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Wednesday 8 December 2021
Kia ora ,
Please be advised that there was an incorrect hyperlink directing you to our partners at Manukau Institute of Technology in our email to you at 6.30pm, Tuesday 7 December.
The hyperlink has been updated to studentcentral@unitec.ac.nz in the email below and any details received from Unitec Students have been forwarded onto us and deleted. We apologise for the error.
In case you missed the original email, please see details below.
We hope you and your whānau are safe and well. Thank you for your continued hard work and commitment to studying with Unitec. We understand it has been a difficult year for our students and want to acknowledge your perseverance in continuing your studies. Ka mau te wehi!
We very much hope to see you again in 2022. This letter gives you important information about your courses in 2022 as a consequence of the new Covid-19 Protection Framework.
High level summary
In 2022, all Unitec students will need to have a My Vaccine Pass in order to undertake Unitec programmes*
New Covid-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Light System)
The Prime Minister recently announced that Aotearoa New Zealand moved to a new Covid-19 Protection Framework. Under the new framework, we will no longer be using Alert Levels and instead will begin using a ‘traffic light’ system with Red, Orange and Green levels. You can take a look at the framework here.
Auckland is at Red. We do not know how long Auckland will remain at Red but it could continue into the start of Semester 1 next year.
What does the Red level mean for Unitec students?
At Red, tertiary education providers like Unitec may open for on-site delivery only to students who hold a valid My Vaccine Pass. This means students attending any on-campus activity will need to have their My Vaccine Pass verified by Unitec before coming on to campus. Please note that the My Vaccine Pass is the only form of vaccination evidence that Unitec is allowed to accept.
All programmes at Unitec are accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for delivery on-campus or in a blended mode (which involves some on-campus and some online activity). No Unitec programmes are accredited for delivery in a wholly online mode. While some programmes were delivered wholly online in 2021, this was an emergency response to Covid-19 approved by NZQA.
This means that all students enrolled in Unitec programmes in 2022 will need to provide their My Vaccine Pass.
Unitec will collect this information during the enrolment process for 2022, and your enrolment cannot be confirmed without it. Even if your enrolment for 2022 has already been unconditionally confirmed, this step will need to be completed before final approval and coming on to campus. All students will also need to repeat this step on or before the expiry date listed on their My Vaccine Pass.
How do I provide My Vaccine Pass to Unitec?
You must provide a copy of your My Vaccine Pass (the QR code) to Unitec along with the documents you give us as part of your enrolment. If you have already had your enrolment confirmed you must provide your My Vaccine Pass directly to studentcentral@unitec.ac.nz. Please put “My Vaccine Pass” and your student ID in the subject line of your email. Unitec will verify your pass using the application provided by the Ministry of Health.
Unitec will not store your My Vaccine Pass itself. Once it has been verified, Unitec will only retain a record that it has been verified and its date of expiration, in accordance with the Privacy Act and Unitec’s Privacy Policy. After this process has been completed you will not have to show your My Vaccine Pass every time you come onto campus (although we recommend that you keep it with you whenever possible).
How do I get My Vaccine Pass?
The Ministry of Health issues the My Vaccine Pass. You can request yours here if you have had two doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in New Zealand. You will also be able to request your pass if you have been vaccinated overseas with an approved vaccine, or have received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in New Zealand, or if you hold a medical exemption.
You can read information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccination here and find out where you can be vaccinated here.
What if I don’t have My Vaccine Pass?
We understand that not everyone chooses to be vaccinated, and respect that it is a personal choice. Unfortunately, however, if you are unable to provide your My Vaccine Pass then your enrolment cannot be approved.
This will leave you with several options:
- You may be able to transfer your study to an institution that is accredited to offer your preferred programme in a wholly online mode (note that for some programmes, particularly those where the national regulations require hands-on learning, there may be no wholly online offering available). We suggest that you look at the Open Polytechnic and ecampusnz.com (online providers of vocational education) for possibilities, and contact Student Central for assistance.
- You could choose to wait until vaccinations are no longer required to come on campus at Unitec and then enrol at the next opportunity. At this stage, we do not know when that may occur.
- You could choose to wait until you are comfortable getting vaccinated and receiving your My Vaccine Pass, and then enrol at the next opportunity.
If you are concerned about your ability to complete your programme within the maximum period allowed please contact Student Central to explore options.
If you are hesitant about getting vaccinated and have questions, there is a huge amount of support available. We recommend that you start with these websites, which are packed full of guidance and resources and people to contact:
New Zealand Ministry of Health has a dedicated coronavirus helpline. If you have a question and couldn’t find the answers in the links above, then call 0800 358 5453 (or +64 9 358 5453 for overseas SIMs). The 0800 number is free to call, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will be staffed by members of the National Telehealth Service with interpreters on hand to help with translation.
Other consequences of being at Red level
In addition to the requirement of a My Vaccine Pass, there are other on-campus requirements for being at the Red level. These include:
- Masks: staff and students must bring face coverings or masks when attending on-site activities. They are mandatory at all times, both inside and outside the classroom.
- Contact Tracing: the NZ Covid-19 Tracer app or manual sign in is mandatory on campus.
- Physical distancing: please maintain a 1m distance from others wherever possible.
Support for students
We understand this can be a stressful and confusing time. If you have questions and need to talk with someone, our support teams are available to provide general wellbeing guidance, counselling support, Māori and Pasifika advice, faith-based support, disability learner support and other wellbeing related help.
Please reach out to your lecturer, or to a Student Support advisor by calling 0800 10 75 10 or email studentsupport@unitec.ac.nz.
If you want to talk about your enrolled classes please contact studentcentral@unitec.ac.nz.
International Students requiring assistance please call 0800 10 75 10.
We really appreciate your ongoing efforts to keep our whānau and communities safe.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Gus Gilmore
Chief Executive
Kevin Toto
Student President
* Learners may have the option of a fully-online offering for these programmes
- New Zealand Certificate in Business (Accounting Support Services) (Level 4)
- New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 4)
- Graduate Diploma in Construction Project Management
