Final Newsletter for 2024 

As we prepare to conclude 2024 and embark on the next stage of our journey in 2025, this newsletter provides updates on the transition to the new faculty structures and highlights the support in place for the months ahead. Building on previous updates, we continue to focus on ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining stability for all staff and students.

Te Pūtahi Mātauranga | Faculty of Arts and Education (A&ED) Updates

Continuity in Operations

Admissions, enrolment, and concessions processes will continue seamlessly into the new year, with Programme Directors, ADs Academic, ADs Learning and Teaching, Student Support and Engagement and Academic Services staff maintaining their current roles until April 2025. This stability ensures a smooth transition through critical early-year periods, such as school leaver admissions and degree planning.

Professional Staff Readiness

Knowledge transfer and staff transition planning are well underway, and a transition readiness guide is also in progress to support the transition.   Key contacts will be finalised once the professional staff structure is confirmed, ensuring clear points of communication for faculty and central teams.  Once finalised, this resource will be made available on the new Faculty of Arts and Education intranet page, offering an accessible guide for staff during the transition.

Research Readiness

Research processes, including funding and support, will continue as business as usual. Parallel workflows are in place to maintain continuity, ensuring researchers can focus on their work without interruptions
Research processes, including funding and support, will continue as business as usual. Parallel workflows are in place to maintain continuity, ensuring researchers can focus on their work without interruptions.

Academic Leadership Structure

Work is progressing well on finalising the academic leadership structure, and we expect to be in a position to share some announcements later this week. Given the diverse nature of the new faculty, the Dean is carefully balancing multiple considerations to ensure the structure reflects and supports the faculty’s collective goals.

Committee Structure

Planning work for faculty committees for 2025 are well progressed with meeting logistics, including room bookings finalised. There is ongoing work to establish the membership of the committees, and once chairs are appointed, further work to finalise the structure will be possible. These committees will provide robust governance and support the faculty’s academic and operational goals.

Interim Solutions for Contracting

Temporary solutions are being implemented for GTA/TA/PTF contracting to accommodate system changes early next year. These interim measures ensure teaching continuity as we prepare for the Hono system updates.

Events Plan for Q1 2025

A final draft of the faculty’s 2025  events plan has been shared with Event Services, with a streamlined schedule to support faculty engagement and collaboration.

Business Continuity Plans

Existing continuity plans will remain in place for the legacy faculties, ensuring operational stability during the transition. The Risk Office will lead the development of consolidated plans for the new faculty during 2025.

Faculty of Engineering and Design (E&D) Updates

As we prepare to launch the Faculty of Engineering and Design on 1 January 2025, significant progress has been made across several key areas. These updates reflect the collaborative efforts and forward-thinking initiatives that will shape the future of our faculty.

Picture: FTLT member Michael Willimott Director Faculty Operations leading a tour of E&D

Ongoing Collaboration

Faculty tours and workshops held this year have laid the groundwork for increased collaboration across engineering and design disciplines. Planning for further engagement activities in 2025 is well underway.

Picture: FTLT member Lee Beattie Head of School Architecture and Planning leading a tour of E&D

Pedagogical Practices and Research Integration

Staff have participated in seminars and discussions to share teaching practices and align research processes. These initiatives are fostering a culture of innovation and shared learning within the new faculty.

Pōwhiri and Events to Build Connections

A pōwhiri will be held at Waipapa Marae on Monday, 10 February 2025, followed by shared kai at the Engineering building. This significant event will welcome staff, students, and stakeholders into the new faculty and celebrate the unification of disciplines.  Further events are being planned for early throughout 2025 to foster connections and understanding between staff and students from Engineering, the School of Architecture and Planning (SoAP), and Design.

Faculty Committees and Governance

The new faculty committee structure has been finalised, with memberships updated to include representation from SoAP and Design. Key logistical arrangements, such as meeting room bookings, have been completed to support committee operations starting in the new year. The Terms of Reference for these committees are under review to ensure alignment with our academic and operational priorities.

Research and Innovation

Efforts to harmonise research support processes across Engineering, SoAP, and Design are well underway. This includes the development of streamlined workflows for grant applications, research centre collaborations, and post-award support. Seed funding opportunities have been offered through a successful Research Ideas Day, with plans for ongoing workshops and interdisciplinary projects in 2025.

Teaching and Learning Initiatives

The recent seminar on pedagogical practices has highlighted exciting opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, such as relational learning and shared curriculum elements. Work is ongoing to align teaching practices and support structures, ensuring that students benefit from the expertise of all areas within the faculty.

Faculty of Engineering and Design  Operational Readiness

Preparations for the new operational structure are progressing steadily:

• Space Planning: Tours have been conducted to familiarise staff with key spaces, and interim signage updates are in progress for January. Discussions about long-term space allocations, including student and staff common areas, are ongoing.

• Technical Services: Plans are in place to ensure that workshops and technical facilities are operational for the start of 2025, with discussions continuing about optimising 3D printing and digital resources.

• Faculty Leadership: The following new leadership roles have been appointed in the Faculty of Engineering and Design:
  • Professor Deidre Brown has been appointed as Te Tumu
  • Dr Charmaine ‘Ilaiū Talei has been appointed as Associate Dean Pacific
  • Associate Professor Paola Boarin has been appointed as an Associate Dean Teaching and Learning

New Faculty Arrangements Looking Ahead to 2025

Transition Support

The intranet will play a key role in supporting staff and students, providing clear and timely updates, as well as access to important resources like the roles and responsibilities matrix.

Operational System Updates

The full alignment of our operational structure into CS9 is expected by mid-2025. In the interim, we are conducting impact assessments and developing risk mitigation strategies to address potential challenges and minimise disruptions, which will be communicated next week. 

As we close out 2024 and prepare to step into an exciting new chapter, we want to acknowledge the collective efforts, resilience, and collaboration of everyone involved in this journey. This year has been a testament to the strength of our community, and we are deeply grateful for the manaakitanga, innovation, and shared vision that have brought us to this point.

May this summer break provide you with time to rest, reflect, and reconnect with whānau and whenua.