Supporting our tauira
to succeed
In 2012, we welcomed more than 30,000
tauira into our whānau and set out together
on what would be a highly successful
educational journey. We significantly
exceeded our targets (agreed with the
Tertiary Education Commission) as we
built on year-on-year improvements in
educational performance. Our final overall
course completion rate was 80%, well
above our agreed Investment Plan target of
74%. Our qualification completion rate of
72% also exceeded our target (67%).
I congratulate all those who completed a
qualification with us in 2012 and I look
forward to seeing these successful tauira at
one of the many graduations we will hold
throughout the country in 2013. I wish all
our tauira well in their future endeavours,
whether their paths lie in employment or in
further study, and I look forward to hearing
of their successes through our Kāpuia
graduate network. I also acknowledge our
kaiako (tutors) for the knowledge they share
and the support they provide to our tauira –
Ka nui te mihi ki ā koutou e aku rangatira.
Returning a strong
financial performance
Adding to this strong academic
performance, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Group
achieved a sound financial result. The
group recorded a surplus of $7.9 million,
well within the 3-5% surplus/deficit
range specified by the Tertiary Education
Commission. As with previous years, this
outcome is the product of a stringent
programme of cost containment combined
with prudent management of our financial
assets. The result reinforces the financial
stability and ongoing sustainability of
our organisation and I commend our
management team and thank them for their
vigilance in this area of our business.
Looking to the past to plan
for the future
Beyond these achievements, 2012
provided a broad range of highlights as
we continued to shape our organisation
to meet present realities and prepare for
future challenges. As always, the lessons
of the past provided a solid vantage
from which to contemplate the many
competing interests that continue to buffet
our wānanga. In each situation, we aim
to harness the best that each contributor
has to offer to achieve a win-win outcome
for all stakeholders rather than a diluted
product weakened by compromise.
An example of the power of collaboration
between significant stakeholders is Te
Rautakinga (our strategic plan), which was
completed in 2012. Te Rautakinga brings
together the thoughts of our council,
senior management and the thousands
of kaimahi, whānau and communities
throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to
produce a vision for our people out to
the year 2030. The vision is explained
through ten strategic attributes, each of
which describes a key outcome for our
people and our organisation. Together,
the attributes provide a plan to uplift
our people, to nurture our culture, to
contribute to the social and economic
development of Aotearoa New Zealand, to
energise our organisation and to protect
our environment. As a whole, the document
shows that our founders’ vision and hopes
for the future remain as relevant today as
always and, although we have achieved
much, there is still much to do.
“
“
2012 provided
a broad range
of highlights as
we continued
to shape our
organisation to
meet present
realities
and prepare
for future
challenges.
aroha
te
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