Tertiary institutes say they have proper ways to keep an eye on students after fears were raised about the "highly effective cult" by members of Crossroads Church.

They were recently sent a letter of warning about the Shincheonji​ cult, also known as New Heaven and New Earth.

Shincheonji was founded by Lee Man-Hee in South Korea in 1984.

Man-Hee claims to be the second-coming of Jesus Christ and says only he can properly interpret the Bible.

The cult has been active in Wellington.

A senior pastor of The Street Church, Nick Field, says members of the group invited people from his church to Bible studies, which were then used as fronts to isolate people.

While having no confirmed sightings of the cult being active in Palmerston North, the Crossroads Church wants to proactively let people know what is going on.

Massey University issued a statement following the warning saying it takes pastoral care very seriously.

It offers one-on-one welfare checks and monthly group meetings for those living on campus.

UCOL student success senior manager Victoria Blockley-Powell said they would not tolerate any activity which put students at risk.

Staff were especially wary during orientation events for groups which may harass students.

She suggests the best way to combat groups like Sinchenjoi is to make sure students were well supported.

Regular social events, networking groups, counselling, food banks, anxiety support groups and a parenting-at-distance network helped create connections so students could get help if things became tough, she said.

As international students could be particularly susceptible to negative groups, they are being especially well supported, Blockley-Powell said.

As an example of this, she said each new international student is partnered with a returning one to help adjust to life on campus.

A senior lecturer at Massey University who has researched religious groups and unconventional manifestations of spirituality, said Shincheonji had the typical hallmarks of a cult.

Dr Heather Kavan said those hallmarks include a single figure claiming to be God's mouthpiece and members being pressured to make huge sacrifices to survive the impeding apocalypse.

As Lee's teachings say only 144,000 people would become immortal on the Day of Judgment and the cult has over 180,000 members, members competed with acts of loyalty and sacrifice to ensure they were in the elect, Kavan said.

"The competition becomes all-consuming, and they often leave their jobs, studies and families, effectively cutting off their support."

"They reveal their real agenda in such small increments that people don't notice how bizarre the situation is until they're in too deep."

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• Stuff
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Several posters supporting the democratic protests in Hong Kong were pasted on advertising columns at the Palmerston North campus on Thursday night by a group of students wanting to raise awareness for the turmoil unfolding in their homeland. Continue reading

Alesana Pala'amo beat eight other finalists and captivated judges with his presentation titled "Researching God: Come talk to your Pastor".

Mr Pala'amo, from the School of Health and Social Sciences at Albany, is doing his research on pastors in the Congregational Christian Church in Apia, Samoa.

A minister in the church himself, he was motivated because of a concern that younger Samoans are not responding to a traditional, more directive style of counselling.

He says the popularity of social media and the use of mobile phones have changed the way Samoans communicate.

The younger generation of Samoans seek a more reciprocal approach to counselling that acknowledges both spiritual and social issues.

Professor Brigid Heywood said the judges chose the winning entry because of the way the topic brings a traditional concept into a modern context.

Mr Pala'amo will take part in the trans-Tasman finals in Perth in November, along with representatives from each New Zealand university.

The winner of the Trans-Tasman finals will go through to the World finals, which are held online.

The contest - academia's equivalent of television's Idol singing competition - has a serious mission to encourage doctoral students to find creative ways of succinctly communicating their research projects.

This year's judges were Fonterra Food Structure manager Dr Steve Taylor, Massey vice-chancellor Steve Maharey, assistant vice-chancellor Research, Academic and Enterprise Professor Brigid Heywood and pro vice-chancellor - College of Sciences Professor Robert Anderson.

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He received a Doctor of Literature for his outstanding service to the University and outstanding contributions to education in New Zealand and internationally.

Professor Snook established and chaired the first Massey University human ethics committee, and led the development of the University's code of ethics for human subject research.

For the past 20 years he also convened the Education Policy Response Group, an ad hoc group of academic staff from across the College of Education that meets to prepare analyses of major government education policy. Its most recent report was on charter schools.

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Massey University education associate professor Jill Bevan-Brown said schools tend to focus on academic subjects but giftedness in Maori students is broader.