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Cultural and Community Networks

Naku to rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi*

With your basket and my basket the people will thrive.

Essential resources - feeling less prepared

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Whānau support & expectations

You may be aware of different expectations that study may place on you, your whānau and your community.

Getting involved in even part-time study will have an impact on your available time, and may affect some relationships. It may be helpful to talk about some of the following questions with whānau, friends, employers or community members who may be involved in your study journey before you start your first semester of study.

To help you to reflect, you could ask yourself some of the following questions:

What competing expectations and responsibilities will I have on my time while I study?

Are there any whānau, community or work commitments that I can ask for help with while I study?

Is there anyone who I can ask for help from?

Who will I go to for back-up, (for example, with child care) when I have time-pressured study commitments like assignments?

What support does my workplace provide for me while studying?

If you are concerned about the answers to a number of the above questions, it would be helpful to discuss this with a work manager, a friend or whānau.

You may have avenues of support that you haven't thought of yet. Thinking about these things before you begin postgraduate study may help you to feel better prepared for your first semester at university.

Find supportive networks with the MAPAS team

Even if you are a confident professional, experienced Māori and Pacific postgraduate students comment that it can feel overwhelming coming to the Grafton, Tāmaki and city campuses.

If you are new to tertiary study or have had a long gap since you studied, linking with other Māori and Pacific professionals who are also studying (through MAPAS or on your own) can be one way to feel less isolated.

MAPAS Postgraduate (PG) Support

MAPAS Postgraduate Support provides academic and pastoral support for Māori and Pacific students who are studying in postgraduate programmes within the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Our goal is to support MAPAS postgraduate students through their cultural and educational journey to successfully complete and graduate.

Am I eligible?

You are eligible for MAPAS if you:

1. Have verified indigenous New Zealand Maori or Pacific Whakapapa/ancestry and,

2. Are a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand and,

3. Have applied for entry into a postgraduate FMHZ programme.

How do I become a MAPAS PG Student?

To become a MAPAS student you must:

1. Go to www.auckland.ac.nz/applynow and complete an online application for admission to your programme of choice by the closing date set by the programme.

2. Submit a Mapas PG registration form. See: www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/mapasforms by the due date outlined on the form.

3. You will be notified via your student email to confirm your registration with MAPAS PG Support.

MAPAS Postgraduate Student Support Advisor Contact Details

Email: mapaspg@auckland.ac.nz

Phone: 027 836 5166 or 0800 20 20 99

Connect with the Te Fale Pouāwhina team

Te Fale Pouāwhina (TFP) - Support for Māori and Pacific Students

Te Fale Pouāwhina (TFP) provides a friendly and professional service based on kaupapa Māori and Pacific principles. Māori and Pacific Learning Advisors are passionate about Māori and Pacific student success. The focus is on academic skills development at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. TFP Learning Advisors work with a range of Māori and Pacific services across the University. Face-to-face learning opportunities include workshops, study groups, wānanga/fono and advisory sessions.

Visit TFP at: http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/services/student-learning/tfp

Matt Tarawa

Email: m.tarawa@auckland.ac.nz

Phone: +64 9 923 8608

Mona O'Shea

Email: m.oshea@auckland.ac.nz

Phone: +64 9 923 8970

Advice and tips from postgraduate students

Watch the following 1-2 minute video of Fila - a current postgraduate student in the School of Population Health - as she shares her advice and tips for success as you begin postgraduate study.

Fila - Postgraduate student in School of Population Health sharing her advice and tips for new Māori and Pacific postgraduate students.

Download the video file [6.4 MB]

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Optional resources - feeling somewhat prepared

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Māori networks across the university

You may wish to link to wider networks of Māori support and community throughout the University of Auckland. If so, you can follow one of the links below.

Contact details - University-wide Māori networks

Ngā Tauira Māori – Māori Student Association

Ngā Tauira Māori is the Māori student association located at the University of Auckland.

