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

Kia ora koutou,

We wish you the best of luck as you finish up your Trimester 1 studies. There is plenty of advice, support, and resources available to help you prepare for your final assessments. If you have questions about your degree and courses or need help with other academic matters, your faculty office can help. 

Trimester 2 starts on Monday 11 July and we encourage you to enrol now. You can sign up for courses the same way you would normally add or drop courses. Contact us for advice and if you have any questions. You can also use myDegree or contact your student success adviser for help. Apply by Monday 20 June.

As COVID-19 continues to impact our University community, and as we enter the winter cold and flu season, it is important to take good care of yourself and maintain a healthy study-life balance. We also appreciate you continuing to wear face masks on campus to protect yourself and those around you. 

In this edition we have details on new features in Pūaha—Student Portal, a reminder to sign up for your Trimester 2 courses, and other useful links for you to check out. 

Ngā mihi,

Kirsty McClure, Manutaki—Director, Te Pūrengi—Student Experience and Wellbeing

Support and resources are available on our assessment hub to help you prepare for upcoming tests, exams, and assignments.

The online resources within our assessment hub include:

• Strategies for staying calm and confident during your assessment.
• Information on what to do if you’re ill or experiencing exceptional circumstances. 
• Inclusive learning software to make studying more engaging and accessible.

You can also use Manawa Ora—Student Wellbeing's online wellbeing resources to help support your physical and mental wellbeing.

More features are now available to students on Pūaha—Student Portal

A new system called Kurawai allows staff to view student enquiries and self-service forms submitted through Pūaha. This means that you can now: 

• Submit an enquiry by logging into the portal and navigating to the Contact Us link. 
• Submit an online application for an Associate Deans late withdrawal by searching for it in the services page and following the link to the new online form. 
• View the progress and outcomes of all requests submitted through Pūaha in the My requests tab. 
• Search for information on University services and support in the Find answers tab 
• View appointments in your personalised calendar. 
• See the name and contact details of your allocated student success adviser (as well as Āwhina, Pasifika, international, or professional programmes adviser, if you have one).

Apply now for a Hardship Fund Equity Grant in Trimester 2 

The Trimester 2 round of the Hardship Fund Equity Grant is currently open. See more information about this grant and apply. These grants are to assist students who are facing financial hardship to continue in their studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Applications close on Monday 20 June.

Find an employer using the NZUni Talent job board

NZUni Talent is a great starting point to search for opportunities from employers advertising directly to New Zealand university students and graduates. 

Check out your NZUni Talent university job board regularly to:

• See internships, part-time work, volunteer positions, and graduate roles. 
• View new vacancies for students and recent graduates.  
• Browse graduate programmes targeted at final-year students.
• Run advanced searches to filter by industry or discipline. 
• Set your preferences to focus your search and receive email alerts. 
• Look for roles that are specified for your subject area.
• View employer information and profiles. 

To improve your job search, try the eLearning module, which has strategies for networking and building your reputation. You can also talk about job hunting and career direction with one of our professional career consultants. Book an appointment.

Congratulations to all the recent Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington graduates, including those who walked in the parade on Tuesday 17 May. You can view more images from the parade on the University's Facebook page.

Meet the team—Jude West

Over the coming months, myView will be featuring staff from across our student services. These are the people and teams who are here to give you support and advice during your time at Te Herenga Waka. This week we spoke to Jude West, a wellbeing adviser with Manawa Ora—Student Wellbeing. Jude supports students to stay well in every aspect of their lives at University.  

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.

Growing our Future tree planting in July  

Register to help the University plant part of Ohariu Valley with native trees as part of the Growing our Future project on Thursday 21, Friday 22, or Saturday 23 July. Find out more and register now to join other students, staff, and alumni in this awesome initiative. 

Vaccinations at Mauri Ora  

Due to low demand, Mauri Ora (Student Health and Counselling) is no longer offering the COVID-19 vaccination. You can still get a COVID-19 vaccination or booster at many locations across Wellington. 

Free flu vaccinations are still available at Mauri Ora for all students. You can book yours by calling 04 463 5308. 

Distinguished alumni podcast series

Listen to a former student talk about how her University studies inspired her to help tackle climate change.  

Border reopening  

The reopening of the New Zealand border has been brought forward to Sunday 31 July. For our international students, this means that visa processing will begin from the end of July. You will have to wait until your student visa has been approved before you can arrive in New Zealand to study in person. 

Cultural Coffee Club in the Bubble   

The Cultural Coffee Club is a student-led group supporting the University’s refugee background and international students. Come along to The Bubble every Tuesday between 1–2 pm for hot drinks, fruit, and snacks.  

We're taking a break  

This is the last edition of Whītiki for Trimester 1. The next edition will be on Wednesday 13 July. For news and updates, visit our social media pages below. Have a great break!  

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'.