Investment Plan Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre (Trading as Taratahi Institute of Agriculture)
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Investment Plan Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre (Trading as Taratahi Institute of Agriculture)
2 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
TEO name Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre
EDUMIS number 8504
Lead contact for Plan discussions John Whaanga
This person must have a good understanding of the
proposed Plan, be able to access Workspace 2 and
be able to be contacted by the TEC for at least six
weeks from the submission date
Work phone
Mobile 027 459 1523
Email john.whaanga@taratahi.ac.nzMission and role
Taratahi's mission is: “Taratahi will be the leading provider of sub-degree vocational education for
agriculture.”
This will be achieved by:
The implementation of our unique model for authentic vocational education encompassing strong
pathways and a national curriculum;
achieving successful outcomes;
driving educational success through authentic farm learning;
developing pathways from secondary, through tertiary to employment;
High quality agricultural education cannot be sustained through government funding alone. Taratahi is
engaged in growing our capability and capacity through diversification of our partnerships, our school
engagement, our products, our teaching and learning delivery models, and our markets.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) 2014 paper1 states, “The amount of change that has occurred in
the primary industries over the last 10 years has been significant. Farming systems continue to become
more sophisticated, and the level of scrutiny over the management of our natural resources intensifies. The
skills and knowledge required across the primary industries will need to keep pace with the changing
demands of society and discerning consumers”. MPI states, “The modelling suggests there is an increasing
demand for more people in occupations with higher qualifications, especially for professional degrees in
fields of specialisation aligned with the value chain, including areas such as integrated farms systems. It is
also very clear that we need to increase the skill level across the board. This means that even roles that
have traditionally not required formal qualifications will increasingly need greater skills and an increased
demand for on-the-job and professional training” [Author’s emphasis].
Achieving Successful Outcomes
Taratahi has experienced declining EPIs in recent years. However, significant activities and initiatives have
been implemented over the period 2016 to 2018 to support capability building and quality. Since 2016,
Taratahi has been implementing a significant change programme. This has also contributed to low course
completions as past processes and behaviours have been unwound and new processes and systems have
been rolled out. In 2016 Taratahi implemented its Te Ara Whakamua strategy, the first stage of this change
process. Building on this is a three-year strategy, ending in 2021, to reposition Taratahi as the national
provider of primary industries training.
Despite the challenges faced in the redevelopment of Taratahi as a high level educational provider, Taratahi
has increased its engagement with learners’ year on year. Between 2015 and 2017 the number of learners
engaged in funded education has grown from 828 to 1222. There have been increases within Māori
learners by 3% and of females by 2%. This year to date the percentage of females has increased a further
5% to 39% overall.
Driving Educational Success through Authentic Farm Learning
Taratahi’s vocational education model focusses on the engagement of farm assets to enable a balance of
applied learning to theoretical learning. All our farms are high performing which means students learn and
work on farms which are at the forefront of their respective business. We have access arrangements with
200 top performing farms throughout New Zealand allowing students to learn in an authentic setting. We
1 Future Capability needs for the primary industries in New Zealand, April 20144 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
currently have three research partnerships on our farms allowing our students exposure to the latest
methodologies and scientific and technological advances.
The Taratahi vocational model includes two residential campuses (Wairarapa and Telford). Our education
philosophy is to grow our farmers and lifelong learners through vocational, learner cantered, experiential
teaching and learning. Practice and theory are fully integrated and delivered in real life, authentic contexts.
These contexts consistently model industry standards, promote innovation and lead to sustainable
practices.
Developing Pathways from Secondary, through Tertiary to Employment
Taratahi has embarked on a three-year strategic journey to reframe our organisation to meet the changing
demands of placed upon us by the changes in the Primary sector and the change within education. This
strategy addresses the pivot points of change to ensure quality graduates for the demand of the Primary
sector. These pivots are:
1. Pipeline. The redesign and redevelop of our pipeline to better target Year 13 learners. Our schools
pathways programme ensures we will be working closely in schools continuing on from the
programme provided by Young Farmers in years nine and ten. Students will pathway our
programmes from year 11 through to year 13. This process of introducing the Primary sector to
students earlier will ensure stronger career choices that lead to employment with higher skills
including management skills. Planned, multi-year engagement is the goal here. A future of
employment within the sector can only be successful if it is promoted over a number of successive
years. The Primary sector promotes long-term career employment rather than other career
options that are impeded by cyclic employment trends.
2. Ensuring a Pre Enrolment to Post Employment (PE2PE) approach to learners.
The more we can understand the journey of a learner prior to their engagement with us, the better
placed we are to ensure the appropriate support is available through their journey with us. Once
graduated we will aim to keep in contact over a 1, 3 and 5 year period to understand their journey
post-study. This will give a great deal of insight into the movement of employees within the sector
and opportunities taken for advancement through higher study or employment. This, in turn will
inform our product development.
3. High capture and retention rate across all programmes including Trades Academy and STAR.
Taratahi is committed to ensuring learners are retained and progressed, where applicable, through
to higher levels of study to ensure the quality of graduates for the sector. As highlighted in this
paper, the future of the sector depends on ensuring learners enter education and ensuring they
can progress through to the highest level in their chosen discipline. This is an acknowledgement
that level 3 is the new general skills level and allows for specialisation to occur from level 4 onward
in either continuing study of through the Primary ITO Apprenticeship model.