The mission statement of Ngā Tauira Māori is to “encourage and support Auckland University Māori students in their academic, cultural and social development and achievements, generally in the context of Tino Rangatiratanga and in a manner consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, its principles and tikanga…”

Physical Location of Ngā Tauira Māori:

Hineahuone, Top floor of the Student Union Building,

34 Princes Street, The University of Auckland

Maori Students Officers Contacts:

Officers Ph/voice mail : 09-306-6575

Administration Ph/voice mail : 09-306-6576

Email: ntm@auckland.ac.nz 

Website: www.ntm.maori.nz

Email a FMHS Student Advisor

stepps.fmhs@auckland.ac.nz

Pacific networks across the university

AUPISA is the Pacific Student Association at the University of Auckland.

The group pride themselves on their commitment to providing a supportive community on campus for our Pacific students.

Contact details

Physical Location:

O Lagi Atea Moana - Cultural Space

Level 4, Student Union Building, City Campus

Email: pisa@auckland.ac.nz

FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AUPISA

FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ 139574896112148/

Networks of support through work and community

In the following 2 minute video Tina - a former postgraduate student in the School of Nursing - shares the importance of drawing on networks of support from work colleagues and community to support success in postgraduate study.

Tina - Former postgraduate student in School of Nursing sharing her advice about drawing on networks of support for new Māori and Pacific postgraduate students.

Download the video file [6.5 MB]

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Extra resources - feeling mostly prepared

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Student advocacy and support services

There are a wide range of support and advocacy services, resources and people here to help you

Start by getting to know the "A, B, C to Z" of support and advocacy services available to you as a University of Auckland student.

Visit the University of Auckland's Support Services page that lists from A to Z all of the groups and places that you may wish to know about and connect with.

For example, did you know you may be eligible for health, medical and counselling services through the University of Auckland? You can visit the University Health and Counselling Service site to find out more.

On their site you can make a confidential appointment with a counsellor. You can also find links to self-help resources available to you on their Self-help resources page.

One of these resources links you to the "CALM" website - the "Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind" course free to all University of Auckland staff and students.

The CALM website is a place you can go to increase your mental resilience, to learn how you can effectively manage stress, anxiety and depression as well as how you can maintain healthy relationships.

Juggling study and children

Thinking about time and commitments inside and outside of study

Māori and Pacific students comment that a big challenge in returning to post-graduate study relates to finding
creative ways to manage busy working lives while adding time for study on top. It can feel like a juggling act at times keeping childcare, family, extended whānau and community responsibilities and involvements on the go while studying.

You certainly can't stop being a parent or a caring family and community member while you study.

However, adding study "on top" means you need to think carefully before your first semester of study begins about how you might re-prioritise a few things. Regular time each week for attending course lectures, carrying out coures readings and activities and getting involved with work on assignments is important. It may take some creativity to organise your time.

Top Five Tips for Parents who Study and Work

Athabasca University (in Canada) has a few useful suggestions for busy, working parents who are starting into university study. Their top five tips for parents involved in university study are:

1. Establish routines.

2. Organise your environment.

3. Lean on your social network.

4. Children first!

5. Plan for the unpredictable.

To read more detail about these five tips, follow the link "Studying in the Child Zone".

A further tip from a student at Athabasca University can be found at their link "Study Tips From Our Students". Here a mother, and postgrad student, describes how she was able to get her weekly readings done while also making time to read to her children at night in a creative way!

Doing your postgrad study, you will find your own creative strategies that work for you ... so that you can still be the parent, whānau & community member and work colleague who you want to be, while also completing your study requirements.

Area to Record Questions and Thoughts

Questions to Record

You may like to record a few questions, thoughts or goals in the space provided below ... The text you type will get saved but only on the computer or device that you are currently working on.

You can save a copy of your text or questions by clicking on the button below "Send the note to" and entering in your email address. This will send the text to your email inbox. Or you can print off this page now.

You may like to keep a copy of your questions to discuss with an employer, a family member or to bring along to your programme Orientation day(s).

Type your questions or thoughts as text in the white box below.

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This page relates to the following questions from the PG Poutama STEPPS Reflective Questionnaire:

Q4: I am able to draw on my whānau and/or community connections to support me in my study goals.

*A Māori whakatauki (proverb) from a Whakatohea tipuna Tauputaputa.

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