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Top EIT | Te Pūkenga researcher promoted to Associate Professor | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

3 mins ago

A Top EIT | Te Pūkenga academic has been promoted to Associate Professor in recognition of her internationally recognised research and academic leadership.

Dr Pii-Tuulia Nikula, now an Associate Professor at EIT | Te Pūkenga School of Business, is well known for her research on the international student recruitment industry and sustainability.

She has been the author and co-editor of two books this year – Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education and Sustainable Education Abroad: Striving for Change.

EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Glen Harkness congratulated Dr Nikula, saying: “Pii-Tuuliais an internationally recognised researcher and innovative educator with extensive industry, teaching and research experience in the fields of management, sustainability, higher education and international education.”

 “Pii-Tuulia is a good examples of the depth of research talent EIT | Te Pūkenga has and has brought much recognition for our research capabilities at EIT | Te Pūkenga.”

“With talent like this in our Professoriate, research at EIT | Te Pūkenga is in good health.”

Dr Nikula says she is excited to have been promoted.

“I want to acknowledge my academic and industry referees for their support. I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported, inspired and guided me throughout my academic journey, including my students, colleagues, managers, and academic and industry collaborators.”

“I’ll continue my leadership with the goal of making a positive impact at EIT and beyond!”

Dr Nikula teaches courses in sustainable organisations, global strategies and research methods and supervises under- and postgraduate level students. She also has extensive experience in course and curriculum design and programme and course coordination roles.

Before her academic career, Nikula worked as an entrepreneur and held management and leadership roles within the international student recruitment sector.

She is co-founder of Climate Action Network for International Educators (www.canie.org) and is the Chair of the School of Business and School of Computing Research Committee. She also serves as an editorial board member for Higher Education Quarterly and as an associate editor for Higher Education Research and Development and Journal of International Students.

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EIT Te Pūkenga farewells respected Executive Dean and animal welfare researcher | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

EIT | Te Pūkenga has farewelled respected Executive Dean and animal welfare researcher Professor Nat Waran.

EIT | Te Pūkenga has farewelled respected Executive Dean and animal welfare researcher Professor Nat Waran’

Professor Waran has also been made Professor Emeritus in recognition of her commitment to research and innovation at EIT | Te Pūkenga. Professor Emeritus appointments acknowledge normally retiring professors who are recognised nationally and internationally as having made an outstanding contribution in their discipline; have contributed significantly to the success of the institute over an extended period of time; are respected and esteemed by colleagues; and intend to maintain a continuing association with the institute.

Professor Waran has been Executive Dean and Professor of One Welfare since she joined EIT | Te Pūkenga in 2016 and has led the growth of research capabilities and structures within the institution.

Professor Waran is an internationally respected applied animal welfare scientist and educator with expertise in applied research, and the design and delivery of evidence-based education initiatives. She has more than 30 years of experience working as a strategic leader at senior level in the tertiary sector in NZ and overseas.

Prior to returning to New Zealand in 2016 she was the inaugural Director of the Jeanne Marchig International Animal Welfare Centre established at the University of Edinburgh’s veterinary school, where she collaborated with various organisations to advance animal welfare in developing countries.

EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Glen Harkness paid tribute to Professor Waran, who was farewelled at a function on the Hawke’s Bay Campus on Friday, 15 September.

“In the past seven years, Nat has been an exceptional leader not only across EIT and Te Pūkenga but also in research bodies around the world. In particular, at EIT, Nat’s stewardship of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Sciences, development of the EIT Research and Innovation Centre, the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre, and contribution to developing the EIT Institute of Sport and Health has been invaluable.”

“Outside of EIT, Nat was a founding member of Te Poari Akoranga and te Ohu Whakahaere committees at Te Pūkenga, developed the new Te Pūkenga Animal Research and Teaching Code of Ethical Conduct and facilitated the Te Pūkenga Research Ethics Framework. We have been lucky to have Nat’s expertise as a world expert in equine welfare and one-welfare, all while maintaining professorial roles at leading international universities and providing leadership in research projects.”