4. Ensuring that Māori are supported to succeed within and beyond Taratahi.
Given the growth of Māori participation within the sector, both as business owners and employees,
it is vital that Taratahi ensure that our vocational model meets the learning styles of Māori. With
40% of our learners being of Māori decent Taratahi has a mandate to ensure successful outcomes
for Māori through continuous review of our teaching practice, support systems and assessment
methodology. Taratahi’s model of authentic on-farm experiential learning engages Māori in
education in a way that traditional tertiary education does not.5. Recruitment of career changers.
Career Changers (25 years plus) as a pipeline for quality employees is already a growing category of
enrolment for Taratahi. This group tends to be very committed and keen on completing education
and seeking employment as soon as possible.
Our Role
Our role is to be the primary national education provider for agriculture, working in partnership with the
Primary ITO, regional ITP’s and the Primary sector. Our model of delivery and business structure has been
developed to underpin high quality education at a nationwide scale. The nationwide scale of Taratahi
means that our stakeholders, both students and industry, can expect and receive expert, consistent
agricultural education and training wherever they are in the country.
Taratahi sees its responsibility to the Primary sector on both as a supplier of graduates to the sector and
also as a partner to the sector in understanding and crafting the ever changing demand of the sector.6 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
Mission-related capability
This Plan is for the 2019 2020 Investment period.
Management and Governance
Taratahi is a Not-for-profit Private Training Establishment with Crown interest and a registered charity.
Taratahi is governed under the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre Act 1969 with Board members
appointed or nominated by the Crown or nominated by industry bodies.
Our work is based on 150 years’ combined experience of our core institutions (Taratahi and Telford)
From the beginning of 2016, Taratahi has, under its Chief Executive and Board guidance, developed a
Senior Leadership Team (Kaitohu Hanga), to implement the changes needed in structure and in culture to
be a national provider of specialist agricultural education and training.
In 2016, the new management team embarked on identifying the problems and developing a significant
change programme across the whole organisation, it was apparent at the time that the scale of change
would not be achieved in one or two years and that it would take three years to achieve a step change in
systems and processes resulting in improved education performance and outcomes for graduates. (Refer
Section 5: Outcomes and Measures). The initial programme of change, titled “Te Ara Whakamua – The
Way Forward,” was designed to reframe the educational model, optimise the financial performance and
diversify products and pathways for the benefit of all stakeholders, in particular the students.
Taratahi has made significant changes to its programme offerings in the past two years, in terms of
relevance and quality, (Refer Section 4: Programmes and Activities) and in 2018 it has confidence in its
Education Strategy and supporting Schools’ strategy. It has also developed a Māori strategy, a Literacy and
Numeracy strategy and is developing an Equal Education Opportunities strategy to ensure that the
programmes that it is rolling out meet the needs of learners and industry stakeholders.
A three-year strategic plan, approved by our Board, outlines a clear direction and we are in the process of
implementing our strategy through five strategic objectives.
These are:
1. We will have a well-positioned value proposition
2. We will have built a resilient and sustainable business
3. We will be a learner-centric organisation
4. We will be a specialist national skills organisation
5. We will develop a sustainable farm network to ensure the authenticity and success of our VET
model
The Authentic Vocational Model
The authentic vocational education model requires significant infrastructure investment, and particularly
where students are residential, requires significant wrap around support. This is a high quality model with
high investment requirements. (Refer Section 6: Additional Information).
Taratahi integrates learning and farming by ensuring that when we deliver programmes we do the
following:
Ensure that the delivery is matched to farm seasons and includes modern farming skills;
Start with the learning outcomes and plan the delivery and assessment structure for a cohort of
learners, continuously mapping back to farm seasons and farm plans; and Ensure that assessments are aligned to the farming cycle, use authentic contexts and support
experiential learning, scenario based learning, case studies and project work.
It is Taratahi’s mission to ensure that graduates from our programmes exemplify the skills and knowledge
required to maintain relevance for their employers and provide the platform for continuing skills and
professional educational development. Graduates will require new capabilities, in addition to traditional
farming skills. The rural sector is subject to a greater degree of public scrutiny than ever before.
Consideration of animal, environmental and human welfare will form the basis on how consumers will
make their food choices. The effects of environmental policies, both current and proposed, will also have
an effect on the knowledge graduates bring to a role. A greater understanding of science, systems thinking,
business management, data and analytics is required along with higher literacy and numeracy skills.
In early 2018, Taratahi reviewed its curriculum. The Taratahi curriculum is made up of a combination of
three parts. Broadly speaking, these are Social and Emotional skills (a metacognitive approach); Life Skills
(Self-management, teambuilding resilience); and Technical Skills (Industry skills, knowledge and
understanding).
The Value Proposition
The value proposition that Taratahi can offer to its graduates and to employers of graduates, is the Taratahi
stamp of quality. The quality stamp is determined by our curriculum, how well we integrate farming and
learning and how we support our learners to achieve.
Maori Success
Success for our Māori students is built on foundations of Māori culture and identity, pedagogies and
tikanga. It reflects a holistic approach to the student. This holistic approach to teaching, learning and
assessment, enhances the well-being of students and this enriches and empowers students to succeed and
contribute to their industry, community, iwi and wider society after study.
