FCA Equity Matters

FCA Equity Matters

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To support these aims, we have put in place a number of initiatives that seek to create a highly supportive environment for creating and developing relationships and promoting learning.

We recently established a joint Māori and Pasifika study space on level 3 of the Railway West Wing. The  Te Pu Umanga (meaning “convergence” in Māori) and Tabua ( meaning “whale’s tooth” in Fijian) room was opened on 23 April 2012. The joint name encompasses the essence of this space and is welcoming to our Māori and Pasifika students. It has been outfitted with a computer and comfortable furniture, and we hope students will use this facility for relaxing, engaging in conversations, developing relationships that promote learning, and to enhance their experience at Victoria University.

In addition, Victoria Business School seeks to assist Māori and Pasifika students in their studies by offering dedicated tutorials in large 100-level BCA courses. These tutorials cover the same material as other tutorials, but are led by tutors who are more attuned to the distinctive learning needs of Māori and Pasifika students. Each School also has a designated staff member who is available for Māori and Pasifika students to discuss issues and seek advice on any aspect of their study and university life.

Our staff work very closely with other University agencies that are involved in supporting students, including the Offices of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Māori) and the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika), Student Learning Support Services, the Te Pūtahi Atawhai Mentoring Programme, Te Herenga Wāka staff, and equity support staff in other faculties.

We are delighted you have chosen to join Victoria University and look forward to working with you. On behalf of the Victoria Business School, I wish you success in your studies.

Professor Bob Buckle

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Commerce

Victoria Business School

Equity Advisory Committee

• Adrienne McGovern-Wilson (Convenor)
• Morris Altman
• Helen Hynes
• Simon Park
• Sarah Proctor-Thomson
• Amanda Reilly
• Prof Sharleen Forbes 
• Natalia Dover-Blair
• Cate Devlyn

Document	File Size	File Type
Equity Advisory Committee Terms of Reference	12 KB	PDF

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MPI School Liaisons

Vanessa Borg Projects and Events Coordinator School of Accounting and Commercial Law Phone: 04 463 5078 Email: Vanessa.Borg@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 704, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5074
Sharleen Forbes Adjunct Professor of Official Statistics School of Government Phone: 04 463 6850 Email: Sharleen Forbes Street Address: Room 830, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5454
Helen Hynes UG Programme Administrator School of Marketing and International Business Phone: 04 463 5529 Email: Helen.Hynes@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 1130, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5231
Francine McGee Senior Administrator 100-level Programmes School of Economics and Finance Phone: 04 463 5818 Email: Francine.McGee@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 319, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5014
Simon Park Undergraduate Programme Manager School of Information Management Phone: 04 463 6950 Email: Simon.Park@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 531, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5446
Tony van Zijl Professor School of Accounting and Commercial Law Phone: 04 463 5329 Email: Tony.vanZijl@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 606, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 6955
Sarah Proctor-Thomson Lecturer Victoria Management School Phone: 04 463 9982 Email: Sarah.Proctor-Thomson@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 909, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5084
Geoff Plimmer Director BCA/MCA - HRIR Victoria Management School Phone: 04 463 5700 Email: Geoff.Plimmer@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 1007, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5084
Adam Weaver Senior Lecturer/BTM Prog Director Victoria Management School Phone: 04 463 5375 Email: Adam.Weaver@vuw.ac.nz Street Address: Room 917, Rutherford House 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea Campus Nearest Fax: 04 463 5180

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Dedicated MPI Tutorials

Māori and Pacific Island (MPI) students are helped to take on the challenges of University life and study through tutorials specifically focused on their needs.

These tutorials cover exactly the same material and objectives as mainstream tutorials but are delivered in a way that caters specifically for MPI students. This includes a more organic, culturally compatible teaching approach, and if needed, extra class mentors. These tutorials enable MPI students to set up networks and support each other in their studies.

Our students say:

• "Comfortable with my peers, I feel 'belonging'"
• "A well informed tutor that explains things i.e questions/concepts to my satisfaction. He makes it clear that we can contact him and he genuinely is caring about us and has a passion for the topic."
• "More informal/comfortable. Able to say anything without feeling stupid."
• "It is a great opportunity for MPI students to learn together."

This feedback shows that the classroom environment is an important factor to contributing to a positive tutorial experience for our MPI students.

Students can also utilise the Te Pu Umanga and Tabua study room for their studies, which has now been officially opened. We hope that our Māori and Pasifika students find the space particularly welcoming and inspiring.

Photo 1: Student reps Kevin Fagalilo and Anaru Toia opening the new Te Pu Umanga and Tabua room.

Photo 2: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Māori) Piri Sciascia, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika) Winnie Laban, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean Professor Bob Buckle, and other student representatives at the opening ceremony.

Useful Links

• Māori Students
• Pacific Students
• Te Pūtahi Atawhai – Māori and Pacific Student Success

Please contact us at fcom@vuw.ac.nz

Faculty of Commerce www.victoria.ac.nz/fca

Phone +64-4-463 5376

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