Pūaha—Student Portal: The new student administration space on our website

In 2020, we asked students what would improve their learning experience at Te Herenga Waka. Students told us they wanted a simple self-service experience and access to more tools and resources in a single place.

While most of the information needed by students is available, it is spread out across multiple systems and webpages and students said they find it difficult to navigate.

In response to this, we have developed Pūaha, Te Herenga Waka’s new student portal. This new platform will enhance your student experience by integrating key university systems and centralising information.

The student portal has been gifted the name of Pūaha, which means ‘mouth of a river’. It symbolically connects to the idea of a student’s journey through the university. It also means ‘doorway’ or ‘opening’, linking to the idea that the student portal will be the ‘front door’ for students seeking information and will eventually support future students through the University admission and enrolment process.

In preparation for its release, 1,975 students were invited to access and provide feedback on Pūaha. This early release was well received, and student feedback has helped us to fine tune Pūaha’s features, ensuring it’s ready for use more widely amongst our students.

From today, Pūaha will be accessible for all currently enrolled students via a direct link or on the University website

Staff can learn more about Pūaha here.

When students log in to the portal (using your university login details) they will land on the Pūaha home page.  From here they will be able to view:

  1. Their personalised timetable
  2. The 10 most recent blackboard announcements
  3. Key university dates
  4. Along the bottom of the home page are links to student news and events

On the study page they will see their qualification details, and courses they are enrolled in for the current academic year. They will also view:

  1. Their recent grades
  2. Tools and resources including links to enrol for the following year, and information on scholarships and accommodation
  3. Links to key university systems, such as Student Records, MyAllocator for tutorial signup, and myDegree

The Services page is where they can find information on services available to them at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

If you have any feedback, please feel free to send these through to us at pūaha@vuw.ac.nz