The landscape of farming ownership and employment is also changing with the growth of corporate farms
and the rise of Iwi owned enterprises. It has been well identified that Māori will play an increasing role
within the Primary sector, not only as the largest group of employees in an agricultural future but as
employers running high value production businesses involved in export. The largest growth of population
over the next 25 years in 15 to 24 year olds, excluding the Auckland region, will be of Māori descent. Not
only are Māori the providers of employment, they are the largest block of potential employees for our
sector. With 42% of our current students being Māori, we value the strong partnerships that we have built
with Iwi. This is best exemplified by the Tautane Farm, which is owned by Ngāti Kahungunu and is managed
by Taratahi. This farm is seen by Māori learners as an example of Māori achievement and provides
inspiration and pride for these students. Taratahi also has relationships with Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa,
Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Rangitane, Otakanini Tōpū, Ngāi Tai, Wairarapa Moana Trust, Te Matarau Education
Trust, Kokako Trust and Te Rarawa.
This demonstrates how Taratahi’s mission and strategy gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Our Regional Approach
We will be focusing on the pool of untapped talent in the urban centres. Previous recruitment efforts have
largely focused on the rural sector, but we will be putting more effort into attracting students from urban
areas who are not normally exposed to the raft of employment opportunities that the Primary sector
offers. We will consult with our stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of our programme portfolio and8 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018 graduate outcomes. We will establish our provision in new areas, however, should the feedback from industry indicate that this is not meeting industry needs we will re-evaluate our future direction. The Auckland region, for example, has a large number of urban students of all cultures who will be required to meet the shortages predicted by MPI. Schools, such as Mount Albert Grammar, already promote the Primary sector within their curriculum from which students’ pathway through to further study. Many Auckland students however have not been offered the opportunity to understand the benefits of a career in the Primary sector. Taratahi’s pathways provide opportunities to enter the Primary sector through engagement in level 2 and 3 programmes as well as from Year 13 directly into a level 4 programme either in study or through entry into the Primary ITO apprenticeship. We have had increased interest from South Auckland with Māori, who had not contemplated a career in the Primary sector engaging enthusiastically in study. These young people are showing an increasing interest in a career in agriculture and this is being reflected in enquiries and enrolments both in the Auckland region and at our residential campuses. Our direct funded students in some regions are low in number, however graduates progress into employment, apprenticeships, and higher levels programmes at our residential campuses or with other educational providers. These regional hubs are also active in supporting programmes of study through regional ITPs and support off-job training for the Primary ITO. Taratahi is well placed to provide agricultural education upskilling the NZ Primary sector Workforce at Levels 2 to 5 at locations across the country. The challenge is to ensure that the right funding is delivered in the right context. The Primary sector has been supported with school graduates with NCEA 1 and 2. This has been reinforced, unfortunately, by funding policies that have concentrated on level 1 and 2 as entry level to the Primary sector. The combination in recent years has led to a poor match between the supply of graduates against the needs of the sector. Unfortunately many graduates with this level of achievement will not find employment and need further formal education to achieve meaningful long-term employment outcomes. For the sector to grow capability, knowledge and analytical skills and an adaptable workforce the focus needs to be driven by a demand focus driven by industry needs. Our Schools Strategy To achieve this Taratahi is engaging with schools from year 11 to provide an embedded understanding of the opportunities for a career in the Primary sector. The programme, known as Mahi Tahi, engages students with other partners such as Young Farmers, who are actively promoting agriculture in years nine and ten, and with regional ITP’s and the Primary ITO to give a united view of the sector and employment possibilities. As schools ensure the retention of students to year 13 this focus on the primary sector will increasingly result in engaged school leavers who see the primary sector as a valid choice for employment. A new Schools’ strategy, with a focus on pathways from year 11 through to tertiary level 5 programmes, is being rolled out for 2019, our expectation is that this will increase progression from school to tertiary in the primary industry from 8% to 25% over the next three years (Refer Section 5: Outcomes and Measures). Our education delivery pathways build on pathways to the industry. Pathways begin at level 2 with foundation education (Youth Guarantee and SAC level 2 provision) and in school using our Trades Academy places, part-time SAC L3 and above (3+2 model) and user pays STAR and Taster programmes. We have developed a “Primary Pathway” programme at level 3, as an introduction to the primary industry specialization, which pathways into several options including farm systems and milk harvesting, from there students can go into a farm assistant role in the workforce, into ITO apprenticeships, or continue with Taratahi to Level 4 and above. A student exiting at level 4 can expect to progress more quickly to a 2IC/management role, and has the potential to earn a higher salary than a student exiting with a level 3 qualification. Taratahi is constantly reviewing industry demand and assessing how we can work with the industry to develop long-term employment outcomes.
