Neurodivergent and ESOL Students Key Focus of New Te Mātāpuna Programme

NEWS | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA

Written by Liam Hansen they/them | @liamhanse.n | Associate Editor

The university experience isn’t moulded to every student’s needs. It varies from course to course, but the overreliance on readings, tests of rote learning, and reflections tend to serve the needs of most students fine. But the number of students who feel like they’re working against a brick wall has increased year on year, and with AUT’s cohort of domestic and international students climbing once again post-Covid, something needed to change before too many students were left behind. 

Te Mātāpuna, AUT’s Library and Learning Services, is introducing increased support programmes in 2026 for two growing student groups: students with English as a second language, and neurodivergent students. Throughout the first semester, various workshops and study sessions are being organised by library staff and learning specialists, who are also available for one-on-one appointments and further support for assessments and classwork. 

Kate Absolum, Learning and Engagement Senior Manager, explains: ‘‘We’re evolving how we work with students to meet their increasingly diverse learning needs. We’re also addressing changes new digital tools have had for students and how they write, learn, and engage with information. While these tools bring exciting opportunities, they also have the potential to widen the digital divide and increase demand for personalised, targeted support.”

The extended support goes hand-in-hand with the vision AUT has for its future, and admittedly, some of its economic needs - as the public funds for universities have been cut under the National government, the need for international students as a source of income has seen leadership aim for a 115% increase in international enrolments for the next few years. 

While that might be part of the deal, the kaupapa for Te Mātāpuna Library staff is much more driven by desires to see international and neurodivergent students succeed. Simon Todd is one of the learning specialists involved in creating the programme and curating it to the needs of students throughout its runtime. When we caught up, he spoke about his time across learning environments working with students speaking English as a second language, and how the team was curating the experience for new students. “Everyone here has worked with, experience with, or at least highly empathises with students struggling in these new learning environments.”

Recently, New to New Zealand workshops have been held, running students through the basics of te reo Māori and Te Titiri o Waitangi. “Especially as subjects like health, law, and similar embed aspects of te ao Māori into their assessments and coursework, we really wanted to give students a rundown of the topics and introduce them to the new and sometimes intimidating environment.