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Charter
This charter will expire on 31 December 2007Download this document as Rich Text Format (RTF)
1. Ko te Whainga
Ko te whainga pu o te Kareti o Te Hepara Pai ko te whakaako i te matauranga, te akoranga me nga tautohito e tika ana mo te mahi Minita Hahi mo te Hahi Katorika. Ko te mahi minita nei e pa ana ki te tiaki Parihi, te minita ki nga Wahi Ahumahi, ki nga Whare Herehere, ki nga Kura, ki nga Hohipere, ki nga Ope Taua, me te whakaako whakapono i roto i nga Kura i komititia ki nga Kura Kawanatanga.
Ahahoa ko te whainga tuatahi e pa ana ki te mahi minita i roto i te Hahi Katorika, e watea ana mo nga tauira o etahi atu whakapono, mo ratou hoki e hiahia ana ki te whakaoti ta ratou mahi ki tetahi minitatanga ke, a, tae atu ki te hunga e whai noa ana i te matauranga Rangahau Whakapono. E tika ana te akoranga o te kura nei mo aua tangata.
E whakaako ana te Kareti ki te tohu matauranga paetahi o te Rangahau Whakapono, hei marae honohono ki te Whare Wananga o te Putahi Katorika o Poihakena; he mema hoki o te Kareti Rangahau Whakapono o Poihakena.MISSION
The primary task of Good Shepherd College - Te Hepara Pai ("the College") is to provide its students with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for ministry in the Roman Catholic Church.
Ministry includes parish ministry, industrial chaplaincy, chaplaincy to prisons, schools, hospitals, the armed forces and includes teaching religious education in integrated schools.
While its primary task is directed to ministry in the Catholic Church, the College accepts students from other denominations and those who wish to undertake comparable ministry elsewhere or who wish to study Theology for its own sake. Its courses are suitable for these also.
The College teaches the Bachelor of Theology degree as an offshore campus of the Catholic Institute of Sydney, a member college of the Sydney College of Divinity.
The College serves a niche market that no one else provides.
The features that set it apart from other tertiary institutes include the following:
· The College provides theological education in the Roman Catholic tradition;
· It offers an academic course in theology as well as practical training in pastoral ministry and providing pastoral care for people;
· It teaches by modern methods welcoming criticism, debate and comment on the insights it offers;
· It is situated in Auckland but is a national college supported by and responsible to the Catholic Church in New Zealand through the Bishops of Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Our programmes aim for these key results:
· To equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need for ministry;
· To ensure that College graduates are competent for leadership in parishes and various pastoral ministries;
· To acquaint students with theological insights in the Roman Catholic tradition.
· To give students an understanding and positive appreciation of other Christian traditions and world religions.
· To ensure that the College core competencies are aligned with national, social, cultural and economic values.
We measure our results:
· by the level of satisfaction of our students,
· by the level of satisfaction of their future employers,
· by the level of satisfaction of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference and the Society of Mary to which the College is responsible.
The College aims for a high level of satisfaction on a three-year audit cycle. Completion rates are outstanding. The courses are externally moderated through an Academic Advisory Board consisting of academics from other tertiary institutes.
3. CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND'S IDENTITY AND ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Identity: The College offers a course in Te Reo Mäori, Tikanga Mäori and Wairua Mäori.
Economic: Its students are equipped for industrial chaplaincy where there is considerable unmet demand.
Social:
1. Chaplaincy: As well as training for general pastoral ministry, students receive training for prison, hospital and Catholic integrated school chaplaincy and chaplaincy to the military forces where there is also an unmet demand for appropriately skilled persons.2. Schools: The College provides specialist training for the Catholic primary and secondary integrated school systems, where there are 3,365 full-time people employed teaching 62,000 students. 40% of the 62,000 students in Catholic schools are in the northern regions of New Zealand. New schools are being opened. The Catholic Integrated Schools have a clearly defined Catholic character, enshrined in the Integration Act.
