Category: Tertiary Education

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PBRF Sector Reference Group – Consultation now open on responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 24 March 2023
Last updated 24 March 2023

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The PBRF Sector Reference Group (SRG) is consulting on options for responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Quality Evaluation 2026.  
The PBRF Sector Reference Group (SRG) is consulting on options for responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Quality Evaluation 2026.  

You can access the consultation paper on the TEC website at SRG Consultation Papers. 
While the submission and assessment phase of the PBRF Quality Evaluation will be held in 2026, the assessment period covers 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2025, a period which has been significantly affected by the pandemic. Following earlier consultation and information gathering, the SRG has developed proposals on how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be recognised in the Quality Evaluation 2026.
Consultation on the proposals set out in the paper closes on 5 May 2023. Feedback may be submitted via the online survey.
Information on Quality Evaluation 2026 and the SRG is available at Sector Reference Group (SRG) 2026.

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Entrepreneurial Universities

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 29 April 2024
Last updated 29 April 2024

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Entrepreneurial Universities was a competitive fund aimed at attracting world-leading entrepreneurial researchers to build stronger and more relevant links with existing and emerging industries and firms.
Entrepreneurial Universities was a competitive fund aimed at attracting world-leading entrepreneurial researchers to build stronger and more relevant links with existing and emerging industries and firms.

The Entrepreneurial Universities fund was open for applications between 2017 and 2019. Funding allocations for successful applications were available until 2023. The fund is now closed. No new agreements will be entered into, and existing ones will not be renewed once they expire in 2024 or 2025.
Purpose of Fund
The purpose of the Entrepreneurial Universities Fund was to support universities to stimulate increased innovation and entrepreneurship in the university sector through the recruitment of high-calibre academics with entrepreneurial and commercial skills and knowledge.  
Entrepreneurial Universities leveraged the skills and experience of world-leading entrepreneurial academics to drive:
cutting-edge research to grow New Zealand’s competitive advantage
university-led innovation and entrepreneurship in existing and emerging industries
commercially-relevant research that fosters industry collaboration and strengthens economic growth, and
stronger connections with overseas universities, research institutes and businesses.
Entrepreneurial Universities funding was part of a wider package of initiatives to grow universities’ leadership role in innovation and entrepreneurship across New Zealand.
The funding supported academics to undertake research, and innovative and collaborative activities with industry, not including overhead or capital costs.
The nine Entrepreneurial Universities initiatives
There are nine initiatives that were funded:
The University of Auckland
The University of Waikato
Victoria University of Wellington
University of Canterbury

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Top award caps successful study at EIT for former Business Studies student | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

16 mins ago

Amy Saunders has capped off her Bachelor of Business Studies degree at EIT by graduating with a top award.

Amy Saunders has capped off her Bachelor of Business Studies at EIT by graduating with a top award.

Amy had been in Canada since January for a working holiday, but rushed back to attend the graduation ceremony at the Napier Municipal Theatre earlier this month.

Amy, who was awarded EIT’s Margaret Hetley Scholarship in her first year, rounded off her degree by walking off with the TRACTA Award for Academic Excellence in the EIT Bachelor of Business Studies (Marketing).

“After finishing my degree, I thought I’d have a little break and decided to go over to Canada. It was just to try something different.”

Amy says she was “super grateful” to receive the award, sponsored by TRACTA.

“My degree has been quite disrupted, like everyone else, but with COVID and then the cyclone. Being able to keep myself accountable throughout all of that disruption and still graduate and get the grades that I was after, was really cool.”

“This award is very validating after quite a hectic degree.”

Amy is now focussed on finding a role in marketing in Hawke’s Bay or elsewhere and getting her career started.

“I’m pretty open to anything. I do love to travel, so I think it would be exciting if I did find something overseas that worked, but yeah, I love New Zealand, and Hawke’s Bay is always home.”

EIT initially wasn’t on Amy’s radar when she was head girl at Karamu High School, with the plan being to go to the University of Auckland to do a Bachelor of Global Studies.

“I paid for everything and got into my hall, and then realised that I didn’t want to do that.”

“I withdrew from the course and went and volunteered in Southeast Asia for six months and then came back and thought that I was actually ready to study. I chose EIT, because it was at home, and I could sort of get straight into everything without having to pick up my whole life again and move. “

Another motivating factor was studying for a degree she wanted to do.

“I’ve got a creative mind, but also enjoy the academic side of things. The marketing major offered both of those things and could give me what I wanted all in the one degree.”

“I had a great time, really enjoyed studying, and the topics that we covered and the lectures were great, too.”

Not only did she enjoy the programme, but she also made friends who she still keeps in touch with.

