Māori and Pacific students - Tuākana Programme

The Tuākana programme supports Māori and Pacific students. The programme aims to offer you a friendly and culturally sensitive interface between you and the department.

We provide dedicated Tuākana tutorials for Computer Science students. As the first hurdle for any Computer Science student is COMPSCI 101, we concentrate on this course but we're also running a tutorial for COMPSCI 105 and are happy to assist with queries relating to other courses.

We're here to help make university an enjoyable and rewarding experience. We can solve course-related problems for you, such as sorting out extensions or getting special assistance if you need to catch up, or generally open doors and offer advice. We can often help with personal problems, too.

The department operates a bursary scheme, which students can apply for at the beginning of each semester. There is a small monetary reward for passing courses, and a little more if your grades are A or B.

If you are interested in the Department of Computer Science’s Tuākana programme please contact:

Ulrich Speidel, Tuākana liaison officer
Email: ulrich@cs.auckland.ac.nz

Ann Cameron, Tuākana bursary scheme coordinator
Email: ann@cs.auckland.ac.nz

Ben Skudder, Tuākana tutor
Email: bsku002@aucklanduni.ac.nz

"JJ" Blucher, Tuākana mentor
Email: fblu001@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Richard Hopkins, Tuākana mentor
Email: rhop020@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Personal message from the Computer Science Tuākana Liaison Officer, Ulrich Speidel

Being a good student is often about a few key factors.

Asking questions: More often than not students tell me that they weren't meant to speak up at school. Forget school for now. This is university. The things taught at university are complex and difficult, and it's normal that students need to have things explained more than once. But this won't happen unless you ask. While it’s sometimes inconvenient for a lecturer to have to respond to questions during a lecture, they usually welcome questions afterwards. Asking questions shows your lecturer or tutor that you’re interested in what they have to say. You will not be branded as dumb or impolite—students who ask questions are the ones lecturers will remember.

Networking: As they say it isn't only what you know, but who you know. The people you sit in class with are tomorrow’s leaders, and it pays to get to know them today. Have a chat to the person sitting next to you. Form your own study groups—it makes study more fun and often more efficient. It pays to get to know your tutors and lecturers and make sure they know your face too.

Fixing problems early: Big problems start out as small ones. As a general rule, what you learn at the beginning of the semester is the foundation for what comes later. If you get behind at the start, you're likely to struggle later on. Seek help early - Tuākana tutorials are a good place to start, but don't be afraid to ask for help individually either.

Don't be shy, and make that approach. Your career and your future are worth it.

Find out more about the Tuākana Programme

Find out more about the University's approach to equity for students.