Milly Macphail’s No Scrubs “fun and
flirty” fashion collection.

Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design graduands Jesse Sadlier and Harley Poultney.

Music students Nick Castles and John Lewis perform at Crab Farm Winery.

EIT’s ideaschool recently celebrated creative endeavour with a fortnight of events showcasing the year’s best work by students.

Hawke’s Bay’s emerging fashion talents wowed a capacity crowd as their designs took to the catwalk for a show staged in EIT’s Trades Complex.

Individuality flourished in the work of first and second year students and, as in past years, the evening’s spectacular finale was the collections created by students completing the two-year certificate.

“Their work wasn’t predictable,” says fashion programme coordinator Cheryl Downie. “We encourage students to find their own design aesthetic and develop that.”

A highlight of the Diploma in Screen Production year was the premiere of second-year students’ movies held at Napier’s MTG.

The programme requires students to create and direct an original short film as their major final-year project.

The first students to complete New Zealand’s first project-based learning arts and design degree displayed the cream of their work in ‘A Feast for the Senses’ graduate exhibition at the CAN Community Arts Centre in Napier.

The largest graduating class for EIT’s three-year Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design degree, the cohort of 34 students exhibited paintings, sculptures, limited edition prints and other works.

The swan song for this year’s Certificate in Contemporary Music Performance students was a show at Crab Farm Winery. The Bay View winery show was the final of eight public performances staged throughout the year by students grouped into bands to learn theory, practise, rehearse and perform eight genres of music.

Studying the Diploma in Tourism and Travel helped Hayley Paewhenua overcome her shyness.

Of Ngāpuhi descent and originally from the Bay of Islands, Hayley moved to Hastings when she started high school. At the time, she didn’t see school as important and left after turning 16.

Working as a rousie in a shearing gang took her to farms in the North and South Islands. “That was quite character building,” she says of her wool handling experience.

Hayley has a passion for tourism and when she was younger she wanted to be a flight attendant – “it looked like a glamorous job, flying around the world”. Later, as the mother of two young sons with partner Hemi, she felt that was no longer an option.

“I thought I can’t do that, but there might be something else out there for me.”

That led her to EIT and to managing the challenges of studying, parenting and running a home while also working part-time for a catering company.

The mother of Iree (5) and Kalaie (3) also learnt how to express her views.

“EIT brings out people. I was quite shy and couldn’t say what I wanted to say. I got over that real quick.” In a class of students she says was smaller than
would be the norm at university, Hayley felt she was being listened to and that studying wasn’t a competition.

“There were a lot of different age groups in our class and I liked that too. Even out of the classroom, it was cool to talk to other people who have a passion for what they are studying. You learn from them as well. And it’s a good place to network.”

A month after gaining her diploma, Hayley was appointed Tour and Charter Administrator at Nimon & Sons Ltd, winner of the Supreme Hawke’s
Bay Tourism Award.

Based in the company’s head office at Whakatu, she’s loving a job which, she says, requires good phone, listening and note-taking skills.

The company, which also has depots in Napier and Taupō, operates a fleet of 120 buses nationwide. “You learn pretty quickly to write as little as
possible while recording as much information as you can.”

Having gained her diploma, Hayley is now convinced of the benefits of an education and would consider further tertiary study.

Luke Rurawhe with William and Brigham Malaitai, brother and sister and
Years 6 and 5 students at Peterhead School.

Among the first to complete EIT’s innovative primary teaching degree, Luke Rurawhe is starting the new year with a job at a local school.

EIT launched its Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) three years ago after an approach by the principals of four Hawke’s Bay schools. The wider community helped shape the degree, the first of its kind to be offered by a New Zealand institute of technology.

EIT also broke new ground with the level of practice-based learning included in the degree.

Each week, candidate teachers spend two days at designated schools and two on campus. They also undertake five school-based block practicums over three years.

Launched with six partnering schools, the degree now encompasses 22 schools. From Havelock North, Luke found the structure of the degree a good fit.
“All the schools have different children coming through the gates and I have grown because of those different experiences.”

Of Ngāti Apa descent, the former Napier Boys’ High School student worked in building and retail jobs before deciding on teaching.

“I brainstormed ideas with my mother Gwen, and because I enjoyed coaching children’s sports, she suggested teaching. She’s a bit of a hero.”

Luke was pleased to find EIT was launching a primary teaching degree. “It was right up my alley for how to learn, hands-on in the classroom. It
sounded intriguing, and it was good that the programme was being offered locally.”

The 27-year-old says the EIT classwork linked into what was being taught at his assigned school. He also welcomed the perspectives of school staff on
what students were learning.

“I always felt supported wherever I went.”

Luke is one of four in his cohort to have secured teaching positions at Peterhead School in Flaxmere.

“He will be a fantastic role model for children,” says Kirsty Jones, teacher educator on the EIT programme.

“With several weeks still left of study, almost all the graduates have secured jobs. A key feature of the programme that makes it different from others is
that candidate teachers find jobs at local school. On the ground two days a week, they know the schools and perform so much better than other applicants
for jobs.”

