MIT Releases Five-Year Plan for Pasifika Success

MIT Releases Five-Year Plan for Pasifika Success



New Zealand’s largest tertiary educator of Pasifika students today announced a plan to unlock the full potential of this growing group of learners.

“MIT is proud of the work we do in prioritising Pasifika students: their academic successes, wellbeing and abilities to make a difference to their families and our communities”, says Deputy CE Pasifika, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga.

“The Pasifika Strategic Plan sets out how we intend to lead the way in placing Pasifika cultures at the heart of learning, growing Pasifika research and nurturing outstanding leaders.”

MIT’s Pasifika Strategy Framework focuses on four key goals:

• Transform student success
• Establish powerful connections
• Strengthening academic quality
• Grow capability
Progress on these four outcomes will be assessed relative to clearly identified targets.

These include increasing Pasifika enrolments at MIT by 20% and lifting course completion rates to 75% over the next 5 years. This will affirm MIT as the educator with the highest employment rates for graduates in vocational and applied education in New Zealand.

A focus on Pasifika initiatives at MIT has seen the Pasifika Community Centre opened in 2016, the Deputy CE, Pasifika appointed in 2017 and MIT Pasifika languages qualifications being taught in 2018.

“These are major, transformational commitments MIT is making because this is where the greatest difference can be made. We see it as the ideal time to launch the Pasifika Strategic Plan after assembling a talented team in our Pasifika Development Office under Peseta’s leadership,” says MIT Chief Executive, Gus Gilmore.

This year also saw the appointment of a team of Pasifika Partners whose job it is to ensure programmes are designed, developed and delivered in a culturally responsive way.

“The goal is to embed cultural intelligence and ensure that this informs MIT’s best practices in all areas. We believe that this will lead to better student outcomes and deliver workers who can add greater value in the workplace”, says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

The focus is also on the growth and development of Pasifika staff. MIT has boldly set targets of increasing the proportion of staff from 14% to 20% and increasing the number of Pasifika staff in leadership positions to 20% of people leaders.

“Staff are critical to our success. Our focus on the development of Pasifika staff is – in turn - critical to the success of MIT. Our internal staff networks are strong and our goal is to build on this with a Pasifika Talent Strategy”, says Mr Gilmore.

Finally, faith, families and communities remain at the heart of the Strategic Plan. There are aggressive targets to increase community engagement with external stakeholders (by 100%) while an important goal is to have a purpose built community Pasifika Fale built by 2023.

“When we are engaging, listening to and embracing our families and communities we can conquer many challenges. This Strategic Plan outlines our desire to establish powerful connections with our communities to help our students and their families reach their dreams and aspirations,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

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