Taratahi is committed to ensuring increased numbers of learners are retained and progressed through to higher levels of study to ensure the quality of graduates for the sector. The future of the sector depends on ensuring learners enter education and ensuring they can progress through to the highest level in their chosen discipline. This is in acknowledgement that level 3 is the new general skills level. Specialisation should occur from level 4 onward. Pathways to level 5 and above include the Massey Diploma in Agriculture, including the residential Dairy Academy programme, the Diploma in Rural Vet Technician (Telford programme) and the Agribusiness Diploma, supported by our online Learning Management System and face to face. From there students can pathway into programmes offered by our partners, the Primary ITO (through apprenticeships), Universities, ITP’s and Wananga. The more we can understand the journey of a learner prior to their engagement with us, the better placed we are to ensure the appropriate support is available through their journey with us. Once graduated we aim to keep in contact over a 1, 3 and 5 year period to understand their journey post-study. This will give insight into the movement of employees within the sector and opportunities taken for advancement through higher study or employment. This, in turn, informs our product development. Value Proposition for our learners Taratahi does not just deliver education outcomes for students, it is part of the wider fabric of the various communities it delivers to. Our educational delivery is built on decades of community partnerships and a commitment to build pathways into higher levels of learning and sustainable employment outcomes. We are a highly recognised and respected and valued part of the Primary sector. Taratahi also understands the value of collaboration to achieve the economies of scale to provide the best opportunities for learners and to meet the sector’s needs. Taratahi has established partnerships with AgResearch, UCoL, SIT, Massey, Lincoln, EIT, Wintec and NorthTec through our diversification of partnerships strategy we will work with other providers in other regions to meet the needs of industry and students. We also have an international reputation for assisting other countries in establishing agricultural training through consultation and advice through Government agencies. Our farms are benchmarked and are consistently high performing which impacts positively on our education provision. Our sheep and beef farms are all in the top quintile for performance. We have an active stakeholder engagement at both a regional and national level with strong feedback loops on programme design and delivery. We are constantly referencing our communities of interest to get feedback on our programmes and how we operate. We seek feedback from farmers, schools, iwi and industry groups. The recent inclusion of Māori and Pacific Trades Training in the suite of programmes we have on offer was a direct response to engagement with Iwi and industry. The appointment of a student support coordinator was a collaborative initiative between Taratahi, iwi and the community, and staff recommendations that we provide a greater level of student support. We are responsive to the developing needs of the Primary sector. Our offering of apiarist courses is an example of responding to the needs of the sector. Its popularity clearly shows that we are supplying to an emerging demand for these specialist skills as identified in many Iwi driven strategic plans. For example Te Rarawa in Tai Tokorau are investing in the local processing and supply capability of the Iwi through the development of Te Rau Mīere (Te Rarawa Honey Bank). The intent of the investment is to increase the local processing and supply capacity of apiary companies based in Te Hiku o Te Ika, while also providing a return
10 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
for Te Rarawa. Telford has supported the education of Te Rarawa staff and Taratahi will continue this
relationship.2
Apiculture is of significant economic importance, as it is essential that small commercial operatives have
access to Apiculture programmes in order to protect the industry from unskilled practices, which could
have a devastating impact on the industry at large. Taratahi is reviewing the requirement for more
specialised programmes above the current level 3, such as a level 4 Queen Bee Rearing programme to meet
the evolving needs of the market. We are committed to ensuring that as an organisation we remain nimble
enough to take advantage of emerging opportunities and trends and emerging technologies but strategic
enough to create a longer term planning horizon.
Addressing the needs of stakeholders
Stakeholder Expectations
Our stakeholders’ expectation is for Taratahi, through the delivery of our programmes, to produce skilled,
knowledgeable, employable and work ready graduates.
Our stakeholders also expect us to understand industry needs. To achieve this we:
Own, lease, manage and have access to high performing farms across New Zealand;
work with stakeholder groups to establish what the industry needs are and to develop curriculum
and pathways that will lead to the achievement of a diverse range of qualifications and
programmes that meet the skills needs of industry at levels 2 to 5 on the NZQF; and
use the Regional Growth strategies, and local councils and central government statistics to inform
our decision making. The Future Capability Needs for the Primary Industries in New Zealand
concludes employees will need more technical skills and be flexible to work across the Primary
sector.
Taratahi is in a strong position to deliver to its stakeholder expectations and needs as we are part of the
industry, we partner with industry, we are an education provider and we partner with other providers in
the sector.
We are Part of the Industry
Our Board has strong representation from industry. We have eight Board members all appointed by the
Crown. Six Board members are nominated by the Minister for Primary Industries or Industry bodies, one is
appointed by the Director of MPI and the Chair is appointed by the Minister of Education. Four Board
members nominated by the Primary ITO, Federated Farmers, Māori Business and the A and P Society.
Taratahi’s vocational education model focusses on the engagement of farm assets to enable a balance of
theoretical and applied learning.
All our farms are high performing which means students learn and work on farms which are at the
forefront of their respective business. Our Sheep and Beef farms are in the top quintile of all sheep and
beef farms in New Zealand and we have access arrangements with 200 top performing farms throughout
New Zealand allowing students to learn in an authentic setting.
2 https://www.terarawa.iwi.nz/pou/economic/honeyTaratahi staff have strong industry networks and are members of industry groups such as Beef and Lamb
Councils and Federated Farmers.
We currently have three research partnerships on our farms allowing our students exposure to the latest
methodologies, scientific and technological advances.
We Partner with Industry
We have a range of collaborative arrangements and are represented on advisory groups and in discussions
in many areas of industry. Some examples of this are outlined below.
