Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of Students
The University of Canterbury is committed to supporting the wellbeing and safety of our students. Along with other tertiary education providers in New Zealand, the University must ensure that it is compliant with the expectations set out in the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
What is the Code?
The Code was developed by the Ministry of Education with student input to document a range of requirements designed to support the wellbeing and safety of domestic and international students. It covers topics like physical safety and inclusion, access to advice and support services, physical and mental health support, support for transition into and out of university study, student accommodation requirements, and having opportunities for students to have their voices heard.
Annual self-review of pastoral care
As part of the Code, the University needs to undertake an annual self-review to assess whether it is meeting the Code's expectations. For 2022, the attestation process focused on documenting work to align outcomes with code expectations and summarising pastoral care enhancements and best practice initiatives. You can find a copy of UC's 2022 report that was submitted to Universities New Zealand (UNZ) below, along with feedback from the UCSA on the University's efforts.
What do I do if I have a concern?
If you have any concerns about your wellbeing and safety at UC, you should discuss these in the first instance with , UCSA, or the . For more information on the University’s formal complaints process, please see the webpage.
UC's Student Wellbeing portfolio coordinates work connected with the Code of Practice at UC and are happy to hear from anyone who has suggestions on how student wellbeing and safety here can be improved.


Timothy Rowe
Kairuruku Oranga
Wellbeing Coordinator

George Haswell
Kaihāpai Oranga
Health and Wellbeing Promoter

Emma Collins
Kaihapai Oranga | Health and Wellbeing Promoter
Sexual Harm Prevention
The role of Kairuruku | Sexual Harm Prevention & Response Lead is to support a positive, safe and respectful culture at the University of Canterbury. Working collaboratively with staff and students, the role provides expert advice and leads the development of interventions and initiatives designed to reduce sexual harm.