Luke is catching up with friends and family over summer. An accomplished sportsman, the former captain of the Havelock North Cricket Club is also
keen to wield a bat once again.

Above all, he is looking forward to his teaching role.

“I get satisfaction out of teaching youngsters, seeing them succeed in school. I think it’s great.”

Retiring after 22 years, Dr Stephen Corich has passed over the key – or in this case, the keyboard – to his successor, EIT’s new Head of School Computing, Rebekah Dinwoodie.

Appointed Head of School Business last year, Rebekah now combines that role with managing the computing school, building on the strong linkages and synergies between the two.

When Steve started at EIT, computing technology was beginning to transform the way in which the world communicates and does business.  “Computing,” he says, “was the coming thing.”  Joining EIT, he had already carved out an impressive career.

Dr Stephen Corich makes a symbolic handover to Rebekah Dinwoodie, the new head of EIT’s computing school.

The Bachelor of Science graduate progressed to teacher training and then taught mathematics and physics in schools in the Horowhenua before joining the Royal New Zealand Navy as an instructor officer in maths and computing.

Promoted to Ministry of Defence headquarters, he started at the bottom in the computing department and was assistant director when he retired from the forces at the age of 39.

Steve then taught computing at Wellington Polytechnic before he and wife Shirley decided to relocate to Napier because her mother, living in the Bay, was unwell.  It was to be a short-term move, but he doesn’t regret staying on.

“Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s best-kept secret.  It’s got the climate, it’s friendly and there are no problems with traffic.  Driving down Marine Parade feels like being on a holiday in a coastal resort like Brighton.”

Soon after his start at EIT, the computing school began extending its programme offerings.  Steve helped establish the Bachelor of Information Systems launched in 1997 and was appointed the degree’s programme coordinator.

“In the 1990s, the teachers were expected to improve their qualifications,” he recalls.  “Most went on to gain master and doctorate degrees.”  At the time of his retirement in December there were six staff holding PhDs in the computing school – “when I was employed by EIT there was only one on campus”.

EIT’s first staff member to receive both the CEO’s Award for Academic Excellence and the CEO’s Award for Research Excellence, Steve was appointed assistant Head of School Computing in 2008 and Head of School the following year.

He was made a Fellow of CITRENZ (Centre for Information Technology Education and Research New Zealand) last year, recognising his contribution to IT education and research.

Leaving EIT with an impressive legacy, Steve now plans to travel with Shirley – “we are lucky enough to have family with homes in some of the UK’s loveliest locations,” he says.

Rebekah, meanwhile, is gearing up for the challenges of her expanded role.

“The computing school has a great reputation in regards to its programmes, lecturers and research,” she says, “so I am really looking forward to getting to know and working with the school.”

Both schools have many similarities, she points out, “so there is the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences.”

The business school is currently developing a new suite of programmes for delivery in 2017.

“That presents a really exciting opportunity to review how we are doing things and how we can better support students to succeed.”

A committed life-long learner, Rebekah recently completed her final paper for a Master in Management degree.

Having studied fashion at EIT’s ideaschool, Rachel Hawkins is now looking ahead to a design-driven career.

Rachel Hawkins (third from left) explored future futuristic fashion in her three-piece Legion collection.

From Hastings, Rachel channelled her creativity into art when she was at school.  The former Sacred Heart College student was “looking for something different from the norm” when she enrolled in EIT’s two-year Certificate in Fashion Apparel.

“In the first two weeks I thought I was going to quit,” she recalls. “My classmates were so passionate about fashion and had experience of sewing and I had none.”

Rachel persevered, however, working with tutor Christina Rhodes, who boosted her confidence and helped develop her sewing skills.

At ideaschool’s end-of-year fashion show, Rachel’s Legion collection was the first of the second-year student grouped designs to showcase on the runway.

“Knowing I was going to be first meant having to step it up, tweaking my collection.”

It helped that the class had travelled to Auckland for Fashion Week where Rachel picked up some important tips.

“It was an eye-opener.  I learnt that a design can be simple but you need to polish the look.  We saw simple garments looking so effective because of the way they were presented.”

The focus for her Legion collection was futuristic fashion.

“I wanted to look forward,” she says, “I’m not one to look at the past.  I like minimalist costumes in futuristic movies like those in Star Wars 7.”

Rachel “hugely enjoyed” studying at EIT.

“It was a challenge at times with so much work to get through, you do so much in the two years.  As well as Fashion Week, we went to two WOWs and also entered the Cult Couture and Hokonui fashion awards.

“The thing I’ve learnt most about is time management.  Seriously,” she adds with a laugh, “keeping up with deadlines while staying true to the creativity I started with.  You need time management in all areas of life, but you also have to make sure you enjoy the process.”

For now, the plan is to stay in Hawke’s Bay.