Catholic Integrated Schools have a 2:1 ratio of Pacific Nations students in them as compared with state schools.
The National Catholic Education Office is working on a strategic plan to improve the theological education of its teachers. In the future the College will be a significant national provider of theological education for teachers in Catholic schools where religious education is a core part of the curriculum.
Students are trained to be leaders in pastoral communities and to be leaders in ethnic communities within regions. There is no other provision for an equivalent qualifier in established institutions to cover the specific needs of Catholic communities that constitute 13% of New Zealand's population, and 15% of the population in Auckland. The Catholic community has a significant, social, religious and cultural influence in New Zealand.
Cultural: The theological insights are offered in such a way that students will gain an understanding of their major effect on Eastern and Western thinking over the centuries including art, literature, philosophy and science. The students study traditions associated with liturgy and Church music. Theology has been and is studied as a recognised discipline in the world's major universities.
The College contributes to the achievement of the New Zealand Government's Tertiary Education Strategy in the following areas
· Strategy One (Strengthening System Capacity and Quality): Our Bachelor of Theology has international recognition. A three-year audit assures continuing quality. Pastoral training promotes social capital.
· Strategy Two (Contribution to the achievement of Mäori Development Aspirations). All students study Mäori language, customs and spirituality (wairua). Students are specifically trained for the pastoral care of Mäori and the needs of their communities.
· Strategy Four (Development of the Generic and Specialist Skills so that all people can participate in our knowledge society). The pastoral skills our students develop are designed to assist all, particularly those on the margins, to participate in and contribute to society. The College trains people for the specialist skills of leadership in Catholic parishes and communities.
· Strategy Five (Educate for Pacific peoples inclusion and development). The College welcomes Pacific Nation students both from New Zealand and from the Islands and aims to have a high proportion of them among its students. The College recognises that of Pacific Nation Peoples people are generally churchgoers and have a tradition of seeking support services from their Churches. The Catholic Church is significant for the Pacific Nation peoples within parishes and in ethnic chaplaincies. The College students are taught to meet and recognise the needs of these people.
· Strategy Six (Strengthen research, knowledge creation and uptake in our knowledge society). The College contributes to knowledge creation by its commitment to research and publication. Students are taught skills, including the ability to research and think independently, interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to bring out the best in others. Students are taught interpersonal and communication skills, how to research and think independently and how to bring out the best in others. The staff do research and publish.
4. CONTRIBUTION TO THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM AS A WHOLE
The College degree course is aligned with national goals and in particular the need for the tertiary system to meet the skill development and research needs of New Zealanders.
In particular the College contributions to the tertiary education system are as follows:
· Its courses relate to education in Catholic primary and secondary schools
· It provides theological education at degree level;
· It is recognised nationally and internationally for excellence;
· Its library is considered possibly the best theological library in New Zealand and is accessible widely through the National Library Service;
· Its qualifications are portable in that they are recognised by New Zealand Universities and other institutes including those overseas;
· It provides pathways to higher qualifications including doctorate.
5. APPROACH TO COLLABORATION AND CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER TERTIARY EDUCATION PROVIDERS AND ORGANISATIONS
The key partnerships that are critical to the achievement of the mission of the College are as follows:
· It has links with other providers of theological education in New Zealand and overseas through world-wide networks, portability of qualifications and lecturer exchange;
· There is a memorandum of agreement with the Catholic Institute of Sydney, a member college of the Sydney College of Divinity;
· The College has an Academic Advisory Board which includes academics from other institutes (Currently from Auckland University, Carey Baptist College, Massey University and the Bible College of New Zealand);
· It is a member of the Christian Theological Ministry Education Society (CTMES), and the principal is on the executive of this society;
· It has relationships with the Sydney College of Divinity through being an offshore campus of the Catholic Institute of Sydney.
· The Sydney College of Divinity sponsors the theological periodical "Pacifica".
· There is an exchange of lecturer relationship with the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.
