour. 

Good Neighbour reached out to Toi Ohomai and Level 5 Business Diploma ākonga Daniel Mulholland, Tayla Jolley, and Te Mana Smith took up the role of organising a giveaway for Tauranga-based students. 

The team had requested that the bikes be given to women in the community, so entries were only open to Tauranga-based female ākonga. 

Daniel said the team facilitating the giveaway was incredibly pleased to see a lot of interest around the competition. 

“We received about 200 entries in total, which was fantastic.

“Seeing the winners claim their prizes was a truly rewarding process. Thank you to everyone for their enthusiastic participation and happy cycling to all the winners.”

He said it was great to work in partnership with Simone Gibson from Good Neighbour. 

“We were overjoyed to help facilitate their idea for the bike giveaway and look forward to working with them again in the future.”

When the giveaway was announced, Simone said Good Neighbour’s kaupapa had always been about providing practical ways to help the community. 

“Receiving these bikes is that kaupapa in action – sustainability and help with an extra special Netherlands connection.”

Pictured: Bike winners Jade Lurman, Jeneva Krebs, Layla Barnes, Talia Mackay, Becky Kingi, Janine Pharo, with Tayla Jolley and Daniel Mulholland and Good Neighbour General Manager Simone Gibson. 

 
Bike winners:
Jade Lurman 
Megan Kemp
Jeneva Krebs 
Adi-Grace Mooar
Layla Barnes 
Talia Mackay 
Becky Kingi
Janine Pharo
Ella Cooper

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

The Bay of Plenty is embarking on a culinary revolution by introducing a one-of-a-kind culinary arts degree to invigorate and fortify the region’s thriving food industry.

Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga is launching the Bay of Plenty delivery of the Bachelor of Culinary Arts, with the aim that this course helps to reinvigorate and bolster the booming food industry in the rohe.  

The degree course is already offered at Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, and Dunedin was the only location in Aotearoa to offer the qualification previously. Under Te Pūkenga, Toi Ohomai is now able to offer the course to ākonga in the Bay of Plenty and the wider North Island.  

Toi Ohomai culinary arts tutor and industry stalwart Peter Blakeway is excited to be able to offer the course in the Bay of Plenty and says demand is high for a degree-level culinary course. 

He says this modern course will be the future of culinary arts as it is not just about becoming a chef. 

“The outcomes are going to be different to a trade qualification, it’s about the wider food industry. This programme is designed to help people become an industry leader in the food world by empowering them to follow their passions.”

Ākonga will cultivate applied technical and creative thinking skills, including specialised culinary techniques within their area of interest, and ways to develop new and innovative offerings to give themself a competitive edge. 

Through hands-on projects with local employers and businesses, ākonga will develop real-world skills and apply both creative and technical knowledge in everyday situations. 

Career pathways upon completing the degree include food producer, chef, recipe developer, food stylist, writer or product entrepreneur.

Peter says the food industry in the Bay of Plenty is in full support of the degree course being offered at Toi Ohomai. 

Tauranga Business Chamber Chief Executive Matt Cowley says the Western Bay of Plenty subregion was facing dramatic changes over the next few decades and that there was an immediate priority to support and enhance the region’s changing hospitality sector to complement New Zealand’s tourism reset and reconnection with the global economy following the pandemic. 

“It is a priority to upskill our hospitality and food industries to forge lifelong learning and career pathways to ensure the sector maintains its knowledge and skill bases.

“The Tauranga Business Chamber supports this initiative as it’s aligned with the region’s natural assets, regional strengths, economic strategies, and private sector industry investment.”

Solera Wine Bar Director Nick Potts says he was excited to hear about this initiative. 

“I agree our industry is hurting and we as professionals in the industry need to lead the way in this change.”

Peter says there is already considerable interest from ākonga, with many looking at it as a pathway to open their own business. 

“We’re also seeing a lot of interest from women, which is great as historically culinary arts has been somewhat male dominated.” 

The Bachelor of Culinary Arts kicks off in February 2024 at both the Toi Ohomai Rotorua and Tauranga campuses.
 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Rotorua teacher Rebekah Wilson is on the nautical adventure of a lifetime, and credits Toi Ohomai for enabling her to upskill before she embarked on this journey.

Along with 640 other volunteer crew members, Rebekah joined the inaugural field service in Africa on the hospital ship Global Mercy®; the newest vessel operated by international, faith-based charity Mercy Ships.

As Technology and Library teacher in the hospital ship’s on-board school, Rebekah’s days are never the same. Her students are the international crew’s children, including two New Zealand families. She teaches classes from preschool to high school graduation, with 48 students in the school.

Before volunteering for a role on Global Mercy, Rebekah was working as a teacher but was also looking for a way to serve a larger purpose with her skills. 