“Throughout all of the disruption, there was always support, and it was a really nice environment while there was so much uncertainty with COVID-19 and the cyclone as well.”

“I feel that it was two-way support. It was the first time for a lot of our lecturers that this kind of thing was happening, and same for the students, so we were all in it together.”

Amy is keen to get into the workforce, but does not rule out studying further at some stage. One thing is certain, she will recommend EIT to people.

“It’s not a huge university, you don’t get lost and made into sort of a number. You are treated as a person, and people know you by name and remember things about you. And I think that that’s really unique about EIT, and I personally felt really looked after throughout my whole degree.”

Amy’s drive and ambition is also reflected in her sporting achievements. Amy captained the under 18 canoe polo women’s team who won gold at the Oceania Championships in 2017. In 2019, she competed in the waka ama sprint nationals.

Kurt Sandtmann, Managing Partner of TRACTA commended Amy on her achievements in both graduating and receiving top honours for her degree in business.

“It is energising to see such strong, ambitious marketing talent such as Amy coming from within the Hawke’s Bay region. TRACTA are proud be able to support her through EIT.”

John West, the Head of EIT’s Schools of Business and Accounting, said: “Amy is another outstanding graduate, completing her studies through the EIT School of Business.”

“Her resilience like so many others, coupled with her drive to preform at the highest level, has seen Amy not only awarded top graduate awards but provided an outstanding pathway into her career.”

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Third time graduating for former EIT student, but still just as exciting | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

12 hours ago

Rebecca Dames graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from EIT and also received an award for the top student in the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting.

Rebecca Dames graduated for the third time when she crossed the floor to receive her Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from EIT earlier this month , but says it was still just as exciting as the first time.

Not only did Rebecca, 34, graduate at the Napier Municipal Theatre, but she also received an award for the top student in the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting.

Rebecca’s journey through academia began after she finished school at Iona College in Havelock North, she went to the University of Canterbury where she completed a Bachelor of Science. She then moved across to Australia where she did a Masters in Library Management at the University of South Australia.

After that she came back to New Zealand and worked as a librarian at Lincoln University for five years before she went on an OE to the UK for two years.

Not wanting to go back into the library, Rebecca decided to rekindle a love of numbers by pursuing the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting at EIT.

“My Bachelor of Science was in Mathematics, so I’ve always been very good with numbers, but I’d never actually taken accounting. I never did it at high school or anything, but I just knew that I was good at numbers, so I thought it was probably going to be a good fit.”

And so it turned out to be. However, the road to achieve her graduate diploma did have some obstacles, firstly with COVID-19 and also never having done accounting before.

“Because of this, the diploma was two years as I had to do the prerequisite papers. And I was also working for my family at the same time, so I went on and off full-time, so it took me two years.”

It got worse as she found herself and her family affected quite badly by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“I’m actually off an orchard in Fernhill . It’s not where we live, thankfully, but it’s just the apples. It was a little bit stressful trying to get things sorted at the same time. But after COVID-19, we’d gotten used to working online, so it was just more of the same really, attending online lectures.”

The family has recovered from the Cyclone, but Rebecca still remembers the feeling of going back to study after so many years.

“I was a bit nervous about it, but I was so grateful that EIT had such small class sizes because all the teachers knew me.”

“It’s so personal, that just made it so much easier. And also, I said to myself, ‘Okay, if we’re going to do this, if I’m going to change careers completely, commit to being poor for a couple of years while I study, I might as well do it properly,’ which is why I said to myself, ‘Let’s get an A in everything,’ and I did. I was really proud with that.”

Rebecca is now working as an auditor at PwC and working toward becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

“My future goals are to get my CPA, and then I’m going to stick with audit for a while and really get to know that, because audit gives you such a great overview of all the areas of accounting.”

As for her time at EIT, Rebecca has no hesitation in recommending the programme to others.

“It’s great that it’s local in Hawke’s Bay, and it’s really good that you can work and study at the same time because of the way the timetable is set up.”

The Head of the EIT School of Business and Accounting John West said: “EIT is delighted to see Rebecca continuing our tradition, with strong accounting graduates heading into excellent jobs within Hawke’s Bay.”

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Learner Success Community of Practice

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa provides an informative session on Te Ata Hāpara, and its approach to student support and pastoral care with a focus on higher-needs students. The presentation covers the data behind how Te Ata Hāpara identifies students at risk of not completing courses, and how they support these students.
[embedded content]
Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington discuss their new student success support programme, Tītoko, which helps students across the university, including study advice, student administration, support services and student life in general. This presentation takes a deep dive into why the programme was set up, the data supporting change to happen, the approach required for real change and the mechanisms behind how the programme works.
[embedded content]
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington answer questions about their approaches, Te Ata Hāpara and Titoko.
[embedded content]

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Friendship cultivated through Master of Professional Practice at EIT | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

Georgia Dick (Ngāti Kahungunu) and Lisa Harrington have graduated with a Master of Professional Practice with Distinction at EIT.

