Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Waikato. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has announced plans for an 'organisational redesign,' with around 60 roles affected by the proposed changes.
The tertiary institute headquatered in Te Awamutu has begun the next stage of Te Pae Tawhiti 2030 - a "future-focused plan to deliver innovative, values-led education for learners of today and for the generations to come."
In a statement Te Wānanga o Aotearoa said the proposed organisational redesign "better aligns our people, structures, and systems with our vision, and responds to the changing needs of our tauira, employers and communities."
"This proposed redesign will result in the creation of new roles, the disestablishment of some existing roles, and the realignment of responsibilities. The overall outcome of this will be a reduction in around 60 roles - about 4 percent of our workforce.
"Our priority is to retain as many existing kaimahi as possible, supporting as many as we can into new roles. With nearly 1500 kaimahi across the motu, this requires a careful balance: simplifying and realigning roles and functions to improve efficiency and the quality of our offering, while making targeted investments in new capability to strengthen our future readiness and enhance delivery."
The proposal takes a top down approach with proposed changes to management - including a "deliberate flattening of the structure and realignment of leadership roles - to lift visibility, reduce complexity, and strengthen strategic oversight."
The wānanga said kaiako (teachers) are central to work it does and there will be no reduction in kaiako roles.
The wānanga said key areas of focus for Te Pae Tawhiti 2030 include:
- Elevating the teaching and learning experience across all aspects of our mahi.
- Strengthening strategic partnerships with iwi, industry, and communities.
- Increasing leadership and workforce capability at every level.
- Enhancing the visibility and impact of mātauranga Māori, locally and globally.
- Enabling smarter, more integrated ways of working through system and service improvements.
"Where new capabilities are required to deliver on our strategy, we will always look first at how they can be developed from within - through redeployment, upskilling, and leadership development.
"Over the coming months, we will engage in consultation with our kaimahi, where there will be opportunities to contribute, ask questions, and help shape what this change will look like."
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was formed more than 40-years ago, to serve tauira (students), especially tauira Māori, whose learning needs were not being met across Aotearoa.
"We must be innovative and adapt to ensure we are best placed to meet the needs of those we serve now and in the future. That is at the heart of why we are redesigning how we organise ourselves - to strengthen our ability to deliver on our vision and values into the future," the wānanga said.
"To our tauira, to our whānau, hapū, iwi and hāpori whānui and partners who continue to place their trust in Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, thank you. The steps we are taking now are about building something strong, sustainable, and enduring, not just for today, but for the generations to come."
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