“I also wanted a new challenge and to live in a Christian community.”

Specifically for her role on Global Mercy, Rebekah undertook additional IT studies at Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga, adding a Certificate in Information Technology to her teaching credentials. 

“My role on board is running the library and teaching technology and computer skill from primary all the way through to secondary students and I wanted to upskill for those older students. I think the course was very appropriate and useful for that and gave me a wide understanding of the basics of the IT world.”

After joining the teaching staff on the 36,000 gross-tonne ship in the Canary Islands, Rebekah spent the first five months of the year in Senegal, West Africa. The Global Mercy was put through its paces providing free essential surgeries that are normally inaccessible in sub-Saharan Africa. These specialties include paediatric orthopaedics, burns reconstruction, cleft lip and palate surgery, and eye care. Alongside those direct medical services, the Mercy Ships crew strengthen local health care capacity through education, training and advocacy. 

All of this happens in a ‘normal day’ on location in sub-Saharan Africa as the crew children attend school on board, and their parents fulfil their ship roles.    

Rebekah is particularly passionate about making computer technology fun and ensuring that the children don’t miss out on any aspects of their education despite their remote location. 

“I created a few displays for the library starting with Jabulani Day – our dress-up day each semester. Previously the theme was Colours. That day we wore our favourite colour and arranged ourselves in Rainbow order. We also celebrated 100 days of school, something I’d never done with my students back home. In the Primary School, we read 100 books that week! Another week was a triple whammy with Book Week falling on the same week as Anzac Day, Sierra Leone and Togo Independence Day, and Character Dress Up Day!”

While a favourite with the crew children is Lego Coding, Rebekah’s other lessons have included making a B-roll style cooking show competition, using Excel spreadsheets to collate and sort information about places to visit in the students’ home countries, and coding Scratch Animation conversations with block coding.

She added life skills to her students by sharing internet safety tips with younger classes, creating photo stories to help them understand and value different crew roles on board, and designing infographics for the hospital ship community. 

Operating on a Northern Hemisphere schedule, classes have recently begun for the new school year, and the Global Mercy is underway to Sierra Leone – the location of next 10-month field service. 

This West African nation of 8 million people has just 5 general surgeons, and Sierra Leonians have one of the lowest standards of living on earth. The population’s health care needs are dire. 
Rebekah is confident in the part she plays on the hospital ship teaching the crew children. It means their parents can volunteer long-term, providing the professional skills required to deliver medical services. Just a few decks below the school patients, without any other access to the medical help they need, are having their lives transformed. 

“The kids here don’t always have the typical experiences of school back home. But I would say they get different and very rich experiences on board, what a community to grow up in.”

Mercy Ships has a wide variety of volunteer opportunities on board the Global Mercy and her sister ship, Africa Mercy®. From surgeons and nurses, schoolteachers and chefs, to IT professionals and tradies, each crew member contributes to bringing surgical care within reach in the nations they serve.
 

Source: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

The Government is supporting a new fund to remove barriers and improve opportunities for the most underserved tertiary learners.

The new fund ‘Tūwhitia – Accelerating Learner Success’ – will provide up to $10 million each year to tertiary institutions to co-fund learner success initiatives.

Education Minister Hon Jan Tinetti announced the fund when she visited the Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga Rotorua campus this week. 

There are great ideas out there to improve learner success, but some tertiary education providers are struggling to get them off the ground with the impact of lower enrolment numbers.

The fund will reduce barriers to establishing such initiatives so learners can experience the benefits sooner. The initiatives selected will be focused on a whole-of-organisation change to better support underserved learners and achieving equity, which in turn will benefit all.

These initiatives could range from support and monitoring programmes to changing the way the organisation is structured and interacts with learners.

For example, some tertiary providers are using data on learners’ engagement in their courses and with the institution to indicate whether or not individual learners are more at risk of not succeeding. With this information, institutions are able to proactively contact the learner to understand what is happening in their life and ensure they get the support they need to be successful. Significant numbers of learners have been helped because of this approach, with institutions beginning to see increased course engagement and completions.

A number of providers are improving course completion rates for Māori and Pacific learners by mapping their learners’ journeys through tertiary education. This enables the providers to identify what works for learners and any personal or organisational issues that could be creating barriers to success. Organisational changes can then be made in how the provider works with, and supports, their learners to ensure their success.

Successfully gaining a tertiary qualification – be it through an apprenticeship, a diploma, or a degree – improves lifelong outcomes for individuals, whānau, and communities. Changes at tertiary providers are needed to ensure those who would benefit most, including Māori and Pacific learners, disabled learners, and those with learning support needs, are supported to be successful.

The Tertiary Education Commission will determine and publish eligibility criteria, funding rules and priorities in the coming months.