Category: Eastern Institute of Technology

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

Studying a Bachelor of Computing Systems at EIT | Te Pūkenga more than ten years ago has set Chester England up for his current role as a Technical Consultant at the local IT company Tribe.

IT was not a natural pathway for Chester, 36, as he first dabbled in business and commerce at the University of Waikato before deciding to enrol at EIT | Te Pūkenga in Hawke’s Bay. He graduated in 2011 and has not looked back since, when asked about his experience studying at EIT he remarked,

“It was awesome! I came from The University of Waikato and I was studying Electronic Commerce and just felt like it wasn’t my thing, I wasn’t really into all the business and theory side of it. I came to EIT unsure of whether I would enjoy studying IT and loved it.”

“The programme was far more hands on and practical. It felt like I was actually learning skills that I could take into the work force. Everything I learned at EIT and all the lecturers were really helpful. I was learning industry specific skills which gave me a really good start.”

“If I hadn’t studied at EIT, I wouldn’t have even got a foot in the door within the IT field – they gave me the tools and credentials to get started.” – “The job market was really competitive at the time, and I knew I had to do well to stand-out – I achieved straight As and received a Dean’s letter congratulating my grades” which helped him in his search for a job.

“If anyone asked me why they should study at EIT over anywhere else, I’d just say that the education I received from EIT is as good as what you get anywhere else.”

Chester, who is from Hawke’s Bay and went to Hastings Boys High, is enjoying his time at Tribe, where there are a number of EIT|Te Pūkenga graduates.

“It’s pretty cool as we’ve all got similar experiences with study, and I know what they’ve been through, so know where their skill level is at.”

Tanya Upritchard, Tribe’s Head of People & Culture, says: “Chester joined Tribe back in January 2022, as a senior member of our Technical Delivery Team based in our Hawke’s Bay offices.  Chester’s skill, experience, and his natural ability to build really strong and enduring relationships with Tribe’s customers immediately saw him cement a place as one of our most valuable team members from the get-go.”

“Chester is quick to share his knowledge with his teammates, helping those at the beginning of their IT journey get the most out of learning opportunities, and giving back to the team through this proactive sharing of knowledge.  Chester is just such a great cultural fit for our company, he embodies many of our core values and approaches every situation with a can-do attitude and an infectious enthusiasm. He’s a mean combination of techy know-how and down to earth kiwi get-it-done attitude.”

“ We are really privileged to have Chester working for Tribe, and we look forward to his continued growth and career progression in the future.”

Dr David Skelton, Seconded Assistant Head of the EIT | Te Pūkenga School of Computing, said: “Chester came to study Information Technology at EIT on a specialist Diploma in Hardware & Operating Systems to augment his previous studies and experience.”

“Like many mature students he achieved at a high level gaining A grades in all his subjects and enhanced the classes he was a part of.  It is great to see Chester join our local industry at Tribe. There is always strong demand from local industry for Computing graduates and excellent career opportunities in IT.”

“The EIT School of Computing works closely with many industry partners to place IT interns and to help graduates transition into IT careers.”

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

The rebuild of the EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay Campus is progressing well, with a large percentage of (staff) kaimahi and (students) ākonga due to be welcomed back at the beginning of next year.

Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive damage to the Taradale site in February with up to 90 per cent of the ground-floor buildings – more than 500 rooms – being damaged by flood water and contaminated silt.

While the Tairāwhiti Campus in Gisborne was fine, there was widespread damage to infrastructure and communities on the coast that continues to present challenges to delivery from Wairoa to Hicks Bay.

Many kaimahi at EIT | Te Pūkenga faced their own personal challenges as a result of the cyclone, yet still put in a lot of hard mahi to ensure continued delivery of programmes for ākonga.

Within two weeks of the cyclone, delivery had resumed, much of it online, to all but eight offerings. EIT kaimahi established a network of temporary locations across Napier and Hastings to support teaching activity and house key services. At its peak there were 45 temporary locations operating in what has been coined the EIT Te Pūkenga ‘extended campus’.

