Pasifika students
UC welcomes new Pacific students from throughout New Zealand and across the Pacific.
The Pacific Development Team
UC's Pacific Development Team is dedicated to providing Pacific and Pasifika students with a supportive community environment in which to study and grow. Through joint efforts with other UC service departments, academics and community organisations, UC offers you a variety of programmes to support you in your studies.
Keep in touch and informed of goings-on via the Pacific Development Team Facebook page.
Pacific Liaison Officer
UC's Pacific Liaison Officer who can assist all first-year students starting their undergraduate degrees for the first time.
For more information contact the Future Students team.
Pacific student support services
Pacific student advisory services
UC's Pacific Student Advisors can provide you with advice on resources, services and general UC process matters that puts you in touch with the help you need on and off campus. College-specific advisors can help with matters related to your specific course of study.
Pacific and Pasifika scholarships
Numerous scholarships and awards are available to help you fund your studies. Search Scholarships to help identify upcoming scholarships for Pacific and Pasifika students in your discipline of study.
UCMe XL outreach programme
UCMe XL is an outreach programme delivered by the University of Canterbury Pacific Development Team and Pacific Liaison Office. It has been strategically designed to effectively engage Pacific students with education. The aim of the programme is to increase the academic achievement of Pacific students sitting NCEA levels 1, 2, and 3 to increase their likelihood of participating in tertiary education.
Get FRESH
An orientation event, Get FRESH is a one-day fun-packed programme introducing all first-year Pacific students to UC, designed to give you the best possible start to your first year at university.
Pasifika Welcome Day
The start of the academic year is marked with a celebratory Pasifika Welcome Day for all first-year and returning Pacific and Pasifika students and your families. The day opens with a welcome by the University Vice-Chancellor and includes student speakers, special presentations and ends with a Pacific lunch.
UC Pacific Mentoring Programme
The UC Pacific Mentoring Programme will help you as a Pacific student in your first year of study. You’ll have to a peer mentor that will provide direction, encouragement, motivation and most important of all friendship on a one-on-one basis.
Pacific Academic Solutions and Success (PASS) programme
The PASS programme will help you succeed academically. Through PASS you have access to free on-campus tutoring services. There are also revision and exam preparation support sessions offered in the lead of the exam periods.
PASS Learning Skills
PASS Learning Skills are provided by the Academics Skills Centre staff, specifically for Pasifika students. Each session is two hours, but students can choose to attend for just one hour. Students can show up with assignments and essay questions, and there will be an expert on hand to help out and work through the questions.
Social activities and groups
Jandals Evenings
Jandals are social evenings organised by students for students. Held two to three times a year, these evenings usually involve a few fun games, quizzes, spot prizes, impromptu entertainment and a lot of very loud laughter.
Ol Skool Dinners
Old School Dinners are social evenings for our mature or adult students, who might like to spend time with other adult students. The dinners are an opportunity for these students to get together, unwind and escape the stress and pressure of exams, research and or writing.
Study and social spaces for Pacific and Pasifika students
Pasifika Student House (The Fale)
The Pasifika Student House is your place to drop in between classes, to meet other Pacific students, check your e-mail, eat your lunch or simply catch up on some reading. The Pasifika Student House is equipped with kitchen facilities, shared textbooks for core 100-level papers, computers and a tutorial room with a whiteboard.