Welcome to Whītiki, our Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington student newsletter. 

Kia ora koutou,

Since our last edition of Whitiki, a great deal has happened.  

We acknowledge the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Along with the rest of the country the University will close in order to participate in the Memorial Day on Monday 26 September. 

Last week the government ended the COVID-19 Protection Framework, which has led to changes for the University as well. You will have received emails from staff on these topics and how they will impact on your studies. Check your preferred email inbox if you are unsure.  

Last week we also celebrated Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, and the 50-year anniversary of the Māori Language Petition being presented to Parliament. We hope you enjoyed the events that you engaged with. 

The trimester continues to move along at pace—this week we once again have updates on a range of upcoming events and activities in and around the University.  

Enjoy! 

Ngā mihi nui,

Kirsty McClure, Manutaki—Director, Te Pūrengi—Student Experience and Wellbeing 
Richard Neal, Manutaki—Director, Tītoko—Centre for Student Success 

Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day, 26 September

The University will join the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand in marking the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on a one-off public holiday on Monday 26 September. The University will be closed on that day. Please note that Mauri Ora (Student Health and Counselling) will remain open with services available to most students with booked appointments. We will contact those students whose clinician will not be working on the day and rearrange their appointments. 

Discontinuation of COVID-19 Protection Framework

A reminder that as of Monday this week, in keeping with the Government decision, the University dropped most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions. We are currently updating all relevant webpages. Check your preferred email address or social channels for full details in the meantime.

We continue to take the health and safety of our students very seriously and encourage you to take all sensible precautions to keep yourselves safe. A reminder that:

1. Dual delivery continues unchanged until the end of Trimester 3.
2. We will continue to support those who choose to wear a mask and will continue to make them available on campus, along with hand sanitiser and Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).

Visited Pūaha lately?   

Pūaha is your one-stop student portal. It’s designed around you, so you can manage and see your schedule and key dates, read emails from the University, access Blackboard, and much more. 

It’s also where you can find tools and links to services that support your studies and wellbeing, where you can update your personal and contact details, like your email, phone number and address, and where you can view your applications in one place.   

It’s easy to access from the www.wgtn.ac.nz homepage, use your myVUW login. From time to time, if you’re using a different device, you might be asked to enter your student email and password to sign in. 

If you haven’t visited recently, you might notice some changes. That’s because we’ve recently added some new features to it and made it easier to navigate around. Have a look and see for yourself. 

Voting in the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington University Council student election is opening soon! Get to know the student candidates before voting opens, and make sure you check your main email for your voting link from Electionz on 27 September 2022. Voting will close at 5pm on Monday 3 October.

Getting ready to farewell Blackboard 

The University is replacing Blackboard with the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) from Trimester 3 2022. Blackboard was our first LMS, implemented in 2002, and after 20 years, it’s time for change. We’re looking forward to the future of learning and teaching with Canvas at the centre of our online learning platform. 

Here’s what you need to know about finishing up in Blackboard 

Your courses that are underway in Blackboard will continue until they finish in Blackboard. For most courses, this will be at the end of Trimester 2. Finishing a course on Blackboard will follow the same process as normal. Make sure you save copies of your assignments if you want them, and your final grades will be available through Pūaha as normal. All courses starting from Trimester 3 onwards will start in Canvas. 

Nā to rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi—With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.  

It’s never too late to start volunteering. The Wellington Plus Programme supports you to connect with volunteering opportunities on campus and in the community. You can sign up at any time and see how you can get involved during the University trimesters and breaks too. Volunteer and student leadership activities count towards the Wellington Plus Certificate and Award, achievements which are noted on your academic transcript.  

What’s in it for you? 

• Giving (tukua) is one of the pillars of wellbeing. It will increase your happiness; life satisfaction gives you a sense of purpose. 

• You will gain new skills. When you next apply for a job and are asked about communication, leadership, or teamwork, you will know exactly what to say. 

• Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, make friends, and have fun. 

How to find the right volunteering opportunity? 

If you want to find volunteering roles, use the job search platform for students NZUniTalent, check out your local volunteer centre Volunteer Wellington, or join the Victoria Student Volunteer Army for fun group volunteering. You can also talk to us in Wellington Plus—we have a guide on volunteer roles on campus and information about organisations in the community. Book a Wellington Plus appointment or drop by the Hub mezzanine on Mondays from 2–3 pm. 

YOU Student Wellbeing Follow-up Survey 2022—your chance to win $250

We want to know how your wellbeing impacts your student experience.   

If you are an undergraduate student who previously completed a YOU Student Wellbeing baseline survey and said you were happy to be contacted again, check your email inbox for the survey link. We’re keen to hear how you are and how your studies are going.   

To say thank you for completing the survey we are giving away three prizes of $50 for participants in each wave, and three grand prizes of $250. Once you complete the survey, you’ll go into the draw and recipients will be selected at random. The survey closes at 11.59 pm on Sunday 2 October. 

Share your stories with us!
If you’d like to contribute to our student blog myView and share your experiences and stories, visit the website and read our submission guidelines, or get in touch at students@vuw.ac.nz.

VUWSA elections

Voting for the VUWSA Elections for the 2023 Student Executive will open at 9 am on Monday 26 September and close at 11.30 am on Thursday 29 September. To vote on the 2023 Student Executive, go to the VUWSA website or @vuwsagram for the voting link. 

Hardship Fund Equity Grants 
 
The Hardship Fund Equity Grants for Trimester 3 open open today, Wednesday 21 September. This round will close on Friday 21 October. These grants assist students who are facing financial hardship to continue in their studies at our university. 
Find out more information and apply.  

Sustainability Photo Competition

The winners of this year's Sustainability Photo Competition have been announced. View the gallery to see this year's winning photos.

Te Herenga Waka Pride 

Pride Month 2022 PRIDE Month 2022 continues until Friday 30 September. Come along and enjoy events put together by rainbow communities, for rainbow communities. Check out the timetable. 

Scholarship opportunity

Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency, is, for the second year, offering Masters’ students researching transport related subjects a scholarship worth up to $15,000 a year. The scholarship has previously been awarded to students across disciplines as varied as public policy, engineering and population health. Apply before 31 October.

Whītiki

As a student, we want you to feel connected with your Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington community. Whītiki is a Māori word that is often used in a phrase heard at the University: 'Whītiki mai tō waka ki te wharenui nei, ki Te Tumu Herenga Waka'—'tie or bind your canoe to this meeting house, to the hitching post of canoes'.