Lisa Harrington and Georgia Dick (Ngāti Kahungunu) have graduated with a Master of Professional Practice with Distinction at EIT, but their association will continue long after thanks to a friendship developed through study.

Lisa, a Social Worker and National Practice Design Advisor at Oranga Tamariki, and Georgia, an Advanced Practitioner Respiratory Physiotherapist at Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay, first met while studying the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Supervision (Level 8) in 2021.

Neither of them thought they would end up completing their masters, but both credit one another for getting through it. Coming from different fields was particularly beneficial.

“I don’t think I would have gotten through it without Lisa,” Georgia admits. “Neither,” Lisa says.

Brunches became a staple of their study.

“The good thing about Georgia and I is, I’d have a panic and she’d be calm and then she’d have a panic and I’d be calm. And so we could actually message each other and then we’d go out for brunch and we’d go to the library or stuff like that. And we’d do a little bit together and then get on track. It was easier to do with Georgia.”

While supervision is a core part of Social Work, it is not mandated for Physiotherapists, but equally as important.

“I’ve been a supervisor in the organisation for ages, but there was a group of us from Oranga Tamariki at the time that went and did the supervision certificate together. I just wanted to explore different models and different ways of doing supervision and reignite that passion for it,” Lisa says.

Lisa, 50, graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work at Massey University more than 20 years ago, but through that degree had to complete some papers at the EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale.

Georgia, 29, graduated from the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago in 2016.

Both are from the South Island but ended up moving to Hawke’s Bay several years ago.

“I had kind of wanted to always do my masters, but I do a subset of physiotherapy – respiratory physio and critical care – and there isn’t a lot of specific masters available for that. So I kind of got into it accidentally through the professional supervision and then realised that was a third of the way towards my masters, so thought ‘well, I’m this far in, let’s try.”

Lisa says the masters has been “life changing”.

“It’s been a life-changing situation for me with the topics that I chose to research and the critical reflections that I did. It’s been a professional and personal journey for me. Nothing but beneficial.”

Georgia says the learnings from her study gave her the skills and confidence to go for a three month secondment as one of the Physiotherapy Critical Care Educators in the Central Region, which encompasses Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North, and Wellington.

It was a similar situation for Lisa, who recently was promoted from Practice Leader for Oranga Tamariki’s Hastings site to National Practice Design Advisor.

“It helped me to apply for a different job to pursue the same kind of things that I’ve been doing, but that’s what’s contributed to my study as well.”

Georgia believes the programme is “underrated”.

“The ability to write your thesis on whatever you want was really interesting because I actually wrote mine on resources for healthcare workers after a disaster essentially after the cyclone. And there’s no way I would have been able to do that with any of the other kind of big masters.”

Lisa says: “I think that the way that it’s set up with the critical reflection, the types of professions that go into that masters potentially are ones that need to have self-critical reflection but don’t have the time because they’re quite high-pressured, stressful jobs. You can see from everybody through critical reflections how much stronger people are in their professional selves.”

They both speak highly of the lecturers.

“Heaps of credit goes to the tutors because they really just create space for you to explore areas. They don’t force you down a path, which can be kind of scary if you want some guidance about it. But actually, the end result when you think about it afterwards is it’s all your work. It’s not influenced by other people and it’s how you want to write it.

“And I think that it takes a special skill to be able to do that.”

Mandy Pentecost, Programme Coordinator of the School of Education and Social Sciences Postgraduate Programmes

“Being a part of  Lisa and Georgia’s masters journey  has been a privilege. Lisa and Georgia exemplify the commitment and determination our postgraduate students bring to their study, and their willingness to dig deep into the assumptions underpinning their practice. We wish them well as they take up their new roles.”

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University Advisory Group panel members named

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 15 April 2024
Last updated 15 April 2024

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Members of the University Advisory Group, which will provide the government with advice on New Zealand’s university system, have now been named. 
Members of the University Advisory Group, which will provide the government with advice on New Zealand’s university system, have now been named. 

