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The stand-out here is the tutor. He creates a great learning environment, manages the group well, and makes it easy to ask questions. Working out the pricing and quotes and quantities is a challenge for me but the tutor explains things well and is g…
I’m learning discipline and how to motivate myself to push through. It’s great being amongst the other students because everyone wants to be there and is committed to learning.
Configuring networking design and programming design, then checking that they work, are the best parts of this course for me. Computers, programming and networks have always interested me and they’re part of a field that is hard to learn outside a c…
I’d always been interested in hairdressing and knew that this NorthTec course has a great reputation. There is so much more to hairdressing than I thought. It’s really interesting and fun, and gives me an opportunity to build a career.
Doing this course is confirming that I want a life linked to the land, and although I failed a lot at school, I’m getting A’s here because I’m so interested.
The completion of the course and the certificates I will receive will give me a lot more job opportunities than I originally thought.
My brother studied cheffing here and he’s gone on to do really well. This training has a good reputation and it’s local. The best part of the course is the good vibe of the people and the environment. You’re made to feel welcome and the tutors treat…
Anyone doing this course for work may not be expecting the impact it can have on your life. I’ve found it opens up a greater perspective and takes you on a journey of self-growth and discovery. I love it.
I love how relaxed and flexible the course is. It is hands-on and self-paced and we get to take on our own projects here. The tutors are very knowledgeable and we’re swapping seed and plant material now amongst the students.
No-one else in my family has a degree so I feel I have the opportunity here to open new horizons for my kids and my greater whānau.
This course is letting my imagination run wild again and opening up new horizons. I knew I could do it but I haven’t studied for years so I’m surprised that it’s coming back quite naturally.
The mechanical work is great and we even get to work on our own cars so I’ve just replaced the fuel system in mine. I want to do an apprenticeship in Whangarei and completing this course will give me a much better chance of doing that.
I’m loving learning new things and am doing things I didn’t think I could do – like repairing appliances, wiring up lights, and learning to be safety minded. I didn’t try much at school but I’m really achieving now because I have a purpose.
The learning environment here is so different from school. Our classmates are a mix of ages and we all support each other because we’re all here to move our lives forward.
I’m now doing something I enjoy all day. At school I just sat doing not much except for when we did engineering. This is a real opportunity, we don’t have to know everything and the tutor is a real stand out.
I love going out on site and I’m getting really interested in colour. We have a good mix of students and a good tutor.
I like learning for an applied and practical purpose so this really suits me, and the farm is fairly isolated so I enjoy being with people is a similar farming situation.
The people and the environment here are really relaxing and very personal. It’s like a second home to me and I’m amazed at my own growth and confidence.
I came here to broaden my creativity. It’s so hands-on here at NorthTec, you create your own stuff all the time. Everybody is really supportive, and if you struggle with something they will help you.
There’s a great team spirit here so we all bring our experiences and learn from each other.
I love the people here. Anyone who is into hospitality is a certain sort of weird that I really enjoy. It’s part of who we are. I was going to get into hairdressing but I realised I love cooking more. I also realised that within hospitality I prefer…
I’m getting the confidence now to carry on with higher levels of learning. As I continue educating and healing myself, job opportunities are starting to come my way.
I love it here every day. There’s heaps about painting I didn’t realize – the prepping, plastering, learning about the paints and safety. It’s all a challenge and that’s what I like about it.
I’m really surprised at my own capabilities and expanded vision now. I believe completing this degree will not only help further my career, but also enable me to apply what I’m learning in everyday life like conflict resolution, planning and better …
Our class is a real mix of ages and backgrounds but we really gel as a group and I love the added experience of having clients come here for us to work with.
Everyone is so approachable here and we can ask anything we need to know. We each do our own thing but we all help each other.
This feels like real learning on the job. We’re getting work experience here on the farm as we learn new things and I love everything about it – especially that I get to have my own working dog.
“I love designing and this course is helping me understand why we do what we do when we’re building. It’s extending my horizons of what’s possible. I would tell anyone now to push your limits.”
I’m one of the youngest but we all get along because we’re interested in the same things. It’s one of the best classes I’ve ever been in. Everyone is so relaxed and just getting on with it.
I really like how dedicated the tutors are to the students. They go out of their way to help us understand and they do extra tutorials, so I’m picking things up a lot more easily than I expected.
Some of our classmates are experienced and some are totally new to farming but we’re all learning at our own speed.
I’m learning to believe in myself and to just do it, and I’m surprised to find I’m getting good results. The tutors always support me and are helping me to relax more.
I’m on my way to creating my own life now. Follow what you want to do and don’t let anyone hold you back.
The best part of the course for me is the focus on machines. We learn machining, fabrication and welding, and machinery overview, and we come out with a certificate in all three.
All the students here are keen to learn and we’re all looking to step up and improve, and the tutors are wonderful. They understand where we’re coming from and relate the info we’re learning to us and our lives.
I looked at the option of studying nursing in Invercargill but the advantage here is that it is local and close to friends and family. I really like the hands-on work experience where we are assigned to different wards so we learn about different il…
“I’m thriving in this environment. I love how the tutors support you, and I’m local so I can stay home yet keep expanding and studying. I don’t know where I’ll journey but I know to keep going.”
It’s a great environment to learn in here. I’m surprised at how many avenues there are in electrical engineering and what it can lead to.
I was used to fixing my own mowers and machinery so I looked on the internet and found this automotive course close to home.
