Last updated Wednesday 11 May 2022
Tēnā tātou e te whānau,
Your health and safety is important to us and with COVID-19 in our communities we want to ensure Te Wānanga o Aoteaora is a āhuru mōwai (safe haven) for everyone.
After careful consideration, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has made changes to the Tikanga Whakahaere (policy) that was in place from 21 February 2022.
This means anyone on campus or attending our events no longer needs be fully vaccinated (or has a valid medical exemption) from 1 June 2022.
The tikanga whakahaere was reviewed in May 2022 and will continue to be while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. During this time, we will continue to be guided by Government guidelines.
We’ve put together FAQs below, if you have any pātai or concerns please contact COVID.Communication@twoa.ac.nz.
What does ‘fully vaccinated’ mean?
It means having two doses of a medically approved COVID-19 vaccine. Your status as fully vaccinated will need to be verified by your My Vaccine Pass.
Are vaccine booster shots mandatory?
At this stage, they’re not a requirement for 'full vaccination'.
Boosters help top up the protection for those with compromised health or who had their second vaccination more than three months ago.
If I have a medical exemption, will this be accepted in place of being fully vaccinated?
Yes. Valid medical exemptions are accepted in place of being fully vaccinated as per the tikanga whakahaere (policy).
Medical exemptions can only be issued by the Ministry of Health and applications for a medical exemption can only be made by medical or nurse practitioners. Information about applying for a medical exemption is available here.
How will Te Wānanga o Aotearoa check each person’s vaccination status?
Tauira enrolling into 2022 programmes will be required to provide their My Vaccine Pass during their enrolment process. Throughout the process tauira will be advised to provide a PDF of their My Vaccine Pass via a reply email to the tauira registry team.
All kaimahi, tauira, contractors and manuhiri visiting a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa site will be required to show their My Vaccine Pass to enter the building.
I am meeting with / bringing a visitor onsite. Is it my responsibility to make sure they are vaccinated?
All tauira, contractors and manuhiri visiting a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa site will be required to show their My Vaccine Pass to enter the building. If you’re bringing someone on site with you, it is recommended that you advise them ahead of time so they can be prepared.
Do I have to wear a face mask on site?
Face coverings will remain part of our health protection measures at all levels of the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
Unless you have a Ministry of Health-approved medical exemption, anyone on site must wear a face-covering indoors and when accessing services such as the library and cafes and other onsite services.
What do I do if I test positive for COVID-19?
If you (staff, students, visitors to campus) test positive for COVID-19 (either PCR or RAT), you'll need to do two things:
-
Notify the Ministry of Health AND
- Notify your kaiako to enable our contact tracers to quickly contact you and trace your whereabouts
You’ll need to self-isolate and follow the instructions on the United against Covid-19 website.
I’ve been accepted or provisionally enrolled in a programme, what do I need to do?
You’ll need to meet the new vaccination requirements if you have classes on site or to access any of our on-site facilities.
We’ll send you an email with instructions including how to provide your My Vaccine Pass to fully secure your place on the programme or follow the instructions below.
Submit your valid ‘My Vaccine Pass’ in our 101 Student Management System:
- Go to https://101.twoa.ac.nz
- Click on “Need a 101 account”
- Enter the required information (Date of Birth and ID Number). Then click on ‘Next’
- Enter your email address. Then Click on ‘Next’ NOTE: The email address is where you would like an email sent if you forget your password.
- Choose your own password. Then Click on ‘Create’
- You will then get a message “Your Account has been created. Please go to 101 Home to log in”.
Alternatively, you can email a PDF copy to 101@twoa.ac.nz and our team will verify.
If I’m enrolled in He Korowai Ākonga Bachelor of Education or the Ngā Poutoko Whakarara Oranga Bachelor of Bicultural Social Work, do I need to be fully vaccinated?
Yes. To be able to successfully complete the programme you must undertake the compulsory placement/practicum component within a sector where full vaccination has been mandated by Government.
Is there any support available while I study?
Absolutely. We know that during these times it can be quite overwhelming and if you need awhi (support) we encourage you to reach out.
Contact our Manaaki Tauira (Student Support) 0800 355 553 from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday or ask a question via our website.
While on your learning journey with us, you can also access helpful resources on Te Matakā – our student services website.
Here you can also access Te Puna Manaaki – our tauira support services. This contains a digital toolbox including the Microsoft Office suite, as well as access to your digital classrooms Akorau or iAkoranga. You'll also find information about our online and door-to-door library service.
If you need help signing in, view the Te Matakā login video.
What's Phase 3 of the Red Traffic Light Setting mean for me?
Under Phase three of the RED setting of the Government’s COVID-19 Protection Framework, tauira and kaimahi are still able to access the sites as usual, however, if you’re feeling māuiui, please stay home and do not enter the sites.
The use of masks, scanning and sanitising is still recommended. For more information visit Unite Against COVID-19 website.
How will we be kept up to date on any changes?
We encourage tauira to check their emails regularly for updates, and keep in contact with their kaiako/tutor, for more specific information and support services available. Important updates can also be found on our Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Facebook page.
Will graduation go ahead this year?
With the move to the RED Traffic Light setting and the limitations this brings with organising events, we’re still discussing how graduation might look under these guidelines. Once we know more information we’ll advise all graduates closer to the time.