“It goes without saying that Nat has contributed widely to the life and reputation of the institution and will be a huge loss and missed by all of us,” said Mr Harkness.

Professor Waran says she has enjoyed her time at EIT.

“I feel very proud of all that we have achieved together over the past years. I haven’t ever regretted the decision to accept the offer of the role of Executive Dean at EIT and to bring our family back to NZ from Scotland. EIT has always been about our people and our positive relationships, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to work alongside such great colleagues.”

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EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay Campus opens for information and enrolment day | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

49 seconds ago

The EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay campus will be open for an information and enrolment day between 9am and 6pm on 12 October.

The EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay campus, which has been largely closed since Cyclone Gabrielle struck, will open for an information and enrolment day next month.

The day is open to anyone who is interested in studying at EIT | Te Pūkenga and who would like more information about what programmes are on offer.

The event will be held between 9am and 6pm on 12 October at the EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay Campus. Events will also be held on the same day between 10am and 2pm at the Maraenui, Hastings and CHB  Learning Centres

EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Glen Harkness says it is an important achievement to have the Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale open for information day.

“A lot of hard work has been done to get our campus partially reopened and we are delighted to be able to welcome prospective students to come and see the wide range of programmes we offer.”

 “EIT | Te Pūkenga has shown over the years that we provide the people of Hawke’s Bay the opportunity to stay local but still achieve their tertiary education dreams.”

“We are quite unique in offering people a full range of qualifications from certificates to postgraduate level, with full-time, part-time and online study options available.”

“Whether you’re looking to get qualified, upskill, or just exploring your study options, come chat to our staff about how EIT | Te Pūkenga may support you.”

Prospective students will be given a tour of the campus and a chance to chat to the student liaison team and tutors about what is on offer.

Check out the EIT | Te Pūkenga website eit.ac.nz for more info or phone 0800 CALL EIT.

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New funding boost for significant EIT | Te Pūkenga study into vaping among school students | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

2 days ago

Members of a EIT | Te Pūkenga research project addressing the epidemic of youth vaping among intermediate and high school students are Assoc. Prof. Rachel Forrest, Jocelyn Lañas-Pangan, Melody Khan, Assoc. Prof. Anita Jagroop-Dearing, Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart, Dr Sue Scott-Chapman.

A local EIT | Te Pūkenga research project addressing the epidemic of youth vaping among intermediate and high school students (ākonga) in Hawke’s Bay has received a funding boost from the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand.

The research is being conducted by a team lead by Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing from EIT | Te Pūkenga. This study will build on another project recently funded by the Health Research Foundation, Hawke’s Bay and led by EIT | Te Pūkenga. This programme of research will capture the stories, experiences and health awareness of e-cigarette vaping by our youth.

“There are limited studies in Aotearoa that formally explore an in-depth analysis on these topics,” says Assoc Prof Jagroop-Dearing.

The Health Research Council study is entitled Scoping Solutions to Address the Epidemic of Youth Vaping in Aotearoa.

“The funding will be used to carry out a synthesis of both quantitative and qualitative studies about vaping programmes. We consider national and international research to scope culturally and age appropriate, youth vaping-cessation programmes for Aotearoa. The team intends to identify any currently used anti-vaping educational tools with a view of co-designing a pro-equity anti-vaping programme for use in intermediate and high schools in Aotearoa NZ.”

The new funding from the Health Research Council, has enabled research assistants Jocelyn Lañas-Pangan and Melody Khan to join the team.

“This will also allow us to do more interviews with students and student-facing staff. We can therefore consider various student ethnicities, age and school decile, so that we can understand any unique factors that underpin these students decision-making as it pertains to vaping”.

The research sets out to understand reasons for vaping and barriers or enablers for quitting vaping.

 “We also want to determine what knowledge students have about the health-harms and wellbeing impacts of vaping. If there is a broader understanding about student vaping, we can tailor a more effective solution to support vape users to quit, discourage new users and to develop more holistic intervention strategies around vaping,” says Assoc Prof Jagroop-Dearing.

