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The Pastoral Care Code

The Pastoral Care Code outlines our role in making sure students are well and safe. Learn about our improvement projects, provide feedback, or make a complaint.

Pastoral Care Code

The Pastoral Care Code (the Code) highlights the minimum standards of care both domestic and international students should expect while studying at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. It requires the University to help our students be:

  • safe, physically, and mentally
  • respected and accepted for who they are
  • supported in their learning and wellbeing
  • connected with their social and cultural networks
  • able to have their say in decisions about service.

The Code holds the University accountable to students, whānau, and the wider community.

The University is working closely with a wide range of student representation groups and leaders on key wellbeing improvement projects to ensure student voice is embedded and partnership is upheld. In line with the Code's guidelines, these key projects aim to further support students' wellbeing, development and educational achievement, while engaging and empowering our students to manage their own wellbeing.

NZQA—the New Zealand Qualifications Authority—administers the Pastoral Care Code. More information and the Code document in English and Te Reo Māori can be found on NZQA's webpage about the Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice.

Student Wellbeing

Ki te rā—Student Wellbeing Outcomes Framework 2024-2030 describes our commitment and approach, to build on the outstanding work we already do to advance student wellbeing. We have seized the opportunity the Pastoral Care Code provides to complement our existing approach with key outcomes that will enhance student wellbeing, prevent illbeing, and empower students to thrive while reaching their potential.

In implementing Ki te rā, we will: embed wellbeing into the fabric of our university; take meaningful action to address the causes of poor wellbeing; empower students to participate in opportunities to enhance their wellbeing; and equip our community to confidently recognise and respond to students whose wellbeing, safety or behaviour is of concern and refer to appropriate support.

Many students and staff have thoughtfully contributed to the formation of Ki te rā and we will now work together to ensure it is a success.

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Student Engagement

The Student Engagement Framework has been developed to provide foundational basis for genuine partnership and engagement between the University and students.

The Framework establishes the vision, values and objectives of student engagement within the University. The vision of the framework is to create a culture of collaboration—based on genuine respect, transparency, and inclusion—to understand and respond to diverse learner voices and wellbeing and safety needs in a way that upholds their mana and autonomy and aligns with our pastoral care responsibilities.

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Complaints processes

External complaints

We ask that you raise any concerns or make a formal complaint to the University before engaging with external complaints processes.

Students can access free schemes for financial and contractual disputes. There are separate operators for domestic and international students:

Pastoral Care Code compliance complaints

If you believe that the University is failing to meet the outcomes or requirements of the Pastoral Care Code, you can make a complaint to NZQA as the administrator of the Code.

Critical incidents involving students

Student wellbeing and safety is taken very seriously by the University. There are systems in place across all campuses and for all university related off-campus activities, to ensure any immediate or emerging concerns are identified and addressed.

The University is also committed to providing support to students before, during, and after a critical incident occurs.

Read our report on critical incidents relating to tauira in 2023.

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