“NAX” (not available) means that your grade for that course has been finalised, but something is happening behind the scenes which means it cannot be entered yet. It is possible that this means your exam for that course has been flagged for potential academic misconduct. You will receive an email from the Assessment Services or the Academic Quality Office if that is the case.

When an examiner or examination software (Inspera; Turnitin; MOSS) detects potential academic misconduct, the Assessment Services or the Academic Quality Office is obliged to contact you for your side of the story, before a decision is made whether the misconduct is substantiated. The allegation could include plagiarism; collusion/collaboration with other students; or using unauthorised sources (contract cheating websites, such as Chegg, HD Education, or CourseHero). The email will give you a deadline by which to make your reply, and we highly recommend sending one if at all possible. If you believe the allegation is not true, make sure to reply with any evidence to refute it–your notes or drafts for example, anything which shows that you sat your exam independently and used your own work. Remember though that academic misconduct can still be accidental, and understanding and admitting to an honest mistake may help reduce any penalty you may be given. You can also bring to the attention of the Assessment Services or the Academic Quality Office any personal compassionate circumstances which may have impaired your judgement.

You will have 20 working days from the date you are notified of the Assessment Services or the Academic Quality Office’s decision to request a review of it. You can do this by replying to their notification email, and in this you must specify three things: 1. Whether you are appealing the decision to find academic misconduct is substantiated; the penalty which was applied; or both. 2. Which ground of appeal you make the review under: that there was a failure in the University’s process; and/or that the decision reached was manifestly at odds with the evidence. 3. Enough information to explain why you believe that the ground of appeal you are making the review under applies to your situation (need only be a brief paragraph). Your review will be heard by the Student Discipline Committee, who will contact you to confirm your hearing date and ask whether you would like to submit any further material for their consideration. You will most likely not need to attend the hearing in person.

The Academic Integrity Management System is a confidential record of all incidents of academic misconduct. The only staff who may request a student’s name is checked on it are the Assessment Services/Academic Quality Office staff in the course of an academic misconduct investigation. This is because a prior history of academic misconduct will usually mean a more severe penalty the second time around. It does not appear on your academic transcript, and cannot be seen by employers or other staff members at the University. Some professional registration bodies (such as for lawyers or doctors) may request disclosure of an academic misconduct record.

You can apply for these for exams or tests here. Remember that they will require you to demonstrate temporary, unforeseen circumstances outside of your control which negatively impaired your performance and/or preparation in the exam or test. Generally you have to have submitted sufficient coursework to indicate you were able to pass the course (with a C+ grade or higher), but this requirement has been waived for Semester Two 2021. There is a strict 7 day deadline from the date of the exam to submit your application. If you are unable to collect the required evidence in that timeframe, submit your application anyway as you will have a further opportunity to submit this evidence later.

If you are unable to resolve the issue with the staff member themselves, you can escalate a formal complaint to your faculty’s associate dean (academic). This requires you to put the specifics of your complaint and any resolution you would like, in writing to them, after which they are obliged to conduct an investigation. See here for a list of faculty deans (you will need to check their contact details separately in the unidirectory). They may refer you to a different academic head depending on whether the course or lecturer concerned belongs to a separate academic unit inside the faculty. You can file a complaint about University service delivery using this form.

Foodbank New Zealand is a great resource which lists organisations offering food aid, categorised by region.

In an emergency situation, dial 111 from any phone immediately. You can also dial 105 from any phone to report crimes where there is no immediate risk of danger, or receive updates about something you reported to 111. For general legal advice around a range of topics including employment, tenancy, or dealing with the police and courts, you can check Community Law’s online Law Manual. This is designed to be accessible for anyone. If you cannot find an answer there, you can contact your nearest Community Law Office for free further advice from fully qualified lawyers.