The University of Auckland (UoA), New Zealand’s largest and highest-ranked university, is a leader in fostering student success and wellbeing. With over 40,000 students across diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, the university is committed to ensuring that every individual has access to holistic support services.
As part of this commitment, Te Papa Manaaki Campus Care is a free, confidential service that is a centralized hub for student wellbeing, providing accessible, compassionate, and comprehensive care. To enhance its mission, the university adopted Symplicity Advocate in 2020, which supports the institution’s approach to managing and supporting student needs. From enabling seamless collaboration across departments to proactively addressing student concerns, Advocate has become an indispensable tool in advancing the university’s wellbeing initiatives.
Seamless student support integration
As the central hub for wellbeing services at the UoA Te Papa Manaaki operates as the “front door” for student support. Symplicity Advocate serves as a crucial tool for managing referrals, ensuring no student falls through the cracks.
“Symplicity is an awesome platform for us because when students put a referral in, it gets brought straight into the system,” said Kate Mace, UoA’s Care Manager. “And if they've got any history with us or any other well-being services across the university, we're able to see that immediately, which supports our triaging and allocation process to a case manager but also highlights if we need to work more collaboratively across the wider support systems of the university as well.”
This integration not only speeds up support delivery, but fosters collaboration across services, all while respecting students' consent. By minimizing the need for students to repeatedly share their stories, Advocate reduces barriers to accessing care and creates a more inclusive, accessible experience.
“Symplicity is an awesome platform for us because when students put a referral in, it gets brought straight into the system. And if they've got any history with us or any other well-being services across the university, we're able to see that immediately, which supports our triaging and allocation process to a case manager but also highlights if we need to work more collaboratively across the wider support systems of the university as well.”
Kate Mace
Care Manager, Te Papa Manaaki Campus Care
The University of Auckland
Proactive outreach through automation
Recognizing the growing mental health challenges among students, the UoA uses Symplicity Advocate to move beyond reactive support by integrating proactive outreach initiatives.
Launched through Advocate, UoA began proactive outreach to students through a student wellbeing survey. Intended to run at the beginning of each academic semester, the student wellbeing survey is based on the Tewhare Tapu Whā model, a New Zealand holistic well-being framework rooted in Te Ao Māori principles, which evaluates areas such as physical health, mental health, and family wellbeing. Based on a student's responses, Advocate automates the referral process: students with high scores of need are directed to case managers, assigned to provide personalized support, while those with lower scores are connected with faculty pastoral support teams.
Students who do not require immediate assistance receive general information about available resources across the university. As Mace highlighted, "Rather than having to be reactive when things really unravel, we’re able to get to students at a much earlier stage in the process and support them with those needs before they get out of control, or they get overwhelmed." This automation ensures timely outreach and coordination across services, empowering the university to provide proactive and holistic care to its students, even before crises emerge.
"Rather than having to be reactive when things really unravel, we’re able to get to students at a much earlier stage," Mace noted. “The automation links with our processes to ensure we’re proactively outreaching to students based on their needs.”
Data-driven insights for continuous improvement
Symplicity Advocate’s reporting capabilities empowers the Te Papa Manaaki team to analyze trends and adapt their services to better meet student needs. For instance, a recent operational review uncovered key themes around why students seek help, which informed staff training and resource allocation.
"We pulled a lot of data to see who is coming to us, why, and who isn’t," shared Mace. “This has helped us identify gaps in accessibility and develop a more robust framework for how we work.”
By harnessing demographic data and referral trends, the team can ensure equitable access to support services while optimizing their processes to address unmet needs.
“It also helps us in terms of developing as a new service a more robust framework and processes for the way we work,” Mace said. “So, looking at what we're doing well, how responsive we've been, and places in which we can strengthen and grow our practice and processes to better meet the needs of our students. So that's just some of the ways we pulled the data from Symplicity to support the work that we do with students. “
Versatility and innovation in service delivery
For a newly established university service like Te Papa Manaaki flexibility is essential. Symplicity Advocate’s adaptability has been instrumental in supporting new initiatives, such as their Active Response Service, which provides in-person triaging for distressed students.
"It’s actually really great because it’s so versatile," Mace emphasized. “Once we described what we needed, it was easy to work with the system to set it up. The platform grows with us as we evolve.”
Additionally, automation has freed up staff to focus on student-facing work. For example, automating wellbeing survey data entry has saved significant time previously spent on manual processes, allowing resources to be redirected toward direct student support.
“The other great thing about [Advocate] is that we also run the Student Emergency Fund, where we can provide funding for students who have unexpected financial costs. And that also, really, the automation and the simplicity of having all the information in in place,” Mace added. “Not only are they applying for the Student Emergency Fund, we can actually do the whole approval process through Simplicity and also see the wider information on the student and what their needs are as well. “
A trusted partner in student care
Symplicity Advocate has proven to be more than a tool; it’s a trusted partner in transforming how the UoA delivers student support. By breaking down silos, enabling proactive outreach, and fostering continuous improvement, Advocate helps the university provide holistic, student-centered care.
"Having one place where information sits in a safe and secure environment is essential for the work we do," Mace said. “It’s a great system that really supports us and grows with us.”
For institutions in Australia and New Zealand looking to elevate their student wellbeing services, Symplicity Advocate offers a proven solution tailored to the unique challenges of higher education.