We have developed a programme to progress from the year nine and ten NZ Young Farmers (NZYF)
programme in schools which pathways students through from year 11 into both pre-employment
and industry apprenticeship on completion of year 13.
We have had discussions with the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) about a growth strategy.
Red meat and wool employees will need more focus on business, production and technology skills
as this industry is seeing a rapid change in its workforce due to increased use of technology. What
will be required are workers who understand, can use and apply that technology.
The Dairy industry requirements are still on the rise but again the focus will be on workers with
strong technical skills. The recent change to dairy returns also requires workers to be focused on
efficiencies and maximizing returns while being aware of increasing concerns from the community
about the environmental impacts of dairy farming.
We have consulted with the wool industry and established an advisory group for the development
of wool technology related programmes.
Discussions with one of the largest agricultural employers, Pāmu (Landcorp), has revealed a
retention loss rate of over 40% in the first two years of employment. This is driven by many factors
that challenge the sector; the long hours, loneliness, wages in a competitive market, all issue which
Pāmu is seeking to address. Pāmu have calculated that the cost of replacing employees is
equivalent to a full year’s salary. What Pāmu desire to have access to graduates that are qualified,
farm experienced, resilient graduate and Taratahi is in the perfect position to assist. Our level 4
graduates have at least 2 years’ experience on farm and have the core knowledge base to be
immediately employable. To this end we are engaging in a project, called ‘Tertiary to Employment
(T2E) to pathway students from level 3 to level 4 in partnership with industry partners through to
employment.
We have been in discussions with the Pip Fruit New Zealand as there is a strong need for post-
production programmes and programmes to build management capability. Horticulture will require
an additional 26 thousand workers to be trained in the next 13 years to meet demands. With an
emphasis on skills portability, it is expected this will be an area of focus for programme
development in the medium to long term.
We are part of the Education Sector
Taratahi is not Crown owned, but does have Crown involvement through governance. Taratahi has been in
the business of agricultural provision for ninety nine years which is longer than then the existence of most
TEOs.
We actively engage with industry and employers and ensure that the industry voice is incorporated into our
programme development and regional mix of provision decisions. We have consulted with students,
employers (Farmers) and with Taratahi staff in the development of our curriculum implementation from
2017 and 2018.12 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
Each region also has its own stakeholder relationships with various key stakeholders which mirror the
national stakeholders, for example: local iwi, farmers, local federated farmers, local DairyNZ and Beef and
Lamb representatives, Schools, MSD (WINZ), and Youth Services providers.
We are actively partnering with Māori to develop our capability in supporting Māori learners to pathway to
higher levels and achieve positive and sustainable employment outcomes.
We also carry out surveys and interviews of our stakeholders to assess that we are meeting their needs.
Surveys include student survey, graduate survey, employer survey, staff survey. Taratahi presented at the
NZQA managing consistency meeting where all the education providers that have graduates with the
qualifications being discussed (Farming Systems L3, and Pastoral Livestock L3) provided evidence to show
how graduates have met the graduate profile outcomes at the level of the qualification. Evidence was
presented from programme delivery, from graduate feedback and from graduate destinations (employers
and level 4 tutor’s feedback) this has given us confidence that we are consistently achieving the graduate
profile outcomes for our graduates for these programmes. We have now received the reports from NZQA
advising that both qualifications are “Sufficient” in the rating of consistency.
Feedback from industry groups and surveys feed into the programme self-reviews and inform continuous
quality improvement. In addition, we use data on EFTS consumption and educational performance to
inform programme reviews.
In response to industry feedback we are developing options at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5.
We have developed programmes to meet the needs of young people and older learners accessing
foundation education at level 2. Our Youth Guarantee programmes are included in the mix of provision as
part of this Investment Plan. Our effort at level 2 will be more targeted. In this regard we have been
working with Māori trusts to develop our Te Korowai programme, which leads to the award of the NZ
Certificate in Primary Industry Skills. This programme has been successful and has led to progression to
level 3 in the current year. This programme is in partnership with Māori Trusts in Northland, the King
Country, Hawkes Bay and Southland and has intensive wrap-around support for learners.
We intend to have a range of options for learners to pathway through depending on their employment
destination. These programmes include wool harvesting, wool handling, farming systems, milk harvesting,
livestock husbandry, farm forestry, fencing, rural services, rural contracting, apiculture, horticulture
services (e.g. riparian planting) and mechanical engineering (farm machinery).
We have three programmes at level 5. These are the Agribusiness Diploma, the Rural Vet Technician
Diploma (Telford) and the Massey Diploma. All three programmes are valued by industry and the Massey
Diploma is also delivered at the Dairy Academy.
We Partner with the education Sector
We have been consulting and partnering with other providers to ensure that we are working collaboratively
to meet regional needs, and to ensure that we are not unnecessarily duplicating provision. For example, we
collaborate with Massey University, the Primary ITO, EIT, SIT, WinTec, MIT, Toi Ohomai, UCOL, NorthTec
and Lincoln University.
Our partnerships with these TEOs cover arrangements for joint programme development and/or joint
responsibility for the successful delivery of programmes. These joint ventures include:
SIT and Taratahi work together to identify and deliver to the agricultural needs of the Southland
region.
