day-1---1b---davis-wong

Tertiary education in a rural
area – using the community
to increase the pool of
educated local social workers
Bree Davis and Melanie Wong
Manukau Institute of Technology
NZ Vocational Education and Training Research
Forum 2015

• Brief overview of Kaitaia
• Background as to how Manukau Institute of Technology
ended up in Kaitaia
• Overview of the Certificate of Social Service Pilot
• Community Campus
• Research project and outcomes
Objectives for today
bree.davis@manukau.ac.nz /
melanie.wong@manukau.ac.nz

Iwi representation

• Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board and Social Workers in
Schools (Swis)
– Social work services are delivered via two streams: school-
based social work covering all the schools in Muriwhenua,
from Matauri Bay in the East to Te Hapua in the North and
North Hokianga in the southwest, and whanau-based social
work in Kaitaia and surrounding districts
– Te Aupouri Social Services currently employs 13 full-time and
one part-time staff
Teaupouri (2012)
Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board

• Work with Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board to create a
pool of qualified social workers
• Bachelor of Applied Social Work (BASW)
– Qualification which enables students to be provisionally
registered
– An education program which incorporates bi-cultural practice,
delivery and content
• Staff members would need to be a right “fit” for the
area
Manukau Institute of Technology

• The Certificate of Social Services, Level 4,
• 15 students enrolled (14 female, 1 male)
– 15 students graduated
– 11 moved onto the BASW in Kaitaia
– 1 moved to Auckland to commence BASW
– 1 wanted to pursue arts
– 1 wanted to pursue nursing
– 1 caregiver for her family
The Pilot Program 2014

• Successfully deliver the Certificate in Social Services Level 4
• Gauge interest in Bachelor of Applied Social Work
– Community social services
– Prospective students
• Identify what supports students would need in the degree i.e.
access to support, academic, pastoral
• Assess IT capacity and capability for staff and students
• Professional support for staff
• Identify gaps in support for staff and students
Pilot Program Objectives

• Rural Education Activities Program (REAP)
– http://farnorthreap.org.nz/services/community-development/
• Kiwidotcom
• Social Services as support services
• Local library access
• Local Gym
• Health/Hauora Clinics
• Printing / Photocopy shop
• Far North Adult Literacy
Community Campus – What we discovered

• Lack of literature around the community as a resource for
supporting academic learning and achievements
• Limited research on using the community as a campus in rural
areas. Literature tend to pertain to Australian rural towns
Gap of research

• Those who study and live in their community enter the profession
with a knowledge of the community (Alston, 2007)
• Youth are more likely to migrate to urban areas for education, or
forsake education to stay locally (Drummond, Halsey, van Breda,
2011)
• Self-Determination/Rangatiratanga and desire to work in own
community (Greenwood & Te Aika, 2008: Macfarlane, Glynn, Grace,
Penetito, & Bateman, 2008).
• Maori to live as Maori with access to Te Ao Maori (Durie, 2003)
• Maori to have access to their culture and maintain their culture
within the tertiary institution (Durie, 2003)
• A strong cultural identity can increase student resilience for Maori
students (Bennett, 2002)
• A positive sense of self and cultural identity contributes to how
students approach the education system (Cumming-Ruwhiu, 2015)
Literature

• Experience of the pilot program
• Reversal of urban drift
• Maori identity for students
• Students can support their home community
• Potential process of community development that
encompasses identity and long term economic growth
– 28 families who don’t need to leave Kaitaia to get qualifications
– Awareness of the community needs and community agencies
– 28 qualified social workers local
Shaping of the research

• How can communities and students support one another
when there is no central campus?
• What are the realities of rural students and their desire to
learn locally.
• What does it mean to Tangata Whenua students to study
within their own rohe?
Research questions

