Effective 1 January 2026

Audience and scope

This policy and associated procedure are relevant to all staff involved in the development, delivery, evaluation and review of academic products, and the support of learning and teaching at Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec (MIT and Unitec).

This policy addresses stakeholder engagement and feedback collected for the purposes of ensuring MIT and Unitec’s academic provision and services supporting teaching, learning, and research are relevant and responsive to the needs of stakeholders, and that MIT and Unitec delivers quality teaching and learning. It excludes student concerns and complaints, which will be dealt with in accordance with the MIT and Unitec Student Regulations.

N.B. This policy uses the terms Delegated Authority and Designated Contact. In each instance, staff should refer to the current version of the MIT and Unitec Delegations Register available on the intranet for the role assigned to the matter.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish a framework for engaging with stakeholders and integrating stakeholder feedback. It aims to ensure that MIT and Unitec’s academic provision and services which support teaching and learning are relevant and responsive to the needs of students, employers, iwi and community (including priority groups), and that MIT and Unitec delivers quality teaching and learning.

Evaluation and review processes including those that support compliance with statutory body requirements are set out separately in the Evaluation and Review Policy and Procedures.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals, groups and organisations that have a meaningful interest in the quality and relevance of MIT and Unitec’s academic provision and supporting services. Stakeholders include students; staff, family/whānau, employers, regulatory bodies, local communities, iwi and other identified parties.

Policy

1. MIT and Unitec will engage with stakeholders on an ongoing basis to gather feedback and identify and address opportunities for improvement. The focus will be on ensuring that academic provision and services supporting teaching, learning and research remain relevant and responsive to stakeholder needs, and that MIT and Unitec delivers quality teaching and learning.

2. Principles

All stakeholder engagement and feedback processes will be guided by the following principles:

  • Values based – stakeholder engagement and the collection and use of feedback will be consistent with Waka Hourua;
  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi – stakeholder engagement will honour MIT and Unitec’s obligations under Te Tiriti, recognising Māori as partners;
  • Inclusive – MIT and Unitec will engage with a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure the views of students, employers, iwi and community are represented (including priority groups);
  • Purposeful – all interactions with stakeholders will be focussed and aligned to MIT and Unitec objectives;
  • Respectful – stakeholder engagement will be courteous and culturally appropriate;
  • Transparent– stakeholder engagement will be open and honest;
  • Effective – stakeholder engagement processes will be well designed, systematic, rigorous, easily accessible, and will aim to avoid duplication wherever appropriate;
  • Continuous improvement – feedback collected from stakeholders will be used to inform ongoing improvements to MIT and Unitec academic provision and services supporting teaching and learning;
  • Responsive – MIT and Unitec will act on feedback in a timely and appropriate manner, and will ensure stakeholders are informed of the outcomes from their feedback, as far as is possible;
  • Privacy Principles – personal information will be treated confidentially and respectfully, and MIT and Unitec will collect, hold, use and disclose such information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the Privacy Policy; and
  • Compliant – stakeholder engagement and the collection and use of feedback will comply with legislative and regulatory requirements.

3. MIT and Unitec recognises the importance of an evidence-based approach to ensuring and assuring quality, with stakeholder engagement and feedback being core components of MIT and Unitec’s quality assurance framework. Feedback collected will be used to inform various aspects, including (as relevant):

  • Service improvements;
  • Academic product development, approval and accreditation;
  • Evaluation and review, and other quality assurance processes and activities; and
  • External regulatory reporting and marketing.

4. A range of engagement and feedback mechanisms will be utilised, tailored to the stakeholder group. Depending on the nature of engagement, staff are to meet the specific requirements set out in sections below. In the absence of specific procedures, engagement will be customised to align with the requirements set out in this policy.

Iwi engagement

5. MIT and Unitec will engage meaningfully and work with iwi in recognition of partnership obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Engagement will be guided by the MIT and Unitec [Designated Contact] team.

6. Iwi engagement will be conducted in a manner which is respectful and consistent with cultural protocols.

7. Iwi engagement will be conducted in accordance the MIT and Unitec Iwi Engagement Procedures [to be drafted] and with support from the [Designated Contact] team.

Surveys

8. Students will be surveyed on a regular basis to provide feedback on programmes, courses and teachers.

9. Student surveys will be carried out in accordance with the Student Survey Procedures with support from the Academic Quality Team.

10. Regular feedback will be sought from graduands, graduates, employers, and providers of further education to graduates including on graduate destinations, how well graduates meet the graduate outcomes for their qualification and how effectively programmes have prepared graduates for work or further study.

11. Student and Graduate surveys will be carried out in accordance with the Student Survey Procedures

Industry and community

12. Schools and service areas will maintain ongoing engagement with industry and community groups relevant to their area.

13. Industry and community engagement will be carried out in accordance with the Industry and Community Engagement and Feedback Procedures [to be drafted].
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

14. Over-engagement and duplicate feedback requests are to be avoided. To prevent this, all stakeholder interactions will be appropriately documented. Stakeholders which engage across MIT and Unitec business units will have an assigned relationship owner. Before initiating any new engagement (excluding routine student surveys), teachers must consider previous engagements with the stakeholders and engage with the assigned relationship owner (where relevant).

Procedures

See the following associated procedures:

  • Student Survey Procedures
  • Iwi Engagement Procedures (ACA XX/XX) – To be developed
  • Industry and Community Engagement and Feedback Procedures (ACA XX/XX) – To be developed

Definitions

See the Glossary for MIT and Unitec Academic Policies, Procedures and Associated Documents.

Evaluation / outcomes

The extent to which the implementation of this policy and the associated procedures achieve their intended outcomes will be subject to evaluation and review by the MIT and Unitec Academic Quality Assurance Committee (AQAC).

Approval Details

Version number: 1

Issue Date: 1 January 2026

Version History: See below

Approval authority: Tāmaki Transition Group

Date of Approval:  27 November 2025

Procedure Sponsor (Has authority to approve minor amendments): Deputy Chief Executive Academic

Owner: Director, Te Korowai Kahurangi

Date of Next Review: August 2026

Amendment History

Version: 1
Issue date: 1 January 2026.
Reason for revision: New document MIT and Unitec transition
Approved by: Tāmaki Transition Group