Led by the Chair, Professor Peter Gluckman, the group are from a variety of backgrounds and are highly respected in their fields.
Professor Sir Peter Gluckman is Chair of the Advisory Group and Chair of the Science System Advisory group, former Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, a paediatrician, and Koi Tū director.
Dr Alastair McCormick is a professional director and Emeritus Professor of the University of Auckland, and is currently a Commissioner on the Tertiary Education Commission board.
Arihia Bennett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) is the former Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Chief Executive and current Chair of Kāpuia – the Ministerial Advisory Group on the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques.
John Allen is Chief Executive of WellingtonNZ, the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency and Chancellor at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.
Phil O’Reilly is Managing Director of Iron Duke Partners and previously the Chair of the Board of Business at OECD, a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and Business NZ Chief Executive.
Bella Takiari-Brame (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui) is a professional director, currently Chair of The Lines Company Ltd, director of Te Ohu Kaimoana, and a member of the ACC Board and Crown Infrastructure Partners Ltd Board.
Sir David Skegg is an epidemiologist and public health physician, currently Emeritus Professor of the University of Otago and formerly its Vice-Chancellor, as well as President of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Chair of the Health Research Council, and special adviser to Parliament’s COVID-19 Epidemic Response Committee.
Dame Paula Rebstock is a consultant and company director/board member of Asia Pacific Healthcare Group, Vector Limited, NAZ Ltd, AIA New Zealand and Vector Metering, previously Chair of the Commerce Commission, the Accident Compensation Commission and several government reviews and panels.
The group will meet regularly to develop their advice and recommendations.
For more information, including full biographies of each member and the terms of reference for the Group, visit University Advisory Group.

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Celebrations as EIT Hawke’s Bay students graduate after tough years | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

6 mins ago

More than 320 graduates received their diploma, degree or postgraduate qualifications at two ceremonies held at the Napier Municipal Theatre today.

There was an air of celebration in Hawke’s Bay as students from EIT graduated after a tough few years due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, and COVID-19.

More than 320 graduates received their diploma, degree or postgraduate qualifications at two ceremonies held at the Napier Municipal Theatre today. In total EIT awarded 813 diplomas, degree and postgraduate qualifications to Hawke’s Bay based learners who completed their studies last year. 

The first ceremony, held in the morning, saw 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 graduate.

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

Attending both ceremonies were Andrew McSweeney, Te Pūkenga Deputy Chief Executive – Learner & Employer Experience and Attraction and Kieran Hewitson, Te Pūkenga Tumu Whenua ā-Rohe 2 | executive director. Napier MP Katie Nimon was also in attendance.

Glen Harkness, EIT Executive Director Operations, congratulated all those who graduated.

“It’s great to see these students succeed after some challenging years with the move to online because of COVID-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle. These students can take pride in how they overcame that to achieve their diplomas, degrees, and postgraduate qualifications.”

He thanked the lecturers and tutors 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.”

A graduation ceremony was held for the Tairāwhiti Campus in March, while students at the Auckland campus of EIT will graduate on May 28.

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Move from Dubai to be near sister culminates in former EIT student graduating with top award | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

6 hours ago

Chirag Patel will receive the Top Graduate Diploma in Business Student award when he graduates at the Napier Municipal Theatre tomorrow.

Chirag Patel moved from Dubai to be near his sister and it is a move he does not regret as he is set to graduate from EIT with a top award this week.

Chirag, who is 27, was born in India but grew up in Dubai, where he obtained a Bachelor of Engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani in Dubai. He also worked there for nearly five years as a sales manager for a building automation and fire safety company, but decided that he wanted a change of pace. He decided that he wanted to study further in New Zealand and EIT became his chosen destination because his sister, Shital, lives in Hawke’s Bay.

Chirag Patel will receive the Top Graduate Diploma in Business Student award when he graduates at the Napier Municipal Theatre tomorrow (Friday 12 April).

But it was a yearning for a change of pace that led him to Hawke’s Bay.

“I was not really happy with the entire work culture in Dubai. It’s quite fast-paced and it’s not really secure.”

“It was good to be near my sister because my parents live in Dubai and I am fond of being around family.”

Chirag could have been at EIT earlier and was all set to come to EIT when COVID-19 hit and New Zealand shut its borders.

“ I got my student visa as well, and I was enrolled in EIT. And unfortunately my flight, which was scheduled for March 23rd, 2020, was cancelled because the borders were shut on 19 March.”

His troubles were not finished because when he arrived at EIT, studies moved online because of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“Cyclone Gabrielle happened in the second semester of my studies, so I only had one course which was done online and rest of my credits were through a business internship. I was working at Specsavers in Hastings.”

Since completing his degree, Chirag has moved on to ABB, at Hawke’s Bay Airport where he works as a planner.

But for now, his focus is on graduating on Friday, where his sister and colleagues from work will be in attendance as support.