“If I could, I would like to produce garments for my friends, starting small and slowly getting bigger.   So, creating one-off garments that one person is going to love and then growing the group of people who want my designs.”

Rachel is grateful to her family for their support.  “That was a big part of getting through the year,” she says, “and I’m thinking of my Mum here.”

Big plans: Building services cadet Tereora Tapaitau and GDC chief building specialist Ian Petty.

After completing the Certificate in Introductory Trade Skills (Carpentry) at EIT Ruatoria, followed by the Certificate of Carpentry (Level 3) through EIT Tairāwhiti, Tereora Tapaitau landed a cadetship at Gisborne District Council.

Named after the Cook Islands school where his grandfather was dux, Tereora learned about the value of education at a young age.

“When I was little, my grandfather used to say: ‘Use your head, use your head! Don’t be dumb! Be smarter than us! Don’t watch TV! Read a book!’

“I wasn’t good at maths but I stuck with it. I wasn’t good at English, but I loved classical studies and got into reading through that.”

Originally from the Cook Islands, Tereora’s family moved to Auckland when he was four. After finishing school he studied for his National Diploma in Architectural Technology in Auckland.

In 2014, he moved to Te Araroa where the people, the language and the mountains rising from the sea made him feel at home.

For the next two years he gave his drafting qualification a practical edge by studying for the Certificate in Introductory Trade Skills (Carpentry) at EIT Ruatoria. Having completed the programme, he moved to Gisborne to study for the Certificate in Carpentry (Level 3).

Once he had completed that qualification, he secured a building services cadetship with the Gisborne District Council.

After his earlier study in front of a computer in Auckland, he enjoyed the practical learning of carpentry with EIT on the East Coast.

“We did joinery exercises and learned a lot of the traditional carpentry skills. Builders used to do everything. There is a lot more specialisation now, but we learned it all. We built a fence and a deck, we learned how to calculate and cost all the materials needed for our projects and we built
them with our own hands.

“Our tutor Rex Mangu was easy going, really cool.”

With his qualification in hand, Tereora is enjoying the varied nature of his job.

“Council will build me up to a role through a cadetship. I’m pretty stoked with it too because I’ve already learned new things and I’m hungry to learn.

Through the council I can gain more knowledge on drawing plans. My goal is to eventually design and build my own house, so working at the council I can understand and work with what they want.

I’m grateful to my Level 3 tutor Roger Davies for encouraging me to apply for the role.”

His grandfather’s advice kept him going when the going got tough.

“He always said: ’Get an education, strive to be your best and don’t take holidays when it’s time to work and study.’ ”

His own advice for young people considering a qualification is to go for it.

“Go all out, don’t hold back. There will be naysayers but you can prove them wrong. You will reach the light at the end of the tunnel eventually. You just have to pursue your goals step by step. Knowledge is power.”

Christina Wainohu wears the taonga pounamu crafted in class, coupling that with another greenstone treasure which was gifted by her grandparents.

Hearing students singing waiata as she was passing EIT’s Flaxmere Learning Centre, Christina Wainohu realised how much of her taha Māori she had lost while living overseas.

Of Ngāti Kahungunu descent through her marae – Rongomaraeroa in Pōrangahau and Waipapa ā-iwi in Mohaka – Christina worked for 13 years in shearing sheds throughout Australia, where daughters Romona and Hineraumati, now 13 and eight, were born.

When the family of three moved to Hawke’s Bay in 2009, Christina felt her reo, largely learnt in performing with the Kahurangi Māori Dance Company as it toured New Zealand, Mexico, the USA and Canada, had suffered.

She wanted her children, familiar with the Australian way of life, to grow up knowing their Māori heritage.  So Hineraumati started her formal education at kōhanga, progressed to rumaki at primary school and is now enrolled at a kura kaupapa.

It’s been a more challenging journey for Romona, who, her mother says, had “a full-on Australian accent and values” when she came to New Zealand as a six-year-old.  Now the teenager loves kapa haka and her developing language skills mean all three family members can converse in te reo at home.

Christina also sought out learning opportunities for herself.  Attracted by the singing she heard at the Flaxmere learning centre, she signed up for a Certificate in Māori Studies.

“I thought I’m not doing anything, let’s do it.”  Having added that to the Diploma in Māori Performing Arts she completed with the Kahurangi Māori Dance Company, she then progressed to degree studies at EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka.

Ticking off more courses than were needed over two full-time years, she then had 18 months off, working in a Māori-based after-school programme in Flaxmere before returning to EIT to complete her degree.

“I knew if I stayed away another year my learning would slip away yet again.”

For one of her courses, she crafted an imposing taonga pounamu – a task that took six months using traditional methods.

In March, she graduates with her Bachelor of Arts (Māori).

Christina looks back fondly on her time at EIT.  “You meet these people and they become part of you,” she says of her lecturers, classmates and their whānau.

She’s also happy about being a role model for her children.

“While I loved my upbringing and working in shearing sheds, I feel I’ve shown them the benefits of a formal education and the potential that has for pursuing job opportunities.

