The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021
The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021- usually called 'the Code of Practice' or 'the Code' – protects the safety and wellbeing of tertiary and international learners in New Zealand.
The Code contains detailed requirements relating to all aspects of student life and studies in New Zealand, including the information students receive before and after they enrol, and how students are guided and supported while they are studying.
As a signatory to the Code, UUNZ must follow all of its requirements, carry out a review of its Code compliance every year, and take action if improvements are needed.
One of UUNZ's goals in 2023 was to ensure we meet all the requirements of the Code of Practice, and we are happy to report that our annual review shows:
- We have implemented all the Code requirements
- We had no critical incidents in 2022
- We received no complaints in 2022
We define a critical incident as an unplanned or unforeseen traumatic event affecting a learner or learners which has an impact on UUNZ, its staff, its learners and/or the wider community. This includes the death of a learner.
We define a complaint as an issue or incident raised with the Executive Director which cannot be resolved to a learner's satisfaction by our Academic or Student Services teams, OR an issue or incident raised with NZQA or Study Complaints because we are unable to resolve it to a learner's satisfaction internally.
Our complaints process is detailed in our terms and conditions.
Our annual review also highlighted several improvements that we can make to better ensure the wellbeing of learners:
- Update the noticeboards around our campus so that they include information about accessing health care, who to speak to for help and student responsibilities
- Find out from education agents how well we are supporting them and what additional support they may need
- Update our staff induction so that all new staff are fully equipped to support learner wellbeing
For enquiries about our annual review of the Code, please contact us.
What does the Code of practice require?
The Code sets standards for education providers to ensure that:
- providers have strategic goals and plans related to student wellbeing
- providers have responsive wellbeing and safety systems and practices, including for homestay accommodation
- students’ voices are heard and their concerns and complaints are addressed
- the particular wellbeing and safety needs of international students are recognised
- the recruitment of international students is undertaken in an ethical and responsible manner
- information supplied to international students is comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date
- international students are provided with appropriate orientations, information and advice
- contractual dealings with international students are conducted in an ethical and responsible manner
Where can I get a copy of the Code of Practice?
A copy of the Code can be downloaded from the NZQA website.