54478 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills

54478 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills: What actions, if any, have been taken in the quarter to strengthen undergraduate support for pacific learners?

Hon Penny Simmonds: The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has not taken any specific action in the last quarter to strengthen undergraduate support for Pacific learners. As part of the TEC’s ongoing and multi-year approach to improve the educational outcomes for all learners, Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) are required to have plans in place to support more learners to succeed. TEOs have tailored their approaches to meet the needs of their learners, including undergraduate Pacific learners. Some interventions are undertaken in collaboration with government agencies. For example, the Institute of Technology & Polytechnics (ITP) sector, in collaboration with Health New Zealand, invested in mental health services for learners in 2023. The Pacific learners who had access to this service showed an 11.4% increase in course completion, in comparison to those who did not have access to the service. These services have remained available throughout 2024. As the data collected on the impact of this service is from the year 2023, relevant information relating to the last quarter is not available.