“This is the second time I’ll be wearing the whole regalia and everything, so I’m quite keen on doing it once more.”

Chirag has no hesitation in recommending the Graduate Diploma in Business at EIT.

“I would say that it’s a great pathway for someone to actually come into New Zealand and understand the work culture, which was really, really important for me. Since I come from a different business landscape, it was quite important for me to come to a different country, see how the landscape differs over here.”

Russell Booth, Senior Lecturer and Programme Co-ordinator – Business at EIT, said: “Chirag made a big impression within the first few days of starting his Graduate Diploma. He was enthusiastic to learn everything he could from his lecturers and all commented on his enthusiasm, his ability to learn things quickly and his very personable nature.”

“There is no doubt he thought carefully about the work-based internship in the second semester of his Graduate Diploma to ensure he was setting himself up for a sustainable career here in Hawke’s Bay. It was no surprise when he landed an excellent role at ABB from which he can develop. His aptitude to be the best he can has also made an impression at ABB and his future there seems very bright indeed!”

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EIT Valedictorian happy to be graduating after tough times during degree | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

2 mins ago

Travis Sumner will graduate as one of two EIT Hawke’s Bay Valedictorians after his time studying for a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary).

Travis Sumner will graduate as one of two EIT Hawke’s Bay Valedictorians after his time studying for a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) was made tougher by COVID-19, Cyclone Gabrielle and kidney stones.

Travis, 41, says he was surprised to be chosen as a Valedictorian for one of the graduation ceremonies to be held at the Napier Municipal Theatre on Friday.

“It was quite unexpected. It is quite special for me and for my family. I’ve really enjoyed my degree, so I knew that my academic results were up there and I knew that I’d done quite well. Some people might try to aim for it, but it was something out of the blue for me.”

Travis, who is from Hawke’s Bay and went to St. John’s College, says he has wanted to be a teacher since he was about 17 years old. He remembers clearly when he initially decided he wanted to be a teacher. He was due to sit a Bursary oral exam for te reo Māori, but was nervous so skipped school instead.

“Lo and behold, just after nine o’clock there was a knock at my door and I peeked out the window and it was my Māori teacher from St John’s, Paul Blake, and he had come to pick me up because he must have realised that I was a bit scared and that, and he managed to tell me it was going to be alright.”

“We jumped in his car and we came over to Hastings to sit our examinations and I ended up passing with flying colours and I did really well. What he did for me really sparked the fire and made me want to become a teacher as well.”

After studying at a teachers’ college, however, he found himself gravitating towards hospitality and bar management.

“I ended up progressing away from teaching, but it was always in the back of my mind, like I really wanted to tick that box. I spent 26 years in hospitality and started my own business for weddings and functions and things like that and learning. I decided that it weighed quite heavily on my family time, which I enjoy. I kind of lost my why in hospitality because it was just seven days a week.”

“I have gone back to the classroom as an adult and really enjoyed my learning. A lot of the cultural stuff I did at high school came back to sort of be a wealth of knowledge for me throughout this degree. So I’ve been able to help people with their te reo Māori and things like that.”

Travis says that the journey through his degree was arduous.

“Obviously we had COVID and then we had the Cyclone (Gabrielle), but I also had kidney stones for a lot of my degree. I ended up getting my surgery put off six times and going in and out of hospital while I was trying to study as well, as well as being the sole income for my family because my wife looked after my two boys, Cayden and Lacelle.”

“So it’s been a pretty hectic three years doing all that, working obviously at the restaurant and studying as well. It was mentally draining and I got into a bit of a dark place about having my surgery put off so many times. It was hard to be on placement with kidney stones and still try to teach in the classroom, still try to produce the results that I wanted because I have a high expectation of myself.”

Travis pays tribute to his wife, Amanda, for standing by him during his studies.

“She’s probably the backbone of everything I’ve achieved because we’ve been together for 20+ years now, and yeah, she’s just very supportive of anything that I need to achieve.”

“My parents have also been there by my side and supported me through my studies which I am incredibly grateful for.”

Travis, who is now teaching at Bledisloe School in Taradale, says he encourages more people, particularly young males, to enter the industry as it is very rewarding.

“I am loving my time at Bledisloe School. It is an amazing school to begin my career.”

Associate Professor Emily Nelson, Programme Coordinator, Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) & Acting Assistant Head of School, says they are thrilled that Travis has been chosen as Valedictorian.

“He inspired all of us throughout his degree – Candidate Teachers and Teacher Educators alike – for his passion, his mātauranga and his commitment through some really tough circumstances. Tamariki and kura for years to come will benefit from his unique and powerful presence as a Kaiako.”