Assoc Prof Anita Jagroop-Dearing is a member of the Stop Adolescent Vaping E-Cigarettes (S.A.V.E.) group, which was formed in March 2020 as a multidisciplinary collective of Hawke’s Bay Professionals, which feeds into a wider national group.

She says the group is “alarmed by the high levels of youth vaping”.

“The problem seems to be out of control with increased school absenteeism, inability to concentrate on school lessons due to nicotine addiction, respiratory and mental health problems. We are concerned about the creation of this new generation of nicotine-dependent youth who also seem to be graduating to cigarette-smoking.”

Assoc Prof Jagroop-Dearing says there has been an enthusiastic response from schools to support this research. She says more could be done with Government policy to target the marketing and sale of vaping products containing nicotine.

Interviews are set to begin soon, with the literature review expected to start next year.

“Work is needed urgently. Unofficially, we hear about issues related to vaping by speaking with students, school staff and parents. Just being out in public, you can see there is an urgent need for some kind of solution, but as a scientist, I need to go through the research process. I don’t have that magic bullet.”

“What I hear is that the schools are at a loss, the parents are at a loss, and the students themselves don’t know where to turn to for help as they become addicted to nicotine. They just don’t know how to stop even when they want to stop!,” she says.

The EIT | Te Pūkenga researchers Associate Professor Rachel Forrest, Dr Sue Scott-Chapman, Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart, Jocelyn Lañas-Pangan and Melody Khan are working with Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing on these projects.

“We need to do everything we can to protect our young people from the harms of vaping,” said Assoc Prof Jagroop-Dearing. “This research is a critical step in that effort.”

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EIT | Te Pūkenga horticulture students help restore infrastructure at cyclone hit orchard | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

12 mins ago

Damon Kingi (left) and Jahrome Bryan, currently studying the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operation Skills (Level 3) at EIT | Te Pūkenga, helped restore infrastructure at an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Horticulture ākonga (students) at EIT | Te Pūkenga have had hands on industry experience by helping restore an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Three groups of ākonga studying the EIT | Te Pūkenga Horticulture Apprenticeship Programme [Level 3 – 4] completed a three-day Fruit Supports Structure course as part of the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operational Skills [Level 3] on the orchard of Global Harvest, owned by Brydon Nisbet and his family.

Brydon is a former tutor at EIT | Te Pūkenga, and is currently the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association President, and Director on the Board of Horticulture New Zealand.

He lost his home, and his orchard on Moteo Pa Rd was caked in heavy silt and littered with debris as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle. They removed more than 30,000 cubic metres of silt from the 5 hectare block.

“Warren Hales rung up and offered some help, so that was really good. I had 120 end assemblies that needed to be replaced on the orchard that broke because of the cyclone, and a lot of the damage was due to the machinery getting in there to get rid of the silt.”

The most recent group worked on the orchard earlier this month.

“They would’ve probably done possibly 50 or 60 replacement end assemblies and also wired them up. It’s a huge help towards the reinstatement of the structure”.

Brydon says he is “hugely appreciative of EIT | Te Pūkenga”.

A group of ākonga studying the EIT | Te Pūkenga Horticulture Apprenticeship Programme [Level 3 – 4] completed a three-day Fruit Supports Structure course as part of the NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operational Skills [Level 3] on an orchard devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“They were there helping out, but also it was a time for them to learn how to put end assemblies in properly, and also wire the end assemblies, which were a little bit tricky as well. But also, just for me, it was also just helping me out at a time of need as well. So, hugely appreciative of EIT | Te Pūkenga.”

Clare Buckner, EIT | Te Pūkenga Programme Coordinator and Horticulture Lecturer, says a part of the programme is to apply the skills and theory they have learnt out in the field.

“This is just an example of how we build real skills with experienced tutors that are experts in their chosen field and give students the experience of knowing how to do something well.”

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Following in the footsteps of her mother is special for EIT | Te Pūkenga student | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 mins ago

Piper Berryman (right) is following in the footsteps of her mother Anna (left) by doing Bachelor of Teaching Primary at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

EIT | Te Pūkenga Bachelor of Teaching Primary ākonga Piper Berryman always wanted to be a teacher, but it’s made more special because she is following the footsteps of her mother who was an original student in the programme at EIT.