• Online survey
– Duration: June to August
– Participants: Former Certificate in Social Services students
– Age range: 25 to 46
– Ethnicity: Maori and Maori/Pakeha
• Focus group interview
– Duration: Oct
– Participants: Current Bachelor of Applied Social Work students
including those who have completed Certificate in Social Services at
MIT
Research methods

• Most of the participants would like to stay at their community
to gain further qualifications
“Yes. The certificate gave me skills and understanding on society.
Skills I believe need developing further in order to "effectively"
support others, and overall improving the life and living of our
community.” Participant 9
Findings – online survey

• Participants want to have tertiary qualifications provided in
rural areas, due to
– Family commitment
– The unique standard of living
– Whanau support and community support
– Save travelling
“Doing the degree from home is a blessing. It gives the upper hand of
experience and commitment. The downfalls expressed on this matter, are
more often utilized as strengths rather than weakness. Given the correct
skills to learn the difference.” Participant 7

• What MIT support would be useful?
– Library, online books/readings
– Student counseling/pastoral care
– After class space to study

• Students want to stay in Kaitaia to study due to
– Family commitments
– Not having to move the family out of the area
– Finances to travel
– Support systems – whanau, friends, community
– Lifestyle
“Being born and bred up here…it’s a way of life, you know we’ve got
everything…it’s good to not live in yuk, smog, stress, rat race…” Participant
10
Findings – focus group

• Students see themselves and the degree as a part of the
community due to
– The community knowledge of students
– Learning in the context of where you are working
– Student knowledge of what is available in Kaitaia
– Kaitaia is the campus
“ I think it also uplifts the mana of the community, the mana of the
families, the community we live in…its not something that we do on our
own, the whole community, they feel it” Participant 11

• Students take responsibility for their own learning through
– Access to IT
– Community support for students
– Student Resiliency
• “We have to travel with commitment to get to kura, we have
to make sure we have the finances and plan ahead, we’re not
20 minutes up the road like in Auckland it’s 45, 60 minutes”
Participant 12

• Students consider themselves inclusive of their whānau,
hapu, iwi and the community
• Students don’t talk about identity as separate to community.
It is community and everything that encompasses that. It is
their place in Muriwhenua.
Discussion

• Consider how the infrastructure of the community is
equipped for students
• Work in partnership with service providers to support
students
• Engage with community so that they know there are students
in the area
• Encourage and support students to recognise and utilise the
agencies in their community
How to use the community as campus?

• A potential doctoral research
• Strengthen our ICTs system and resources
• Increase the capabilities of library services
• More qualifications available
Way forward

Reference
• Alston, M. (2007). Rural and Regional developments in social work higher education. Australian Social
Work, 60, (1), 107-121.
• Bennett, S. (2002). Cultural identity and academic achievement among Maori undergraduate university
students. Paper presented at National Maori Graduates of Psychology Symposium. New Zealand. Retrieved
from
http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/845/NMGPS_Paper_Bennett.pdf?seque
nce=1&isAllowed=y
• Cumming-Ruiwhiu, A. (2015). Nga Ara Manukura: An international comparison of indigenous peoples’
experiences of entering tertiary education. MAI Journal, 4,(1), 43-59. Retrieved from
http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz.ezproxy.manukau.ac.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=FL25
105917
• Drummond, A., Halsey, J., van Breda, M. (2011). The perceived importance of university presence in rural
Australia. Australia: Flinders University.
• Durie, M.H. (2003). Nga kahui pou: Launching Maori futures. Wellington, New Zealand: Huia.
• Greenwood, J., & Te Aika, L. (2008). Hei Tauira: Teaching and learning for success for Maori in Tertiary
Settings. New Zealand: Ministry of Education.
• Macfarlane, A., Glynn, T., Grace, W., Penetito, W., & Bateman, S. (2008). Indigenous epistemology in a
national curriculum framework. Ethnicities, 8, 102-126.
• Ministry for Tertiary Education. (2010). Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015. New Zealand: Ministry of
Education.

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