Pastoral care

The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 came into effect on 1 January 2022, replacing  the Education (Pastoral Care of Domestic Tertiary Students) Interim Code of Practice 2019  and the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students, to which UC is also signatory. 

This Code sets out the standards of care and support that are expected of tertiary education providers. 

Hall Staff and Residential Assistants/Taurima 

At each hall of residence, a range of staff are on hand in various residential and non-residential roles to make sure your stay is safe, secure, and happy. All halls employ Residential Assistants/Taurima to be the first point of contact for students, acting in a supportive role and referring any concerns to the appropriate hall of residence staff or UC support team, as required. Residential Assistants/Taurima undertake an extensive training programme within each hall, as well as the following sessions organised by UC:

• Responding to people in psychological distress
• Sexual harm prevention and response
• Privacy
• Diversity and rainbow awareness
• Pathyways to UC support services
• De-escalation techniques to prevent physical harm
• Bicultural awareness.

Induction and Orientation

All residents are strongly encouraged to complete the UC online and in person induction programme including support services, the student code of conduct, consent awareness, belonging/inclusiveness, and alcohol/drugs/risk.  The goal is to increase understanding and awareness to maximise wellbeing and academic success and ensure understanding of how to access all relevant support services available.  

Community Building 

Residential life activities and events are offered every week by all halls. These ensure that students are provided social, academic, cultural, community and wellbeing support and opportunities to enhance their university experience.  

UC Support Services 

There are several points of contact at UC who provide students with practical guidance, advice, and support in dealing with issues and concerns they may face while studying and living at UC. These include:

• Student Care (domestic and international students)
• UC Health Centre
• Te Waka Pākākano (Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori, Pacific and Equity)
• Faculty Student Advisors
• UC Chaplaincy.  

Health and Wellbeing

UC strongly recommend registering with the UC Health Centre on arrival to ensure students’  health and wellbeing. The meningitis vaccine is free to domestic students under 25 living in halls of residence, and free counselling is accessible to most students. 

All halls monitor the welfare and wellbeing of their students and refer students to support services for specialised support.

Academic Support

UC offers a unique Analytics for Course Engagement (ACE) monitoring system for first year students. ACE is a dashboard platform that provides students and staff with an enhanced real time view of engagement with learning systems and academic progress. Dedicated UC resources are responsible for monitoring and escalating issues as they arise. This enables students who need more support to be identified and followed up quickly. 

Information on support or how to raise a concern is outlined on the Domestic Code webpage.   

The halls all provide tailored tutorials and academic support throughout the year.

Quality Assurance and Code Compliance 

The University annually engages a third party auditor to perform a quality assurance review on our student accommodation services to assess if the current frameworks in place (including policies, guidelines, processes and controls) with respect to student welfare and pastoral care services are designed and operating in complaince to the requirements of the Code.  

All halls promote resident safety, learning and personal growth; and encourage a sense of community and association with fellow residents. Residents and staff work together to ensure a positive and respectful community. Halls seek and incorporate feedback from residents; and work with them to develop and improve house rules