Piper Berryman, 20, who went to Taradale High School, says she is proud to be following in her mother Anna Berryman’s footsteps in doing the degree.

“My mum was a part of the first group that went through the degree in 2013, and she actually ended up being a face for the EIT teaching degree, which included being interviewed and being on posters around EIT. Her whānau, friends and colleagues joked that she was the poster girl,” Piper proudly says.

“I think it is special that I am the second generation to go through this degree, having the same passions as mum and accomplishing the same goals in earning a Bachelor in Primary Teaching through EIT.”

Her mother Anna is a teacher at Peterhead – Te Whai Hiringa in Flaxmere, which is a partnership school with EIT | Te Pūkenga. Anna says “it is special to have another teacher in the family to share the same passion as me”.

“When I first started my degree Piper was in her first year of Intermediate. Throughout the three years of my journey Piper got to know the people I studied with. The cool thing is she has been in their classrooms now while she has been on her journey and next year maybe become one of their colleagues.”

“Every parents dream is for their children to be happy with whatever they choose in life. My husband and I are extremely proud of Piper and all of her amazing achievements.”

For Piper, being a teacher is all she ever wanted to be thanks to the influence and guidance of her mother.

“I’ve grown up loving kids. I love babysitting, and I’ve always been the mother hen with my younger family friends. And when I was at primary, mum was a teacher aide and she’s always been associated with the schools that my brother and I have been at, either with board of trustees or just school events.”

“It wasn’t a hard decision for me to go down the teaching path once I left school. I have grown up seeing the passion for teaching through my mum and the impact she’s had on her students That’s my goal as well.”

When Piper left Taradale High School, she received a year 13 Scholarship from EIT|Te Pūkenga and immediately enrolled in the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary).

Piper says, “one of the aspects of the programme that she really enjoys is that it is not all theory, but there is a practical component as well. Being on practicum and having two days a week in school base learning (partnership schools) is the most valuable part of the degree. This is where you get to be hands on, learning from other teachers and having your own learning experiences.”

The programme sees the EIT | Te Pūkenga candidate teachers spend time at partnership schools for each of the three years of the degree. Piper over her time doing the degree has been placed at Irongate School , Bledisloe School, Porritt, St Patrick’s and now for her final practicum at Nelson Park.

Piper and her classmates have also had to deal with the disruption of COVID-19 and then Cyclone Gabrielle this year. She says that while initially they were not able to go to the EIT|Te Pūkenga campus for in person learning, the cohort is now using a classroom at Taradale Intermediate for lectures.

In addition to finishing the last year of her degree, Piper is working at the Tamatea Pak ‘n Save where she has been for the past five years.

But it is teaching where her heart lies and she has no hesitation in recommending the Bachelor of Teaching Primary at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

Kirsty Jones, a Lecturer in Primary Education at EIT | Te Pūkenga,  says: “One of the key goals of the Bachelor of Teaching Primary at EIT | Te Pūkenga is to provide the community with a contextually relevant, localised teacher training programme that grows great teachers in the bay.”

“Over the past 10 years there has been a strong focus on building authentic partnerships between schools and EIT | Te Pūkenga as a platform for a career in teaching. The team are extremely proud of the locally focussed programme that has proven sustainability and achieved special outcomes like the story of Anna and Piper.”

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Best friends set to graduate after finding their calling at EIT | Te Pūkenga | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 mins ago

Monty Karena (left) and Savanna Wharehinga with their certificates at the urupa of their much-loved tutor Ron Dennis.

Two best friends who met while studying at EIT | Te Pūkenga finished how they started – together – when they graduated on Friday.

Two hundred and forty graduates received their qualifications at two graduation ceremonies held at Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre in Hastings on Friday (18 August).

Consistently top two in the class since they enrolled in the NZ Certificate in Te Reo Māori [Level 2],  Savanna Wharehinga (Ngāti Porou) and Monty Karena (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngātiwai) will both graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (Māori).

