Ngarama Fletcher - Beauty

NorthTec Ākonga

“It was such a surprise to be accepted into this course and now it has opened doors to a world I didn’t even know existed. When I finished school in Kaitaia I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I’ve always been keen on things to do with beauty and it was time to expand my life outside of Kaitaia. So I applied for this course, got accepted, and I now love everything about it.”

“I knew no-one when I moved here which was hard at first but the support of the students and the tutor got me through. Another surprise was the range of what we learn. I was expecting the focus to be on make-up but we also learn anatomy, physiology, waxing and massaging, which is a challenge for me but in a good way.”

“Doing this course has put me on a career path around the world that I could never have imagined. I want to work on a cruise ship, and through the tutor’s connections here I have an interview coming up that hopefully will lead to six weeks training in the UK before signing up for a nine month contract on a cruise ship. It’s so exciting and something I would never have expected or even dreamed about - I can be working doing something I love while travelling the world!”

“My next step is to succeed at the interview and get the contract, then return home and get a job for even more experience. Later I’d love to have my own business offering a wide range of beauty therapy.”

Alec Burnett - Mechanical Engineering

NorthTec Ākonga

“It’s really important that we get to spend time working in the industry while we study. I spend two days a week working with Archwell Engineering, and three days in class at NorthTec. It’s a good balance. By doing this I know what I’m aiming for and it prepares you for employment after study – it shows me exactly what I’ll be doing in the real world.”

Clarone Hooper - Foundation

NorthTec Ākonga

“My mate did the Sport and Rec programme in Whangarei and suggested I do the level 3 and 4 Career Preparation Certificates because I was into health and fitness. I had dropped out of school and was depressed from doing nothing, so this has woken up my motivation again.”

“I’m enjoying the anatomy and nutrition subjects the most which really surprises me, but I struggle a bit with some of the academic study so am getting support for that. I’m also doing a personal training certificate online, plus I have a couple of trial boxing clients in Kaikohe so keeping things balanced is a big of a juggle.”

“Being with the other students is pretty cool and I’m getting more confident now to stand up and make presentations. I’m the only one in this level 4 course wanting to get into NorthTec’s Sport and Rec programme, but this option means I can then apply for AUT’s Bachelor of Sport and Recreation or physiotherapy training.”

“Getting a good understanding of the basics is essential to improve so that I can later have enough knowledge and experience to do my dream job of coaching athletes.”

Evan Thom - Environmental Management

NorthTec Ākonga

“It’s so important that as students we have the first-hand experience of the pollution in our region - sometimes you can’t see it until you look for it and it creates more awareness about the problem. We get to go on various field trips and talk to people in the conservation industry that are making a difference, and it is just that invaluable experience of being able to say I have experienced this myself first-hand that is crucial as an Environmental Management student.”

Hohepa Pickering - Commercial Transport

NorthTec Ākonga

“This programme makes you work ready. It teaches us what’s inside commercial trucks and all the technology we need to learn. It also gives us a lot of hands-on experience from drivers who have been in the industry for a long time so we can prepare ourselves for what a career in driving will look like.

“NorthTec has a lot of experience in the industry and some really good partnerships with companies. Our tutors have been through years and years of driving which is good for us to learn from.

“It’s a good thing to come to NorthTec because we have a lot more opportunities given to us. Studying Commercial Transport is great because it’s a skill that that will always be in high demand. I wanted to study this as I believe is will help my family to live comfortably and stable.

“I like the support we get from the tutors and the other students in our class. That’s the good thing about studying at NorthTec – we are all very different from each other in age groups and nationalities, but we all learn from each other.”
 

Vanessa Martinovich - Te Reo

NorthTec Ākonga

“I went to a small primary school where we learnt some te reo. It’s amazing how some of the basics like the colours, numbers and waiata have stuck. As an adult I’ve always wanted to learn te reo, so when I moved back up here from Auckland, this NorthTec course was just up the road and it was my chance get into it.”

“At my work there is more te reo spoken now, so the course also gives me a chance to understand more there. After we had some basic classes at work I was inspired to learn more, despite that fact that learning languages doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“I especially enjoy our kaiako (teacher) and the new friendships with my classmates. We’re all on slightly different levels, are different ages and occupations, but it works. Some students are stronger with their vocabulary and others with their language structure, and everyone shares their knowledge which really helps.”

“Memorising and public speaking are challenging for me but the environment is really supportive so that helps my confidence. It intrigues me that while some things are obvious, some things are thought about differently, like different words for family members depending on where you sit in the family.”

“Because we are here in Tai Tokerau, we’re learning the Ngāpuhi dialect to help keep it alive, so it often varies from the online resources. This was reinforced at our noho marae (overnight marae stay) where we also learnt that powhiri and tangi can differ marae to marae.”

“Our learning is more casual than some other te reo classes and I think that makes absorbing basic conversation easier, but it’s a certificate course so we still have outcomes that we have to meet.”

“My goal is to be fluent but I realise that requires in-depth and long term immersion in te reo. Already I can pick up on basic conversations but I’m keen to be able to understand a lot more and converse at the next level, so I may carry on next year. In the meantime, I want to make sure te reo stays in my life, so I listen to podcasts and waiata on YouTube when I can’t be amongst it in my daily life.”