Bachelor of Culinary Arts Distance Delivery team leaders Otago Polytechnic
Te Whatu Kairangi Group Award
Champions for inclusive and positive wellbeing in culinary workplace practice
Distance Delivery team leaders on the Bachelor of Culinary Arts, Food Design Institute, Otago Polytechnic | Te Kura Matatini ki Otago
- Chloe Humphreys
- Juliane Tautz
Distance Delivery team leaders on the Bachelor of Culinary Arts | Juliane Tautz and Chloe Humphreys
This team has grasped the opportunity of their teaching to tackle the all too often toxic kitchen culture, sometimes glamorised by media celebrities, and prevalent in much of the New Zealand hospitality industry.
Teaching courses with options for in-work training and assessment of prior learning, the team’s students have included hospitality managers, head chefs and workplace mentors.
The values grounding their teaching methods and reflective learning methods have brought new understandings of workplace leadership and wellbeing that are supporting both transformation and high-quality service outputs for the industry. One former student commented, “The values championed continue to shape how I lead, create, and contribute to the industry today.”
Since the introduction of their approach, the team has demonstrated a 100% success rate for completions with consistently high grades, confirming their teaching effectiveness in the demanding study-in-work context.
While student numbers are small the impact on the industry is significant with nationwide reach. The impact of the ripple effect is evidenced as students model leadership in workplace wellbeing with their own trainees and staff.
Another student adds, “Changing a kitchen culture isn’t quick. It took time, patience, and a lot of honest reflection, but it was worth the effort to see my team grow and thrive. I've learned how to lead with more calm, clarity, and purpose.”