The pair, who had originally enrolled separately in the Certificate in Social Sciences in 2017 to become social workers, changed programmes when they were welcomed into Te Ūranga Waka, the School of Māori Studies in the first week.

“I think we were there for two days at Te Ūranga Waka, and then decided that that’s where we wanted to stay and keep studying,” Savanna says.

“We didn’t know it then, but we could feel something while we were there that was like ‘oh, this is where we’re supposed to be. And this is what we need to do’.”

Monty believes it was their calling. “We feel like te reo Māori found us”.

Savanna, now 39-years-old and a mother of three worked at McDonalds for 17 years. While 33-year-old Monty, a mother of four, had worked at various meat works since leaving high school and had just returned home from Australia after having twin boys, now seven-years-old.

“I just didn’t want to go back to the meat works. I swore to myself, ‘I’m never going back there’. So, I did whatever I needed to do,” Monty says.

The transition to study was the same for Savanna.

“I had had enough of working at McDonald’s, and I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life.”

Having the opportunity to study and forge a new path was something they both took in their stride.  

“When we first started studying, we didn’t know we were nerds, but we found out we actually are.” Monty says.

Throughout their time at EIT | Te Pūkenga, Savanna and Monty say they have felt supported by Kaimahi and peers, who are more like whānau. They credit a lot of this to Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Ūranga Waka and their late tutor Ron Dennis.

Ron’s passing last year affected them deeply.

“It really took a toll on us, our whole unit in Te Ūranga Waka. It was really devastating, and we didn’t think we were going to make it through,” Monty admits.

“He really embraced us and his whole whānau did also. He was like a dad to us and we were just really lucky to be a part of his circle.”

They say it was Ron who inspired them to keep going.

“We knew what he would say to us if we withdrew, because he always told us ‘don’t be dumb, don’t be a tou kūare!’. Don’t make dumb decisions when you’re in an emotional state’, That’s what pushed us through, we wanted to make him proud, so we could say to him, ‘we finished it’,” Savanna says.

“We had a little graduation at Te Ūranga Waka last year, at the end of the year, and we went out to see him at the urupā, and took our certificates and said, ‘Look, we finished. We finished the year’,” Monty says.

Savanna is now a tutor at Te Ūranga Waka, teaching the NZ Certificate in Te Reo me Ngā Tikanga [Level 4].

Monty was a Kaiwhakaako at Te Ūranga Waka up until last week when she began work at Kauwaka – an organisation established in 2020 as a vehicle to contribute to the language and cultural revitalisation efforts within Ngāti Kahungunu. 

“We are definitely grateful for the opportunities that we have been given because we didn’t ask for it. Like we said, it’s where we’re supposed to be. And we’re on the path that we’re supposed to be on because everything’s just taken care of itself,” Monty says.

Savanna says: “We’re on the path that out tīpuna (ancestors) dreamed for us”.

While they have now finished their degree, Savanna and Monty both agree it is not the end of their journey with te reo Māori.

“It’s made us realise that if we want to carry on with our reo journey, we are responsible for that ourselves. Learning te reo Māori is a never-ending journey, so I don’t think we’ll ever stop learning.”

Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Ūranga Waka, says: “Monty and Savanna stand out with their beautiful singing voices and bubbly personalities and as strong, confident, and skilled wāhine/kaiwhakaako”.

“I believe without a doubt Ron would be absolutely stoked about their achievements as we all are. Poho kereru ana mātau katoa i a kōrua. Nō kōrua te ao!”

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Celebrations as EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay students graduate | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

3 mins ago

Students (ākonga) from EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay graduated at two ceremonies held at Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre in Hastings on Friday (18 August).

There were celebrations as EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay students (ākonga), who faced COVID-19 disruptions, graduated on Friday.

Two hundred and forty graduates received their qualifications at two graduation ceremonies held at Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre in Hastings on Friday (18 August).

In the first ceremony, held in the morning, 157 graduates from the Centre for Veterinary Nursing, IDEAschool, Te Uranga Waka, Schools of Education and Social Sciences, Primary Industries, Tourism and Hospitality, Trades and Technology, and Viticulture and Wine Science all graduated.

