Local Ceremonies For Northtec’s First Diploma Of Whānau Ora Programme

Twenty-four Diploma in Whānau Ora students will be celebrated this Thursday evening (Kaikohe-based cohort of seven) and Saturday morning (Kaitāia-based cohort of 17) through NorthTec Te Pūkenga local ceremonies.

These first two cohorts of the one-year Diploma in Whānau Ora (Level 5) were part of a workforce development strategy to entry-level qualify rurally located Northland social services kaimahi/practitioners. Taught through NorthTec Te Pūkenga and based in both Kaikohe and Kaitāia, the Diploma is a stand-alone qualification as well as being the first year of the social work degree, originally provided through Toi-Ohomai.

“The flexibility of having a qualification that was not only standalone as a level five diploma, but also could potentially pathway kaimahi into the second-year of a social work degree was too good an opportunity to pass up, and so we fought hard to bring the Diploma to Te Taitokerau, and have been really pleased by the uptake from our local kaimahi, especially because this is the very first time we’ve taught it.” said Dr. Moana Mitchell, academic lead and one of the tutors for the Diploma in Whānau Ora.

“Basing this diploma programme in these Far North and Mid North locations would never have been possible had it not been for the support and vision of some key leaders within these local communities and also NorthTec Te Pūkenga. The RoVE (Reform of Vocational Education) has really given us a clear direction when it comes to creating a seamless and sustainable vocational-based education system” stated Dr. Mitchell.

The Diploma in Whānau Ora graduands will be celebrated through Te Rā Hui Whakapūmau, showcasing the value of local ceremonies, specifically in visibilising tauira/student success and involving whānau, supporters and our local communities in these achievements. There is the hope that such events will pave the way for more degree and diploma ceremonies being based in places such as Kaikohe and Kaitāia.

“It is significantly important that we base our ceremonies in our local communities so our whānau and kids can see that higher education is not only achievable, it is something that already happens in our own backyard. This diploma programme itself is a shining exemplar of what vocational education can do for rural communities, and I do hope that there are future opportunities to do more with this type of educative model” Dr. Mitchell concluded.

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