This document is a wrap-up of a September 2026 forum held by the DVCA Academic Portfolio. It summarizes what staff heard during a workshop focused on shaping a better start for every new student, covering the entire journey from offer to becoming a confident, connected student.
DVCA Academic Portfolio Forum Wrap-Up September 2026
What we heard at the DVCA Portfolio Forum: shaping a better start for every student Thank you to everyone who shared their experience and ideas at our September Forum.
Next step: team structures • Our new AD Student Experience is Laura Carseldine and new AD Student Transitions is Meighan Hay: both start on 12 October. • We’re recruiting for an AD Planning, Performance & Analytics: for now Tim O'Brien will continue to manage that team. • AD Change & Improvement – we have made an offer to a candidate and expect them to start on 9 November. • AD Student Learning, AD Quality Assurance and AD Teaching Design and Innovation - all have shortlisted candidates. As we continue to fill these positions, each Director/AVC will work with staff to create a plan to transition across to the new teams.
Welcome and purpose It was great to bring the DVCA portfolio together in September to reconnect, hear a short update on work across the portfolio, and then turn our collective attention to a practical design challenge: what would it take for every new student, however and whenever they arrive, to feel ready, connected and confident from offer through their first trimester? The workshop gave us a valuable portfolio-wide view of what students encounter now, where the gaps sit, and which parts of the experience we could connect or strengthen. This round-up focuses on what you told us and what will happen next.
Looking beyond Orientation Week Here is what we heard about creating a clearer, more connected onboarding journey for students. For the workshop, we treated onboarding as the whole journey from offer to becoming a confident and connected student. Teams mapped the current experience across five stages, considered it through different student lenses, designed improvements and then prioritised their strongest ideas.
What we heard 1. Students encounter services, not one connected journey. Multiple entry points, uneven handoffs and different advice can make the experience depend on where a student starts and who they ask. 2. There is plenty of information, but it is not always usable. Staff pointed to too many emails, information arriving at the wrong time, inconsistent webpages, unclear language and no dependable place for the current answer. 3. Orientation ends before onboarding does. The transition into study continues well into the first trimester, especially for students who arrive late, study online, return after a break or do not live in a hall. 4. Human connection and proactive contact matter. Staff supported practical ways to make help easier to reach, including buddies, call-backs, bookable advice, warm handoffs and proactive follow-up. 5. Academic basics need to be available earlier and more consistently. Paper outlines, degree planning, timetables and Moodle access shape whether students can plan confidently around work, family and other commitments. Which tells us: A common journey should be consistent for everyone, with targeted pathways and support for different cohorts where needed. Staff also need clear referral information and ownership so they can help students navigate confidently.
A strong base to build from The workshop also highlighted that we are not starting from scratch. There are strong services and approaches we can connect and extend. Welcoming human support Accommodation onboarding, the Student Centre, the Tauranga Hub and support coordinators. Culturally grounded support Pālu Navigators, Pacific@Waikato, the Imua Initiative and Te Pūoho. Peer connection Waikato Locals, halls, clubs and existing mentoring approaches. Orientation and divisional activity Orientation, Division Day and Library tours, where students can attend them.
Ideas people put forward 1 A single student checklist, supported by a matching staff referral guide. 2 A catch-up route and early check-ins that extend onboarding beyond Orientation. 3 Earlier, more consistent access to paper outlines, degree-planning information, timetables and Moodle. 4 Bookable call-backs, mini-clinics and warm handoffs that preserve human connection. 5 More peer mentoring for Tauranga, online and international students. 6 Targeted support designed with the students and specialist teams concerned. 7 Longer-term technology options for clearer communication and proactive follow-up.
What happens next Thank you again for the energy, honesty and practical thinking you brought to the workshop. The orientation team will review the full set of suggestions and work through what is feasible for the next intake, what needs further design or testing, and what should be built into a longer-term plan. We will share a further update once that review has been completed, so you can see how the ideas from the Forum are being taken forward.
Ngā mihi