The afternoon saw 83 graduates from the Schools of Business, Computing, Health and Sport Science, and Nursing cross the stage.

Attending both ceremonies were Te Pūkenga Pourangi Hua Tiriti | Deputy Chief Executive Tiriti Outcomes Paora Ammunson; as well as Tumu Whenua a-Rohe 2 | Executive Directors Region 2, Kieran Hewitson and Huia Haeata. Napier City Councillor Keith Price, representing the city’s Mayor Kirsten Wise attended both ceremonies, while Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and Hinewai Ormsby, the Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, attended the morning ceremony. Delegates from Chinese partnership university, Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages (ZYU), were also guests at the ceremonies.

Glen Harkness, EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director, congratulated all those who graduated..

“We know that COVID-19 brought multiple challenges over the years that these ākonga were at EIT | Te Pūkenga, but they can take pride in how they overcame that to achieve their diplomas, degrees and post graduate qualifications. Thanks to the kaimahi involved for all their hard work as well.”

“Once again EIT | Te Pūkenga is seeing a talented cohort graduating, which is a testament to the high quality programmes that we offer across the board. We have no doubt that these graduates will go on to make a mark in their chosen careers.”

Graduation ceremonies for the Tairāwhiti and Auckland campuses of EIT | Te Pūkenga were held earlier this year.

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Student’s wife enrolled him in EIT Te Pūkenga and now he is graduating with diploma | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

14 hours ago

CJ Pineaha-Burns (Ngāti Kahungunu) is graduating from EIT | Te Pūkenga with a Diploma in Te Reo Māori.

CJ Pineaha-Burns (Ngāti Kahungunu) delayed completing the final half of his Diploma in Te Reo Māori, so his wife enrolled him – now he is graduating from EIT | Te Pūkenga tomorrow (Friday 18 August).

CJ says he began his te reo journey as far back as 2013, completing the NZ Certificate in Te Reo me Ngā Tikanga [Level 4] and half of the Diploma in Te Reo Māori (Immersion) [Level 5]  before he and his wife moved to Australia. When they returned in 2019, his wife Savannah decided to study for her Bachelor in Māori Studies at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

The 28-year-old says it was important that he continued his studies.

“Te reo Māori was becoming so much more prominent in our house. All of our four kids go to Te Ara Hou, which is a full immersion Māori school. And so they were learning te reo Māori, my wife was in level six of her te reo Māori journey, and I was the only one in the house not on that journey.”

“And so, I got a phone call from EIT saying, ‘It looks like you want to enrol back into the diploma’. I didn’t know anything about it. It was actually my wife and my twin brother that rung them and told them that I wanted to be a part of it. And that’s how I got back in there. So I didn’t want to, I was pushed, and definitely grateful for that now.”

Te ao Māori (the Māori world) was a big reason for moving back home from Australia.

“It was a big part of what was missing when we were in Australia.”

His wife and twin brother Ethan will watch him graduate on Friday, and then next graduation, it will be their turn to walk the stage as they are due to both complete their Bachelor in Māori Studies at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

CJ says Te Ūranga Waka (Māori Studies) at EIT | Te Pūkenga has been so accommodating and supportive to him during his studies.

“Because I’ve got kids, they’ve helped me through that. And I ended up actually quitting my job recently so that I could go back to full-time study, because I did my diploma during night classes once a week. But when you’re learning te reo Māori, and you’re only doing it at night-times, it’s not enough. And because my kids were already in a Māori school, I needed to progress twice as fast, and I needed it daily. So now I’m full-time, and the whole dynamic of it has changed. It feels like I’m immersed in it all day now, which is perfect for my progression.”

“We’re all on the same page, and I can help them on their learning journey, and they can help me. We feed off each other now.”

While he may be graduating on Friday, his studying will still continue as he is enrolled in the Bachelor of Māori Studies.

While he has had other jobs in the past, including as a chef, CJ says he has finally found something he is comfortable in, and enjoying.

“It’s been an awesome journey. When they say ‘find something you enjoy doing’, I’m finally in that space. So I’ve just been offered a job as Kaiawhina (assistant) just going into level two classes and helping the tutors there. And that just helps me with my te reo Māori journey too, because I’m helping teach it.”