Wellington Catholic Education Centre, Good Shepherd College - Te Hepara Pai and Catholic Institute of Theology, the three Catholic registered Private Training Establishments, are actively pursuing discussion to collaborate more closely with the intention of forming one Catholic tertiary institution.
6. APPROACH TO FULFILLING TREATY OF WAITANGI OBLIGATIONS
The College recognises the unique position of Maori as Treaty partners.
The College has a policy on the Treaty of Waitangi relationships, and is committed to creating at atmosphere in which true cultural bi-cultural relationships can flourish. The College recognises and honours the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand.
The College fulfils its Treaty obligations as follows:
· It recognises a responsibility to the Catholic Mäori Bishop RR. Takuira Mariu SM DD who is a member of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, and through him is responsive to the wishes of Te Runanga o te Hati Katorika ki Aotearoa;
· There is regular consultation with the marae Te Unga Waka;
· Students are encouraged to visit marae of different iwi and different hapu to learn their differing tikanga;
· Students are prepared for pastoral work among Mäori through training in Te Reo, ngä Tikanga Mäori, Wairua Mäori;
· Students are prepared for leadership roles in Mäori parishes or chaplaincies;
· Students will apply their learning to the current Mäori population at Catholic Integrated Schools;
· The College is committed to enable Mäori people access to quality theological education;
· The College endeavours to have at least one Mäori staff member (currently Mikaere Ryan, a well known expert on Te Reo whose writings include a definitive Mäori dictionary is a staff member and teaches the Mäori Pastoral Care course)
· There is a Mäori member of the Academic Advisory Board.
7. APPROACH TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF PACIFIC PEOPLES
· The College endeavours to have Samoan representation on the Academic Advisory Board. (Currently there is one Samoan on the Board);
· Some students opt for training to work with Mäori and Pacific Nation Peoples;
· The College recognises the particular pastoral needs of Pacific Nation peoples and trains students specifically to meet those needs. (Even in the short time of its existence, the College has had one Pacific Nation student ordained and another graduate working in Mangere among Pacific Nation peoples);
· The College recognises that church is a very important part of the life of Pacific Nation peoples.
· There is a strong Catholic presence among Pacific Nation peoples in Auckland where energetic attempts are being made to support the upgrading of the educational qualifications of Pacific Nation peoples.
8. APPROACH TO MEETING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF LEARNERS
· Students with disabilities are catered for, (currently 5% students have severe disabilities);
· The College recognises prior learning.
· The College provides clear learning outcomes and assessment requirements;
· The College provides individual tuition for those for whom English is not the first language, those with disabilities or who have particular personal or cultural needs.
· The College provides learners with small class sizes for most courses. The low student/teacher ratio further enables educational needs to be met;
· The College uses a variety of assessment techniques including oral assessment for those with an oral learning style, and meets cultural needs;
· The College provides for students needs by individual help and assistance outside classrooms and class time;
· The College provides pastoral assistance to students;
· Students evaluate their courses each year and that evaluation is used to improve the content and teaching methods;
· We aim for a high completion rates and student satisfaction;
· The College is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment through its provision of highly qualified staff, and effective quality management system.
9. APPROACH TO ENSURING THAT THE ORGANISATION DEVELOPS AND SUPPORTS A STAFF PROFILE THAT REFLECTS ITS MISSION AND SPECIAL CHARACTER
· We are committed to ensuring that all staff employed have sufficient qualifications and skills to fulfil the position to which they are appointed;
· The Trust Board makes teaching appointments on the recommendation of the Senate. The Trust Board operates under a General Appointments Procedures Policy. The Senate has an Appointments Committee;
· All appointments are open and fair and every employee works under a properly negotiated employment contract;
· The College is committed to academic freedom;
· The College policies support the College being an EEO employer;
· Staff are required to remain up to date in their fields and to undertake professional development and there is a policy on academic leave;
· The College has a Research Committee to encourage and facilitate research. All members of the academic staff are expected to undertake research and to publish;
· Courses are planned by a Board of Studies which includes a student representative;
· Staff are appraised each year and the appraisal involves student feedback;
· All staff are required to observe our code of practice and our policy on ethical behaviour which is known to all staff;
· The College provides a safe and healthy working environment.
10. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE AND PRINCIPLES
The governing body of the College is the Trust Board of Good Shepherd College - Te Hepara Pai Charitable Trust. This Charitable Trust owns the College.
In matters directly concerning theological education, the Trust Board has granted delegated authority to the Senate of the College. The Senate has executive as well as advisory functions. There are appropriate lines of accountability and structures for the College such as the Board of Studies. The College policies and contracts help clarify roles and responsibilities.
The Principal has the functions of a chief executive and is answerable to the Senate and the Trust Board.
For financial and property matters, the Trust Board has established a Finance Committee of the board. The Finance Committee comprises representatives of both the Society of Mary New Zealand Province and the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. It assures the College of access to financial resources and it strengthens and consolidates financial responsibility and accountability for the College.
The College has a strategic plan. The accounts are audited and there are budgets that are approved at both Senate and Trust Board levels.
There is a staff evaluation process that takes place each year.
The diagrams demonstrate the relationships between governance and management at the College. The lines of accountability are clear.
Diagrams on the following pages provide an outline of the Governing Structure of the College.
11. CONSULTATION UNDERTAKEN IN PREPARATION OF THE CHARTER
The College has consulted with the following people in preparing the charter:
Students
Staff
Academic Advisory Board
Tongan Catholic Chaplaincy
Samoan Catholic Chaplaincy
Te Unga Waka Marae
Bishop Max Takuira Mariu, Maori Bishop
Cardinal Thomas Williams, Archbishop of Wellington
Bishop Leonard Boyle, Bishop of Dunedin
Bishop Denis Browne, Bishop of Hamilton
Bishop Peter Cullinane, Bishop of Palmerston North
Monsignor Gerard O'Connor, Vicar General of Christchurch diocese
Bishop Patrick Dunn, Bishop of Auckland
The Society of Mary
The Senate of Good Shepherd College
The Rector of Marist Seminary
The Rector of Holy Cross Seminary
The Trustboard of Good Shepherd College
The Diocesan Pastoral Council of Auckland diocese.
Auckland Catholic Education Office
Hamilton Catholic Education Office
Palmerston North Catholic Education Office
Wellington Catholic Education Office
Christchurch Catholic Education Office
Dunedin Catholic Education Office
New Zealand Catholic Education Office
President New Zealand Catholic Primary Principal's Association
Principals of Catholic Secondary Schools in Auckland
Catholic Institute in Sydney
The consultation involves both internal and external stakeholders, and their views were all taken into account.
We placed an advertisement in "The Herald" on Saturday August 9, 2003, listing them as stakeholders, and we also placed an advertisement in an August edition of "New Zealand Catholic". People were invited to come to a meeting at the College on Monday August 18, 2003, or to make written submissions.
This met the requirements of section 1590 of the Education (Tertiary Reform) Amendment Act 2002.
GOOD SHEPHERD COLLEGE - TE HEPARA PAI
Charter Consultation
The Government has developed its Tertiary Education Strategy for 2003 to 2007 and has legislated a number of changes for the tertiary education sector. All tertiary institutions are required to review their Charters, a governance document that defines an institution's strategic direction, and to develop profiles that demonstrate how they will address the Tertiary Education Strategy.
GSC's Charter identifies our mission, special character, approach to learner needs, engagement with stakeholders and contribution to local and national development, including partnership with Maori and development focused on Pasifika.
Some of our stakeholders are people: in the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, Te Unga Waka community, alumni, Tongan and Samoan communities. The whole list is on our website, www.gsc.ac.nz. Responses to admin@gsc.ac.nz by 22 August 2003. A meeting for interest parties will be held at College on Monday 18 August at 7.30pm.
Rev Dr Brendan Daly
Principal