We continue to work with EIT in the Hawkes Bay and MIT in South Auckland to meet their
respective agricultural training needs. NorthTec and Taratahi are in discussions on collaboration of delivery in Northland Tai Tokerau.
Primary ITO and Taratahi are investigating the opportunity of working together to develop a Level 4
agriculture programme that can be delivered off job (SAC funded) and transition to on job for the
work experience part of the programme (STM funded).
Massey University and Taratahi are working together on the level 5 Massey Diploma. We are also
working together on other initiatives such as transition from school to university; and developing
joint programmes that meet the needs of the industry, of learners, and have pathways to higher
education and sustainable employment.
We have jointly developed and deliver with WinTec a level 5 Certificate in Rural Vet Technician.
We are in discussions with Toi Ohomai to identify the needs of the central North Island/Bay of
Plenty region.
All of our regions are part of the Youth Guarantee networks that operate in those regions. An example is
the Wairarapa YETE group where Taratahi has a representative on the committee.
There is an increasing demand for primary industry provision from Māori organisations. We have
developed the Te Korowai programme. We see this as an extension to our authentic “on farm” vocational
education delivery model, specifically to meet the needs of Māori stakeholders.
We report back to our stakeholders
Through programme reviews and surveys, we will be able to ascertain if the new programmes outlined
above are delivering the expected skills, knowledge and understanding that industry needs, and if we are
achieving the expected employment outcomes for our learners.
We report back to our stakeholders through our stakeholder relationships. Through our Board, our industry
groups, through our website and our relationship meetings with Māori, Pasifika, our students, staff and
communities.
To support our engagement with stakeholders Taratahi has a General Manager, Strategic Partnerships and
we have developed a policy on stakeholder engagement. To further strengthen our engagement with
stakeholders we are currently developing a stakeholder engagement framework.
We amend our plans in response to changing industry and regional needs by qualification and by region.
This year, following the April SDR, we have implemented a review of the current mix of provision by region
and by qualification. We looked at what the regional needs have turned out to be in reality and where the
EFTS consumption was low and unlikely to be consumed. Using this information, we revised our targets for
the mix of provision, by region and by qualification. We intend to do this at least twice a year (following the
April and August SDRs). This process involves all the regional managers, who bring with them regional
feedback and information from our stakeholders.14 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018 Giving effect to the Tertiary Education Strategy 2014—2019 Taratahi is committed to improving our progression achievement over the next three years. This will be impacted by the following: We are reducing level 2 SAC provision, and with the introduction of our new schools strategy, we expect to improve progression from level 2 and 3 in schools to tertiary study and ITO apprentices at level 3 and 4. We expect an increase of all learners from level 3 to level 4 and 5. However there is a significant learning difference between the NZ Certificate level 3 and the NZ Certificate level 4 and not all students can cope with this increase in level. We will be building a bridging programme at level 3 to assist with this change. We do not see a great change between 2018 and 2019 in the progression of learners. We do expect change to be apparent from 2020 as a result of the strategies being implemented in 2019. We are working closely with the sector and the primary ITO to support multiple pathways for learners to higher levels and employment. Institution objective To be an integral partner in the delivery of skilled and knowledgeable graduates to the Primary sector. Development of pathways from secondary through tertiary into employment. Engaging with secondary schools to provide a better understanding and opportunity to become aware of the breadth of employment opportunities that await them. Providing employers with a framework to engage with students prior to graduation and develop pathways of employment post-graduation (T2E). Working alongside partners, (Primary ITO, Federated Farmers, Young Farmers Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb and PICA) to ensure knowledge of the importance and long term opportunities that exist within the Primary sector. To work with Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics to provide primary industry education through partnership delivery or direct complementary delivery to regional priorities. Development of pathways from secondary through tertiary into employment. Engaging with secondary schools to provide a better understanding and opportunity to become aware of the breadth of employment opportunities that await them. Providing employers with a framework to engage with students prior to graduation and develop pathways of employment post-graduation (T2E). Working alongside partners, (Primary ITO, Federated Farmers, Young Farmers Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb and PICA) to ensure knowledge of the importance and long term opportunities that exist within the Primary sector. To work with Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics to provide primary industry education through partnership delivery or direct complementary delivery to regional priorities.