He joins his wife, brother and sister Desma Culshaw-Kaisa, who are all tutors at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Uranga Waka, says: “The Kahungunu whakataukī ‘Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini’ describes how achievements are not due to the efforts of one but of many as in the case of CJ and his talented whānau.”

“It isn’t uncommon to have students from the same whānau studying with us but so many and all at the same time, is quite rare. It is also very powerful. CJ is a great role model for his tamariki and our students.”

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EIT | Te Pūkenga Valedictorian credits studying for putting his life back on track after rugby career in France | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

2 mins ago

Ausage Fomai will graduate with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science from EIT | Te Pūkenga on Friday. He is also Valedictorian at one of the ceremonies in Hawke’s Bay on Friday.

When Ausage Fomai returned home from playing rugby in France he was struggling with a number of issues, but now not only is he graduating from EIT | Te Pūkenga, he is also Valedictorian at one of the Hawke’s Bay ceremonies on Friday (18 August).

Ausage, 34, will graduate with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science from EIT | Te Pūkenga at the graduation ceremony at Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre, in Hastings on Friday afternoon.

He was born in Auckland, but grew up in Hawke’s Bay, attending Hastings Boys’ High. A promising rugby player, Ausage went overseas to first play American Gridiron in Australia and then over to France, where he played for US Meyzieu Rugby Club near Lyon.

“When I came back from France, I actually had nothing to my name, no legacy. I was struggling with quite a few things.”

“My first thought was that my older brother Tivaini had gone through EIT and I saw that he was a teacher, and then I just thought that I’ll try, ‘maybe I could be a teacher one day’.”

“My first pursuit was to become a teacher like him and then, along that journey I found myself leaning towards more of the community side of things.”

“I had pretty much nothing and I just wanted to change the direction for my family and my three children.”

It has worked out well for Ausage as he has found his calling in life – working to uplift the Pasifika community.

“Last year in my final year of study, my full-year project was to use exercise to strengthen a relationship between parent and child for the Pasifika people. So, I did that study, and now I’m doing that full-time this year with a business we started up while I was studying called WOWbeing. Now I’m a director in the business.”

The WOW in WOWbeing stands for Wellbeing of Whānau.

“I set the company up with my older brother Tivaini, who did the degree in sport and rec, and then went on to do a teaching post grad. We also linked up with another set of brothers, Davis and Tyson Ataera. We used my project from my degree as our first programme of four in what we call the Journey to Prosperity.”

“I was proactive when I was studying so even though it was busy, I still just made the right connections with people. And our heart is for our Pasifika people.”

For now, Ausage is focused on graduating and his Valedictorian speech. He describes being selected as Valedictorian as surprise and an honour.

He plans to use his Valedictorian speech to encourage his fellow graduands to pursue their dreams.

“I stepped out of my comfort zone to create something that wasn’t there, so I will tell them to ‘Just dream big and nothing’s impossible’.”

Ausage says his family is looking forward to supporting him at the graduation, but unfortunately his brother Neria will not be able to attend as he is flying out to France on the same day to represent Manu Samoa at the Rugby World Cup.

Neria started the studying journey with Ausage and ended up completing his NZ Certificate in Exercise.

“Unfortunately he won’t be here. He plays for the Magpies in Hawke’s Bay, but he has been selected to go to the World Cup with the Manu Samoa team. So, that’s him now,” says Ausage.

Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart, Head of School Health and Sport Science at EIT | Te Pūkenga, says: “We are so proud of all our 2023 graduates. They have successfully studied and balanced life commitments faced with the added challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have shown incredible resilience, determination, and adaptability in the face of unprecedented circumstances.”

“We are moved by the passion and work of Ausage and his team in Pacific communities. They have and are working to continue to make a difference in the lives of their people by tackling some of the biggest challenges around health disparities. The skills that Ausage has developed during his studies are now allowing him to create positive change. Ausage was an obvious choice as Valedictorian to represent his peers; his journey is inspiring and we are honoured to see him graduate from EIT | Te Pūkenga.”