“When I returned to New Zealand, I knew more about Australia than this country but I’ve rectified that.  It’s been an emotionally and spiritually fulfilling journey – a very holistic experience.”

Now job-hunting, Christina is hoping for a position which will allow her to apply what she has learnt studying for her degree.

“I’m pleased I did hear that singing that day,” she adds with a smile.

Lee-Anne Taylor knows what it’s like to injure her knees through playing netball so when it came to following a research interest she looked for ways to help prevent other netball players from doing the same.  She also knew the statistics. Accident Compensation Commission data shows that the most common injuries for female netball players are knee and ankle injuries, with 4383 new claims made by 15 to 19-year-olds between July 2013 and June 2014. These and the 5880 ongoing claims had an associated cost that year of more than $8.37 million.

Because of their anatomy, young women are two to six times more likely than men to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the most common and debilitating knee injury in netball. Many who suffer ACL damage will show signs of arthritis ten years later. Knowing that young netballers’ injuries are mostly caused by poor landing technique which could be improved with targeted exercise, Lee-Anne, in her role as coach of the under-17s Hawke’s Bay netball team, trialled a warm-up protocol that was quite different from those traditionally used. Based on the ‘Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance Program’, reportedly successful in reducing knee injury rates in young female football players, the protocol involved trunk and lower limb strengthening, aerobic activity, jumping and landing techniques, agility and netball specific drills.  Lee-Anne’s intention was to have her players adopt good landing technique based on sound biomechanical principals and to develop the strength and conditioning needed to help prevent injuries from occurring. This she achieved, with only one ankle injury sustained in her team throughout the trial season.

Lee-Anne presented the results of this trial protocol at the Physiotherapy New Zealand Conference in Auckland in September 2014. This led to the development of an injury prevention collaboration between Netball New Zealand, orthopaedic specialists, sports medicine practitioners and several physiotherapists.

With that collaborative project well underway Lee-Anne turned her attention to pre-season conditioning.  A six-week pre-season conditioning programme found by other researchers to be effective in improving athletic performance and reducing injuries has been developed for 13 to 19-year-old netball players in the Netball Central Zone. This is the second largest zone in New Zealand in terms of adolescent netball players and therefore an excellent location for Lee-Anne to trial another injury prevention strategy.

Lee-Anne Taylor
Principal Lecturer
Health and Sport Science
e ltaylor@eit.ac.nz

Fonseca Dos Santos Pereira from Timor Leste meets Stuart Nash (centre) and Andrew Little.

EIT’s English Language Centre recently introduced Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little and Napier MP Stuart Nash to a group of government officials visiting from Southeast Asia.

The politicians were on campus as Napier’s Art Deco celebrations moved into full swing, and the pair were appropriately attire

Meeting and greeting – from left, Minea Meas (Cambodia), EIT tutor Robin Heath, Khemraoth Bun (Cambodia), EIT tutor Mike Williams, Naw Mai Hla Kyi (Myanmar), Napier MP Stuart Nash and Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little.

d for the extended weekend’s events.

The 24 Southeast Asian officials are studying ELTO (English Language Training for Officials) through the English Language Centre.

EIT is contracted to deliver the eight-week programmes and each of the twice-yearly intakes has a theme.  The latest group is studying International Security Trends and six countries are taking part – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mongolia and Timor Leste.

The participants are middle-level government officials and all work in ministries that include labour, health, telecommunications and foreign affairs.

As well as developing their English language skills, the ELTOs further their knowledge by visiting various relevant businesses and companies in Hawke’s Bay.

The next intake, in the second semester, will also include Indonesia.

‘Activate Maraenui, Activate Camberley’ was a three-year programme supported by Sport Hawke’s Bay to develop sustainable physical activity in two Hawke’s Bay urban communities through the training and mentoring of leaders and the delivery of sporting and other events.  Professor Bob Marshall and Dr Anne Hiha from EIT were contracted to evaluate the programme and regularly report on its progress.   When the programme was completed in 2015 it was deemed a success, having provided a welcome boost to the Camberley and Maraenui communities.  In addition, each community had developed a sustainable hub to help keep its members active.

In Maraenui, the hub is a recognised and respected group of Maraenui Motivators who took on administrative responsibility for the Maraenui Community Groups’ monthly calendar, providing a reference for groups planning events and providing information for the Maraenui community.  Maraenui now has a network of leaders from within the ranks of the Maraenui Motivators but also from other community groups and organisations.

The hub in Camberley is the newly enlivened Camberley Community Sports Club, which was incorporated in 2014.  Recognised leaders in Camberley have developed their leadership capabilities and support active lifestyles in their community through involvement with this sports club.

