Source: Te Pukenga
Gatherings to begin the year for Pacific ākonga (students) at Ara | Te Pūkenga are having a real impact – creating a sense of belonging and providing comfort and support for students and their whānau.
Before most classes commenced for 2023, two key events were held to ensure students and their families see Ara as a place to express and celebrate culture, find out about the services available to them and who to turn to in times of need.
Cultural Home, a project which seeks to provide holistic support for families, held its open evening on campus with guest speakers sharing personal stories of their study journeys. Following that, the all-day Pacific O² expo involving students, support services and academic staff, offered talks, activities and tours.
Ara Director of Pacific Achievement Sua Tauti said his team had engaged with over 250 families with ākonga already enrolled or thinking about study.
Opening the door widely, he said, leads to student success. “We want students to see that there’s a huge Pacific family across Ara that’s ready and willing to support them as they embark on study. Hearing the experiences of others helps normalise the challenges of being in a tertiary environment which is all new territory for some families. By putting these initiatives in place, we want to do everything we can to ensure students stay engaged with their study and feel supported.”
Tangata Atumotu Trust (TAT) – an organisation promoting health and wellbeing services with a Pacific focus – had a strong presence at Pacific O². Team lead Suli Tuitaupe, who previously studied his Bachelor of Nursing at Ara, said he’d noticed impressive growth in the Pacific community on campus in recent years.
“A sense of belonging enables students and their families to be able to thrive in this environment,” he said, adding that TAT was also at Pacific O² to sow seeds for the future. “Often students are seeking ways to serve our community after their study, so it’s great for us to provide insights into where they could make a difference as a volunteer, intern or employee of the future.”
Pacific O² organisers said it was great to see barriers being broken and new friendships being formed. Those attending the events said the welcome shown was reassuring.
Ryan Elvidge who is preparing to start his Diploma in Business at Ara said he was grateful for the invitation to come along. He said hadn’t felt free to express his culture in the Pacific community at his school. “Here I already feel proud to be Fijian Indian. and I really want to get involved here and feel part of this whānau.”
Another school-leaver, Suma Sloan, said she was feeling accepted and more secure about stepping into her pre-health pathway study. “I was a bit nervous, but this just makes me feel like I have someone there for me and someone to fall back on. It’s just really supportive,” she said.
Samantha Tukuafu, who has Tongan and German heritage and is the first of her siblings to begin tertiary study, said hearing about the mentoring programmes was helpful.
“I’ve been feeling nervous about starting my pathway into social work study, but the mentoring and tutoring sounds good. It helps to know I can come to all these people here,” she said looking around the room of people laughing and talking. “Being around my own kind is just easier and knowing I have the support is good,” she added.
Ngere Kaitao, a Cook Islands Māori student beginning her pathway study towards a Diploma in Interior Design, enjoyed hearing from students who’d already been in her shoes. “It’s all so new but after hearing all the people speak, I feel inspired by them saying I should strive for the top,” she said.
Kaitao’s mum Betty Teaukura said from a parent’s perspective, the connections made were positive.
“We can only go so far,” she said. “It will make a difference knowing that there’s someone here to support her while she’s studying. There’s someone to ask – so she can grow and become more independent and not rely on mum,” she smiled. “The feeling is love – it’s really fantastic.”
Both Cultural Home and Pacific O² are helping students find their feet and their wings to fly at Ara.