Getting at-risk young people into a career Develop graduates to the Primary sector who have gained experience through a strong vocational model. We work with our communities to engage and attract young people into the Primary sector. We play an active role in the Youth Guarantee network. This ensures that we are part of the seamless pathways approach which helps young people to work out what skills and education they will need to get a job in their chosen career. Taratahi works to identify learners with little or no prior learning and engage them in pathways to employment and higher study in primary industries. Our community links are well established and very important to us and contribute greatly to the success of our learners. In the Wairarapa, we are part of Advisory Group Youth in Education Training or Employment (YETE) task group that was formed as the local response to the Youth Guarantee Scheme and all of our regions have similar links to Youth Guarantee co- ordination and with Youth Services and WINZ. These organisations not only deal with youth seeking qualifications at level 2 but also over 19 year olds up to 24 year olds. Many of our current level 2 learners are referrals from community organisations, Iwi, Youth Services and WINZ caseworkers. We are currently working with MSD to create pathways and opportunities for MSD clients to enter in to sustainable employment. A pilot programme with nine students is currently being completed in Southland with four students progressing through to a level 3 VMI programme with Taratahi and three others gaining employment within the local Primary sector. Taratahi also has strong positive working relationships with the local councils and is seen as an integral part of the local community as well as providing educational leadership in the community. We have strong relationships with Beef and Lamb NZ and DairyNZ. We have an active marketing and recruitment team which works with schools, MSD, NGO’s and iwi to identify and attract students to Taratahi. We also promote the achievements of our alumni to show the career results that can be obtained from a Taratahi education. Our effort at level 2 will be more targeted. In this regard we have been working with Māori trusts to develop our Te Korowai programme, which leads to the award of the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Skills. This programme has been successful and has led to progression to level 3 in the current year. This programme is in partnership with Māori Trusts in Northland, the King Country, Hawkes Bay and Southland and has intensive wrap-around support for learners. We are active in the Secondary Tertiary Partnership (STP) space. We engage secondary students through the Primary Industry Trades Academy (PITA). There are a range of offerings of explicit skills training in fencing, agri-chemicals, stock handling, chainsaw safety, engineering, basic milking and drenching, equine and agri-vehicles. We run STAR programmes for schools where students experience on-farm learning, spending time in a small group environment with a Taratahi tutor, covering both practical and theory skills. Safety and quality standards are taught and applied throughout the programme and there is a strong focus on practical skills. We run fee paying residential short course taster programmes. Where prospective students (mainly school students making tertiary study decisions) can experience a taste of an ‘on farm residential learning experience’ before they sign up for a full year programme. We have strong relationships with prisons and work closely with them to provide a pathway for learners in prison from level 2 to level 3 and beyond. Taratahi is currently delivering to 5 prisons and those we have been working with have asked us to deliver more programmes at level 2 and level 3. We also ensure the inmates are aware of the pathways to both employment and further training that is available on release. Course content is set up to ensure learners understand there is a pathway to further education or employment inmates have enrolled on the Level 3 programme, after being released from prison, with some
16 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
success. Discussions with Corrections are underway to better link the pathway to ‘beyond the wire’ in
order the inmates upon release have an opportunity to complete study.
The authenticity of our education is our biggest strength. Students relish the chance to learn skills in a real
farm setting. And the industry is keen to take on Taratahi trained students as they know and understand
the rigors and rewards of real farm life after they have completed their courses.
Boosting achievement of Māori
Taratahi values Tikanga Māori, its relationships with Māori and working with Māori on their aspirations in
the Primary Industries. Relationships of trust, respect and common purpose are key to this. Taratahi
recognises the importance of ensuring its staff capability and practices fully support engagement as:
Service providers to Māori
Business Partners with Māori and;
Respected and credible by Māori
The principles and values are:
Whakapapa - connection, respect, belonging, history, values, recognizing people, community. We have a
long history in the Primary Industry sector and we value the longer history Māori have on the whenua.
Whanaungatanga - relationships of trust, respect and common purpose, rapport, partnerships,
collaboration, rangatahi. Our relationships with iwi/Māori will be based on trust, respect and common
purpose. We share a love and respect for the whenua.
Kaitiakitanga – care, guide, support, stewardship/guardianship: people, whenua, wai, animals. We foster
stewardship and guardianship of people, animals, land and water.
Attraction and engagement of Māori and Pasifika is a success story for Taratahi with approximately 40% of
our students being Māori. We are involved with three MPTT consortia nationally. Te Ara o Takitimu in the
Wairarapa, Te Matarau Education Trust in Northland and with Whenua Kura at Telford and the Wairarapa.
Taratahi also has Te Korowai, a partnership programme with iwi, hapu and community. Taratahi provide
agricultural education using existing funding allocation, and the iwi, hapu or community group provide the
localized connection and ongoing engagement with learners.
Primary Industry business opportunities are seen as a game changer for iwi and we are currently
developing partnerships with Māori to engage more Māori learners at level 5. Iwi groups value their
relationships with organisations like ours and work diligently with us to support students.
To support all Māori students in the Wairarapa region, the appointment of a Māori & Pasifika Support
Coordinator is part of the Support Services team to:
• Facilitate activities that support Māori and Pasifika health, wellbeing and personal
development
• Provide and/or facilitate support for individual needs
• Liaise with Iwi for cultural support of students
• Build rapport with students to identify support needs and encourage participation in support
offered
Where appropriate, we work with consortia and local Iwi to provide support services. This arrangement
has worked well with MPTT students recruited for Telford supported by Hokonui Runanga.