As part of the ‘Activate Maraenui, Activate Camberley’ programme new sports coaches were trained and accredited, regular sporting events and other activities were  held, and a dedicated group of locals in each community undertook to be responsible for running activities and projects.  For example, in Maraenui the ‘Stay at Home Mums’ waka ama crew qualified as coaches and now coach in local schools.  The Camberley Community Sports Club organised coaching clinics that increased the number of coaches in netball and volleyball, also benefiting a number of schools.  Leaders gained organisational and management skills and now independently run events. After another successful Iron Camberley Duathlon, the Iron Māori organisation has agreed to assist in the organisation of this flagship event.

Each community has made a commitment to continue with activities that encourage their residents into more active lives and increased engagement with others.  At the end of the ‘Activate Maraenui, Activate Camberley’ programme both communities recognised that they cannot remain sustainable without the support of others.  Maraenui Motivators are building an interactive network of groups, organisations and businesses.  The Camberley Community Sports Club is committed to building a strong sports club with an effective administration that will enhance residents’ positive identification with the Camberley community.  Both hubs have maintained relationships with Sport Hawke’s Bay and local council staff.

Bob Marshall PhD
Professor, Faculty of Education, Humanities & Health Sciences
e bmarshall@eit.ac.nz

Anne Hiha PhD
Researcher, Faculty of Education, Humanities & Health Sciences
e AHiha@eit.ac.nz

Mataeus Marsh – taking time out from training with the Hawks.

Rising basketball star Mataeus Marsh’s future as a player for the Indigo Bay Hawks has been secured, with the talented 19-year-old now studying at EIT on a newly-launched Hawks sports scholarship.

In his second year of playing point guard for the regional basketball team, Mataeus is enrolled in EIT’s Bachelor of Recreation and Sport programme.  His fees, amounting this year to $6229, are fully covered by the scholarship programme which EIT recently established with the Hawks.

Hawks’ general manager Jay Bratschi, who has benefitted himself from scholarship programmes, is delighted to have secured Mataeus for the regional squad.

“He is the future of this team,” the American says.  “He is just a natural talent, one of these kids that have those qualities coaches look for.  He’s a highly valued athlete in the Bay.”

A former Hastings Boy’s High School student, Mataeus had been planning to leave Hawke’s Bay to study outside the region.  He’s delighted, he says, to have been awarded the EIT scholarship, which means he can continue living at home.

He’s not ruling out going flatting next year, however, as he progresses through the three-year degree.

EIT operates a similar sports scholarship programme with the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, enabling approved Academy players to study fees-free while continuing to play high-level rugby.

Associate Professor Pamela Wood.

A registered nurse with a PhD in history, Pamela Wood has joined EIT as an associate professor in the School of Nursing.

Dr Wood was most recently Associate Professor and Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Health at Federation University Australia – formed in 2014 when the Monash University Gippsland campus merged with the University of Ballarat.

She brings her considerable experience in undergraduate and postgraduate health professional education in both Australia and New Zealand to the role at EIT.  Previous positions have included associate professorships at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Monash University and Victoria University’s Graduate School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health.

Extensively published and a regular presenter at conferences throughout Australasia and worldwide, Dr Wood’s two main platforms for research centre on the history of nursing, midwifery and health and community resilience.

She was recently involved in a collaborative study for the Department of Health in Victoria, Australia, which, over a period of at least 10 years, is examining the potential health effects of smoke on a nearby community from a coalmine fire that burnt for 45 days.

Born in south Auckland, she trained as a general and obstetric nurse at Middlemore Hospital, and then specialised in surgical nursing.  Soon after taking a different pathway into community health education, she went into nursing education.

Subsequent academic study saw her gaining a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma in Tertiary Teaching, a Master of Education with Distinction and a doctorate from the University of Otago.

Dr Wood is enjoying being back in her homeland and getting to know Hawke’s Bay.

“I hadn’t intended coming back to New Zealand, or at least I hadn’t made up my mind to do so,” she says.  “Then, in this region a year ago, I felt the pull of the Hawke‘s Bay terrain.  It’s interesting what a strong landscape can do.”

A familial connection to Hawke’s Bay extends back some generations.  Four great grandparents settled here and one of her great grandfathers farmed in Waipawa, which is where her mother was born.

Dr Wood knew from her nursing networks that EIT’s programmes were well respected, as were its nurse graduates.

“I was here briefly in September, and it was clear then that EIT has an understanding of what it means to be a regional educational institution.  That’s a really positive thing – it’s delivering a quality education to the community and knowing how best to deliver it.

“EIT understands the importance of engaging regionally.”

Her responsibilities will include supporting research in the school and supervision of postgraduate research.  She will also be teaching a postgraduate course in primary health care while her teaching of undergraduate Year 3 students will centre on contemporary issues in nursing and health care.

A standout waka ama team based in Hawke’s Bay hope to leave other craft in their wake when they race in the upcoming world championship on Australia’s Gold Coast.

The Haeata Ocean Sports Club ‘adaptive’ team – which include paddlers who are wheelchair-bound, blind and physically impaired by stroke or accident – will represent New Zealand in two events at the IVF Va’a World Sprints Championship in May.

