Learner's rights and conduct

We provide comprehensive support services to help learners succeed in their journey.
Support s

Supporting you in your workplace

When you enrol with us, your workplace makes a commitment to support you in your learning programme. This means that specific people in your organisation are responsible for helping you to pick up the knowledge and skills required in your programme. This might include your manager, supervisor or senior colleagues.

This support could involve teaching you new processes and tasks, checking your work, answering questions, observing you and offering advice, helping you solve problems, or directing you to the right resources so that you can do your own learning.

Bullying s

Bullying and harassment

All learners are entitled to a safe working and learning environment, free from discrimination, harassment and bullying.

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What are bullying and harassment?

Harassment means behaviour towards someone that is unwelcome or offensive and targets their gender, gender identity, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, religion or marital status.

Bullying is any behaviour towards someone that is unwelcome and unreasonable, and includes victimisation, humiliation, exclusion, and undermining or threatening behaviour, whether by individuals or a group.

How we can help

Te Mahi Ako provides a number of steps for learners to take if they have concerns about bullying and/or harassment:

  • Start by contacting your learner advisor – or any Te Mahi Ako staff member – to discuss your concerns.
  • If you feel safe and comfortable enough to do so, try talking directly to the person who is bullying or harassing you. More on this below.
  • We will work directly with your employer, where appropriate, to tackle any issues that are taking place at work.
  • If the bullying or harassment is serious, or if nothing else works and it is still going on, we recommend you make a formal complaint. You can start this process using the confidential complaints form on our forms page or find out more in our Ākonga (Learner) Complaints/Grievances policy, in the policy section on this page.

Other sources of guidance

  • The Ministry of Employment provides advice on how to raise bullying and harassment with the person responsible, if that's safe and appropriate in your situation. Check it out here.
  • If you are experiencing online harassment or bullying, Netsafe NZ has a detailed guide on how to protect yourself from this behaviour through unfriending and blocking actions, and reporting harmful online content. Check it out here.

Complaints process

If you feel something isn't right with your experience as a Te Mahi Ako learner, you have the right to complain, and our job is to respond with fairness, consistency and in a reasonable time.

You might experience problems with your learning programme, or concerns about the behaviour of other learners/ākonga, our staff, your employer, or other people involved in your learning journey.

How to complain or raise an issue

Our Learner Support team is there to provide holistic support - that means supporting you as as a learner and as a whole person. You can talk to your Learner Support Coordinator, or any Te Mahi Ako staff member, about any problems that are impacting your ability to study, or any incidents that have made you feel unsafe while studying.

You can make a complaint or report an issue through the complaints form on our Forms page. You can also contact us at learner.support@temahiako.org.nz or 0508 475 455, and one of our team will contact you.

You'll find more information on our complaints process in our Ākonga (Learner) Complaints/Grievances policy, in the policy section on this page. This policy is in line with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice and the NZQA provider complaints process.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, domestic and non-domestic learners can escalate the matter to the following authorities:

  • Support services, pastoral care, quality of your programme, or the management of Te Mahi Ako - contact NZQA
  • A financial or contractual issue, contact Study Complaints. 
If you are uncertain which dispute resolution scheme applies to you, you can email risk@nzqa.govt.nz for help.


EMERGENCIES

Please be aware that the Te Mahi Ako Learner Support team is not a crisis service.

If you or anyone you care about is in immediate danger, or a danger to others, then you must contact 111.

Click here for a list of helplines and support channels including after-hours services. 

Policies and documents

Te Mahi Ako policies

As a learner, you are entitled to view our policies, so that you can understand how we operate, and the reasoning behind our decisions and processes.

The Skills Active Te Mahi Ako Policy Manual contains all our policies which are relevant for learners. This includes: 

  • Equal Education Opportunities Policy

  • Assessment Policy

  • Cheating Policy

  • Impaired Performance/Aegrotat Policy

  • Academic Appeal Process Policy

  • Ākonga Charter Policy

  • Staff Charter

  • Ākonga Conduct and Discipline Policy

  • Recognition of Knowledge and Skills Policy

  • Ākonga Complaints/Grievances Policy

  • Withdrawal and Refunds Policy