In Northland support is provided by Te Matarau Education Trust.We are currently investigating an external work brokering service, primarily for Māori and Pasifika, to be rolled out across all regions. Regions with access to support services as part of collaboration with an ITP include access to Māori and Pasifika support. Taratahi’s Māori strategy has completed its first three months the appointment of a Kaitakawaenga to support pathway and progress of Māori students. Taratahi has also enacted internal education to instruct and engage staff with Māori language and Māori protocol. Our Te Korowai programme is likely to improve opportunities for Māori learners and will contribute to better opportunities for learner progression to higher level study and sustainable employment outcomes. The focus is on retaining learners to achieve positive outcomes. Positive outcomes for learners (employment; increased confidence and employability skills, and course completions) Boosting achievement of Pasifika The agricultural sector has traditionally not been a large employer of Pasifika students. Taratahi has however 4.5% of students studying at Taratahi identify as Pasifika, largely based in Northland and Auckland. Pasifika is an untapped resource to the solution toward the targets required in the Primary sector identified by the Ministry of Primary Industries. Auckland, with the large number of Pasifika in South Auckland in particular, are a focus for encouragement toward a career in Agriculture. We are in the process of confirming a number of farm partnerships in the Auckland region. These farms will assist Taratahi’s South Auckland Pasifika engagement strategy which includes actively working with South Auckland schools with high Pasifika community organisations and schools to recruit students into our programmes from Trades Academy through to higher levels. Taratahi is not unfamiliar with Pasifika cultures. Taratahi is currently working with MFAT and Caritas Aotearoa on a co-funded project training teachers from Regional Training Centres (RTC) to deliver practical skills and knowledge in agriculture, construction and engineering in the Solomon Islands. Taratahi is also collaborating with Prime Consulting International and WINTEC, reviewing current agriculture education delivery and working on the development of a Fiji Dairy Industry Technical Vocational Education (TVET) strategy. This project is funded by MFAT. We have hosted Samoan Ministry of Agriculture staff recently in the Wairarapa on a six week practical farm management programme. We have considerable experience in working in the Pasifika agricultural education sector with a partnership with the Vanuatu Agricultural School and various aid projects across the Pacific. Improving adult literacy and numeracy We have a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy which are embedded in our educational delivery. We offer a range of extra assistance for learners who need help with numeracy and literacy. We ensure that we do all we can to support our tutors with their professional development and all Tutors have access to NCLANE. We also make good use of the LNAAT results as a diagnostic tool. Our level 2 learners are in small groups from 7 to 10 students in each group, they and their tutor know each other well.
18 Investment Plan Taratahi 2018
We support our tutors with professional development opportunities. For example Ako Aotearoa courses in
Literacy and Numeracy, reflective practice and Kia Eke.
Taratahi runs, from the Telford campus, a successful literacy and numeracy intervention programme called
Stride Ahead.
We have a strong working relationship with Workbridge to provide support for students with specific
learning difficulties (SLD).
Strengthening research-based institutions
Taratahi partner with CRI, AgResearch and Massey University for a number of research projects. These
feed into the students’ learning as well as our staff development. Three examples are:
1) Beef Progeny Test
Beef and Lamb NZ Genetics aims to deliver genetic tools that will improve maternal performance
on hill country, while also producing carcases that meet market specifications. The project involves
artificially inseminating about 1600 cows and 600 heifers annually, using more than 50 bulls of a
range of BVs. It is being run under commercial conditions at Whangara Farms (Gisborne), Taratahi’s
Tautane Station, Landcorp’s Rangitaiki Station (Taupo), the Black family’s Mendip Hills Station
(North Canterbury) and Lonestar’s Caberfeidh Farm (North Otago).
2) Longevity Trial (Mangarata)
This trial involves collecting information on a hogget’s lifetime events including condition scores,
weights, and the reasons for culling and deaths on farm. This is then analysed to assess longevity by
Massey University.
3) The Beef and Lamb NZ Genetics Central Progeny Test
This trial examine how much industry rams varied in carcass merit, using a sophisticated approach
to carcass assessment.
Growing international linkages
Internationally, we continue to pursue relationships that will enable us to export our education IP and
recruit for students to study in New Zealand.
Collaborating with organisations such as Massey University, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Caritas Aotearoa, WINTEC and Prime Consulting International enables
us to look at ways that Taratahi’s knowledge and expertise can be utilised for the development of practical
agriculture skills education and training in a number of countries. These activities contribute to an NZ Inc.
approach.
In Fiji, we collaborate with Prime Consulting International and WINTEC, reviewing current agriculture
education delivery and working on the development of a Fiji Dairy Industry Technical Vocational Education
(TVET) strategy. This project is funded by MFAT.
We work with Caritas and WINTEC in the Solomon Islands, working with teachers from Regional Training
Centres (RTC) to develop practical skills and knowledge in agriculture, construction and engineering. This
takes place, both in the Solomon Islands and in New Zealand throughout the year. This is an MFAT and
Caritas co-funded project.Prime Consulting International and Taratahi are also working together in Zambia on an MFAT funded Dairy Transformation Project, using our skills, knowledge and expertise to strengthen the emerging dairy value chain. Taratahi run a number of farm experiences for international visiting groups. We hosted to Samoan Ministry of Agriculture staff in the Wairarapa on a 6 week practical farm management programme and 10 Master Veterinarians from Sri Lanka for a 2 week practical programme. As part of our international activities we also host a number of international government delegations. Recent groups have included members of the European Union’s Agriculture Trade Negotiations team and MFAT agriculture experts based in Ethiopia and South Africa. Summary Comments Taratahi is an institution with a long history of producing graduates who are “farm ready.” Our owned and managed farms maintain high productivity, benchmarked against the sector. The organisation is in the first year of a three year strategic journey to reshape our balue to the communities that we serve. As Taratahi heads towards its 100th year of operation in 2019, it is more focused than ever before. We are confident the changes we are making will cement our place as the leading provider of vocational education in sub degree primary industry programmes in New Zealand.
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