A waka ama paddler for just over a year and a member of the adaptive team since its launch in September 2015, Ahuriri Houkamau is excited about taking part in the world champs.  He can scarcely credit that, as he nears 50, he will be representing his country in sport.

Waka ama paddler and EIT lecturer Ahuriri Houkamau.
Ahuriri Houkamau and Nicky-Lee Epps at Pandora Pond, the adaptive waka team’s training ground.

“That’s quite strange,” the lecturer at EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka says, “a bit unbelievable really.”

The adaptive teams race with tools and  in outrigger canoes modified to suit the individual paddlers’ needs.  A handicap system based on crew members’ disabilities will operate for the world champs.

Ahuriri’s position is in the middle of the waka ama.

“I think that’s the easiest place for me to hop in,” he points out.

Sustaining spinal injuries in a car accident, Ahuriri is paralysed on his left side.  He has only partial movement in one hand and can’t walk far but he digs deep on the water, working with five other crew members to power the waka ama forward.

“I feel the benefits from the sport, certainly from the training and comradeship.  You don’t feel like you’re the odd one out.  Everyone has something going on.”

The team are in good hands with one of the country’s top women paddlers, Roni Nuku, as their coach.   However, they face a challenge in fundraising for the world champs.

“It’s not just us going,” Ahuriri says of the team.  “Everyone has to take a support person.  I’m taking my wife, Angela.  Everyone needs someone but we have nowhere near the $30,000 or so needed for the trip.

“We are cooking hāngī, selling raffle tickets and have a givealittle page on NZ Para/Adaptive Waka Ama Team Facebook, but over and above that we need sponsorship.  Hopefully we can get our faces out there and someone might latch onto us and get us to where we want to go.”

The adaptive team showed its form at the National Waka Ama Sprint Championship held on Lake Karapiro in January.

“That worked out well.  Three teams took part in our section we came back with several bronze medals.  Three teams took part in our section.  Hopefully, in the not too distant future, all eight lanes will be full of adaptive paddlers.”

After the worlds, the team has its sights set on Rio de Janeiro next year.

“If we can get through this one,” Ahuriri says of the competition the team faces in Australia, “I don’t see why we can’t get to that one as well.  We’ll be more well-known after the world champs.”

Of Ngāti Kahungunu descent from Porangahau, he’s well used to meeting challenges head-on.  After the car accident, Ahuriri started studying at EIT in 1998, progressing from certificate level, through to a Bachelor of Arts (Māori) and then an honours degree.

He is now midway through his Master in Indigenous Studies.

A fellow adaptive paddler, Nicky-Lee Epps is also at EIT, studying for the Level 2 National Certificate in Computing at the Hastings learning centre.

EIT graduate Melanie Gregory works out at the gym.

After many years working and travelling overseas, Melanie Gregory questioned where she was heading in life.  Her soul-searching prompted her decision to settle in Hawke’s Bay where she recently graduated with EIT’s EIT graduate Melanie Gregory works out at the gym..

Tertiary study wasn’t on Melanie’s radar when she left her Hamilton high school.  However, she gained great grades for her degree courses and represented fellow graduates in delivering a valedictory address at the capping ceremony staged in Napier’s Municipal Theatre.

“I feel I was an average student at school and I didn’t apply myself that much,” she reflects.  “As a mature student at EIT I felt more focused and determined and as a result good grades came.

“The lecturers were always so helpful, understanding and encouraging.  I found through hard work and good time management I could comfortably manage the work required.  Anything is possible when you put your mind, heart and soul into it.”

Originally from Gisborne, Melanie enjoyed six years working as a production coordinator for a publishing company in Sydney and wide-ranging travels in Southeast Asia, Europe and the USA.

Reluctantly leaving an easy lifestyle working as a house-sitter and nanny in California’s Walnut Creek, she was planning to head back to Australia but detoured to New Zealand for three family weddings, two of them in Hawke’s Bay.   Rating this region as “vibrant and full of character”, she decided to stay on and work.

Since then, the Bay has also become home to son Kobe, now six, and her parents, who have settled in Poraiti.  The extended family arrangement has provided great support through Melanie’s three years at EIT.

When she was weighing up options for study, her mother’s advice was to follow her heart.  Melanie used to play a lot of sport but is inhibited now by a shoulder injury.  However, she enjoys the gym, running, hiking and otherwise being outdoors.

“It’s my happy drug,” she says of sustaining a holistic sense of health and fitness.

So Melanie enrolled for EIT’s Diploma in Recreation and Sport and then nearing the end of the one-year programme, she realised she was enjoying study too much to farewell classmates pursuing a degree.

Keen also to be a role model for Kobe, she signed up for a further two years.

“Mention the lecturers,” she says of managing domestic commitments and her studies, “because without them I wouldn’t have stayed on top of everything.

“They are so accommodating and approachable, their doors are always open.  You could send in drafts and they would tell you if you were on the right track with assignments – they were there to support and guide you.”