About 30 per cent of the Hawke’s Bay campus was able to be reopened for delivery to ākonga (learners) in time for the start of Semester 2 in July.

EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Glen Harkness says they are currently continuing largely with delivery as planned.

“A lot of hard work has gone in to get us to this point and we are pleased that several of our programmes requiring specialist facilities have been back on campus since July.”

The specialist spaces that have reopened account for about 30 per cent of the campus. They include vet nursing, nursing, viticulture & wine science, some creative disciplines, plumbing, automotive and mechanical engineering.

“Fortunately, most of the buildings used for specialist programmes had limited damage and were easier to repair. It was also hard to find specialist facilities to accommodate these programmes in the community, so it was a priority to get them back on campus.”

While the campus is not fully reopened, EIT | Te Pūkenga believes it is important to get staff and students back.

“We are grateful to those facilities in the community that let us conduct our programmes there, but it is important to bring as many staff and students home to the campus as possible so that they can be close to our support services.”

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

Bridy Rihari-Lundon (Ngāpuhi, Waikato Tainui) has had a big year – not only was she this year’s Valedictorian for the Tairāwhiti Campus of EIT|Te Pūkenga and just had a successful exhibition, but she has also won a top award.

Bridy is currently doing her Masters of Māori Visual Arts at Toihoukura, having graduated earlier this year with her Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts.

Bridy’ latest honour came at the 37th annual Ngā Taonga Toi a Te Waka Toi awards ceremony, which was held at the Tainui Novotel in Hamilton last month. She received a prestigious Ngā Manu Pīrere Award.

Her focus was on the “revival, reclamation and rebuilding of traditional and contemporary art forms” in the modern world.

A statement from the awards said: “She aims to decolonise the minds of her generation and re-indigenise their thought patterns, emphasising the significance of Māori language and culture.”

Bridy, 23, says she had decided at the last moment to enter the award, which comes with a scholarship as a prize. She says she entered the night before applications closed and then did not think much more about it.

“I actually forgot about it for a couple of weeks until they called me and told me that I had received the award. I was shocked, but it is really cool.

“The main reason I wanted to apply for it was because I had a show coming up this year for my honours programme, and I wanted that to help me create my artwork for that show, prepare me. That was my aim, and that was my goal.”

It has been a busy few years for Bridy as she also received the Ruanuku Award, which is awarded each year to the top all round student at Toihoukura. The Ruanuku is a final year undergraduate art student who performs at a high level across a range of requirements.

The scholarship from her latest award has helped Bridy with the costs of staging an exhibition at the Nancy Caiger Gallery at The Meteor Theatre in Hamilton.

‘It helped a lot with the costs of printing, gallery hire and materials.”

Her exhibition was about Karakia, traditional Māori incantations.

“It’s about using Karakia in open spaces. I know for Māori, we often don’t use it when we really need to. So walking into a foreign space or a space we don’t feel comfortable in performing your Karakia, even if it’s just to yourself to clear that pathway and bring some sort of protected shelter over you and make you feel safe within that space.”

“My show talks about the process of it, the beginning to the end, and it kind of takes you on a spiritual journey.”

As for the future, Bridy hopes to study further to be a teacher. She is currently working fulltime at the kura Tōku Māpihi Maurea in Waikato, while studying online at Toihoukura.

“I suppose because my purpose for now and probably for my future is to give back, and that’s what I’m trying to do. So it really makes me happy knowing that I can share my skills and my knowledge and pass it down so it carries on the art form and the teachings.”

Tracey Leigh Mihinoa  Tangihaere, Executive Director of EIT|Te Pūkenga Tairāwhiti Campus and Head of Toihoukura, said: “Bridy is a talented artist who brings her matauranga Māori alive in her work. She brings inquiry to the state of our own cultural norms and customs , finds a place in challenging times to anchor ourselves to our values to produce resilience and faith. Her visual work is testimony to hard work and faith in Wairuatanga to overcome adversity. It’s a great reminder to us all.”