Now working part-time at CityFitness in Ahururi, Melanie is savouring more time with Kobe while looking ahead to possible future postgraduate studies as a pathway into teaching.

“I love helping others and seeing their progression and development,” she explains, “and my favourite placement on the degree was through Sport Hawke’s Bay, facilitating a seven-week child-centred Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) programme that teaches and supports primary school children through their development of basic fundamental movement skills such as jump, run, catch and throw.

“I would like to work with children, and that could be with typically developed or differently abled children.  I believe every child regardless of their physical and intellectual ability deserves the right to experience a healthy, happy and active lifestyle.”

From left, Jorian Tangaere, Jason Long and Jarvy Aoake clock up the kilometres in the Magpies gym.

Three Hawke’s Bay’s Magpies have more in common than working out at the gym or scrumming down on a rugby field.

Two in the pictured line-up, (from left) hooker Jorian Tangaere and prop Jason Long, recently graduated while Jarvy Aoake (right), who also plays prop, expects to complete his degree this year.

Not only do the trio have EIT study in common, they also attended the same Bachelor of Recreation and Sport classes.

Of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou descent, Jorian gained his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (Māori), in 2013.  Achieving that milestone in just half the usual time, he was honoured with a He Maimai Aroha Award for excellence and commitment to te reo Māori in his final year at EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka.

The seasoned graduate heard about the opportunity to gain a sports scholarship to study at EIT while playing club/rep rugby in 2013.  He joined the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Academy in 2014 during his second year of Recreation and Sport studies.

Jorian wanted to stay in Hawke’s Bay, so he says “it’s been good to learn te reo here, and to learn more about Ngāti Kahungunu was a bonus.”

His post-rugby playing plan is to teach PE and Māori and also to travel.

Jason was recently capped with two EIT degrees – a Bachelor of Business Studies as well as the Bachelor of Recreation and Sport.

“It was good to be able to study both concurrently,” he says, “to have that variety.  It wasn’t just learning about sport or business.”

Recently employed by the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, he finds he’s able to draw on what he learnt on both degree programmes in combining the role of clubs and schools officer with that of rugby development officer.

“I initially planned to study just the Bachelor of Recreation and Sport but I wanted to give myself more options when I finished at EIT, which is why I studied the Bachelor of Business Studies as well.”

Rugby is by no means Jason’s only sporting passion.  He also enjoys race speedway and is ranked second in New Zealand.

Jarvy Aoake has combined tertiary study and work, although 2013 was a full-time study year at EIT.  Now he’s keen to nail the final two courses to complete his degree.

Like Jason, he finds his learning benefits him in his role as rugby development officer for the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, a position he’s had since before he started playing for the Magpies.

“I got the job out of an industry cooperative practicum,” he says of a compulsory degree course.

“I’ve found it hard, wanting to work, play rugby and study.  I love my job but it has meant that it’s taking me longer to finish my degree.”

Jarvy, whose whakapapa is Ngāti Raukawa, has always wanted to work in the sports sector.  EIT study, he says, has helped him achieve just that.

He is looking forward to celebrating graduation next year, when the public will see him parade in the traditional mortar board and gown rather than black and white Magpies strip.

EIT is to host Ngāti Kahungunu’s inaugural language symposium, Te Reo ki Tua – an event that will bring together leading authorities to brainstorm stratagems for promoting the Māori language.

The language symposium is a new initiative developed in line with a Ngāti Kahungunu strategy aimed at revitalising te reo Māori by 2027.

The two-day symposium will be staged at EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka on Thursday, April 14 and Friday, April 15.  It will include two international speakers as well as a notable line-up of New Zealand-based experts in linguistics and Māori language.

In a keynote address, Professor of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide and Australian Research Council Discovery Fellow Dr Ghil’ad Zuckermann will explore the relationship between reclaiming language and social well-being.

Keynote speaker Professor Rawinia Higgins of Te Whare o Te Reo Mauriora will talk about developing a blueprint for revitalising te reo Māori through legislation.

Other speakers will consider challenges associated with teaching second language learners and raising bilingual children, identifying tribal dialectal variations, the role of the language in modern-day society and the proposed Māori language bill, which could change the way in which Māori language revitalisation funds sourced from Government are managed.

The discourse will also extend to consider efforts by the indigenous people of Hawaii to retain their language and wider efforts to save endangered languages, focusing in particular on the regeneration of Hebrew as a vernacular language.

With free entry to all, the symposium starts at 9am each day and concludes around 3pm.

Jenna White works with Hawke’s Bay-grown produce with EIT trainee chefs, from left, Atsuko Nakai, Matthew Rose and Awaitopea Lloyd.

EIT-trained chef Jenna White is perfecting her patisserie skills as an executive chef at one of Singapore’s most elegant and highly rated restaurants.

Jenna creates deserts for guests at Flutes, a fine dining restaurant located in the imposing National Museum of Singapore in Stamford Road.

Before moving to Singapore four years ago, she worked as a savoury chef for Peter Gordon in his acclaimed London restaurant The Providores, preparing occasional starters as well as mains.

“Six or seven of my dishes featured on Peter’s menu,” she says, “and I hold that close to my heart.  He’s a kiwi guy doing so well.”

But while she misses working on savoury dishes, she finds patisserie work “pretty, colourful and bright – I can be more artistic I think with dessert.”

Jenna always wanted to be a chef and as a Taradale High School student her first step towards that was a STAR programme at EIT.  From there, she progressed to learning bar and restaurant skills and then to chef training.  Graduating with distinction, she became a ‘poster girl’ for the institute, with her image appearing on EIT vehicles.

Having worked at a number of local eateries, including Vidal’s and Te Awa, she says Hawke’s Bay – with its many wineries and new and upcoming restaurants – is a very good stepping stone for fledgling chefs.

“But I recommend travelling for sure,” she told EIT hospitality students on a recent trip back home.  “Hawke’s Bay is a very small place in the cooking world especially compared to Europe.”

Her own next step will be tutoring patisserie classes in Singapore.

“I’ll be teaching Asians how to cook macarons,” she says of the meringue-based confections made famous by French chefs.

That will be a further challenge for Jenna, who works up to 12 hours a day six days a week.   But she struggles to achieve a work/life balance, she is savouring the opportunities open to her in Singapore, and sees the city-state as her base for the next 10 or so years.

“I am trying to build a name for myself there and am starting to get recognised,” she says.

Jenna’s advice to the students was to pursue their passion, to be confident in using industry contacts and to be ready to put in the hard hours.

“Asia is a tough market to break into.  It’s very male driven and very money orientated,” she says of the hospitality industry.  “They’re not necessarily for the passion.”

On the upside, she has free range to do what she wants in creating sweet dishes, and enjoys challenging herself with ingredients sourced from other countries.

“There are virtually no locally produced vegetables.  Basically everything I work with is imported and it can be difficult designing a menu when I have no control over the condition of ingredients.  Wild strawberries may be fine when they leave Australia but mouldy and rotten when they are unloaded.”

In Hawke’s Bay, she took seasonal fruit like peaches and nectarines for granted – “in Singapore,” she says, “they are like liquid gold.”

My name is Ben Stoyanoff and I’m in my second year of study for the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) at EIT.  I’m 21 years old and decided on primary teaching as a career after leaving school and becoming involved in cricket coaching at primary schools.  I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and decided that teaching and helping kids learn would be an ideal career choice.

As well as study, I play representative cricket for the Hawke’s Bay senior men’s team.  This season we won the Furlong Cup and Hawke Cup and were also called up for the Central Stags for the first time.  I wish to further my cricketing career in the coming years and make the next step up into the Central Stags.  This takes a lot of commitment to training on top of my study commitments – which is why the EIT sports scholarship is going to be a big help to me.

The scholarship allows me to fully concentrate on my studies and still commit to high performance cricket training as I don’t have the stresses of financial pressure that can occur when studying and training full on during the year.

Building services cadet Tereora Tapaitau and
GDC chief building specialist Ian Petty.

Tereora Tapaitau has secured a building services cadetship with the Gisborne District Council after studying carpentry at EIT.

“I wasn’t good at maths but I stuck with it,” he says of his early schooling. “I wasn’t good at English, but I loved classical studies and got into reading through
that.”

Tereora’s family moved from the Cook Islands to Auckland when he was four. After finishing school, he studied for the National Diploma in Architectural Technology in Auckland. Moving to Te Araroa In 2014, he gave his drafting a practical edge by studying for the Certificate in Introductory Trades Skills (Carpentry) at EIT Ruatoria and then the Certificate in Carpentry (Level 3) at EIT Tairāwhiti.

“We did joinery exercises and learned a lot of the traditional carpentry skills. Builders used to do everything. There is a lot more specialisation now, but we learned it all.”

A new wine science lecturer and laboratory manager for EIT’s Hawke’s Bay campus.

Shaun La Franco, Wine Science Lecturer.

Starting as a wine science lecturer, Shaun La Franco brings significant industry experience to the role. Formerly cellar master at Amisfield, Shaun studied part-time and by distance to complete EIT’s Graduate Diploma in Oenology while working for the Central Otago winery. He found EIT a great place to learn and explore new ideas.

 
Moving to Hawke’s Bay with wife Haley and young daughter Pyper, the 38-year-old is welcoming new opportunities for mountain biking and road cycling while also mucking in on the family farm.

Lisa Roben, Laboratory Manager.

Laboratory manager Lisa Roben joined EIT after working for Villa Maria for 10 years, joining the company as a laboratory technician and progressing to laboratory manager on the Mangere site.

Originally from Taranaki, Lisa studied chemistry for her degree and gained EIT’s Certificate in Wine studying by distance while working at the winery.

She moved from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay with husband Rion, pre-schoolers Kai and Thane and her mother and all the family are enjoying the region’s
lifestyle and weather.