I love the intensity of this course. I also like how one tutor emphasizes how to be professional in this field and the other one focuses on how to develop yourself in architecture and in your life. It’s helped me create my own aspirations for being …
It’s great to be learning with people who actually want to be here each day and I love that I can work with my hands as I learn. I’m really drawn to welding. There’s so much to learn about the different types of welding and the tutor is the best.
I love what I’m learning. Excel and the accounting side is more of challenge and we’ve just started doing Xero. I like numbers but there is a lot to it and I’m taking my time so I understand it as I go. The industry is wanting people with Xero exper…
The dream is to take the best possible care of our whenua out there where we live, and to pass that knowledge on for others to do the same.
The diversity of people here brings life and pride - whether they’re covered in te moko or from overseas. We’re all exploring who we can become and the tutors are skilled at getting the most out of each of us.
School wasn’t supportive for me so I’m amazed at how massive the impact of the tutor here has been on me being able to study. He has reassured me that anything is possible if we put in the time and dedication.
This is giving me the skills and requirements to re-enter the work force and I’m happy to get a foot in the door. It’s important to make the most of every opportunity and to have the right people around you to grow and develop.
I love meeting the people here and sharing ideas. I tend to think in black and white so I like to see and learn different ways of looking at things.
I haven’t studied for 20 years so there are heaps of challenges but I’m hungry to learn and the tutors keep us driven and encouraged.
I’m feeling competent and confident. I know what I need to do, in what sequence, and how to price it.
I’m one of two pākehā students with 11 Maori and during the course someone died so we got to share in the experience of a tangi. We‘re a good mix of people and we developed a strong team spirit.
I love getting real world skills and being on the campus is a really good experience. It’s easy to get around and close to family
I have to focus to keep up but I’m surprised at how much more I’m memorising than I have in the past, because I’m really keen and the tutor helps us with study skills.
Being amongst such masterful tutors here in a kaupapa Maori environment is hugely affecting my learning. The painting, weaving and carving classes all collaborate and we learn from each other.
What I love most about doing the course is that I’m interested enough to focus. Usually I fade into myself but the tutor is really helping me to hold my focus.
Being able to see the produce you’ve grown, taste the flavour, and be part of living in a sustainable way is what I’m here for.
It’s a challenge for me to show up every day and stay with it but it’s worth it. I’ve met heaps of new people because we go out painting on the job.
With all the new building and roading development in our region, now seemed a good time to step into civil engineering. Previously sport was my main driver and I did fill-in jobs to support it. I was helping run the Aquatic Centre before enrolling f…
The best part of the course is doing the physical training at the gym and that includes learning to study measurements and performance. It’s a discipline for me to get here in the mornings but once you set your mind, then you’re sweet. I love being …
I have learnt so much from coming here that it doesn’t matter so much whether I become an artist or not. I’d like to become an artist but I realise it feels more about what I’ve learnt on the way on every level. I feel blessed to be here and to be h…
I’ve started my learning journey and I want to say to other young mothers – if I can do this, anyone can.
I love that we’re pushed here to pursue things to find answers, rather than being given answers. I learnt so much just in the first few weeks
I’m finding out that I love learning. It’s exciting to me. I need help so I’m the one that asks 100 questions. I was hesitant to put my hand up at first but the teachers encouraged me to just go for it.
Meeting new people here has opened me up to new ideas and the tutors are the best. They’ve been in the trade and are teaching us their tricks.
I’m surprised at how well I’m doing and how much I’m getting on with it. I’m also surprised at the range of what we learn. It’s not just driving but includes safety, making your load secure, and how to prevent driver fatigue.
I got a job straight from the course because the transport company approached the tutor. The tutors are very professional and really know what they are doing.
There are not many female carvers in New Zealand because it is only in recent years that mainstream institutions have opened their doors to allow women to study the art of carving. I think it’s culturally important to both honour the traditional val…
Working with Archi-CAD is the thing I love most about the course but it is also the most challenging thing for me. I thought architecture would all about drawing but it’s mostly computerised and CAD is a challenge to learn.
I am dyslexic so I had convinced myself I’d never be able to study or get into uni, but there’s so much support here and with our small classes we get one-on-one time with the tutors. They put their personal support into our success.
My challenge now is that I’m so invested in my studies that I have to remember it’s important to maintain a life outside of the course too!
It’s great getting the conceptual tools for ways to think about things. I’m surprised at what we’ve covered and the course has opened my eyes to different aspects of management and leadership.
One of the key reasons for coming here is the tutors. They are real, they’re knowledgeable and experienced, and they treat us like peers. They really encourage us to push beyond our own limits and to expand enough to take in new learning and experie…
I’ve already started a business as my ‘big industry’ project in this last year of my degree. Studying here has given me the building blocks for that and the confidence to begin.
The tutors drive you to do better and they help us with how to do things at the gym so we form good habits. Every time I try something new I’m surprised at myself. The first time I did CrossFit I thought I would die – but I’m still here, improving a…
The stand-out of the course for me is meeting all the great students and tutors here. I’m the youngest in our class so I’m learning so much from other people’s backgrounds and cultures, and by being on the campus is general.
The course is all online and the best part of it for me is meeting all the other students with an interest in writing. We critique each other’s work and socialise online, and occasionally meet up physically at a hui, but most of our connection is on…
I’m discovering I have a surprising interest in biological control and Integrated Pest Management. I’m fascinated with the idea of breeding parasitic wasps and ladybirds and it’s great knowing there are companies here doing that now.
I looked at other universities but this is the same degree with the same result and it’s right here at home.
Being outdoors with the animals and learning new things are the best parts of the course for me. The study needs some self-discipline but I’ve made it a priority.
The tutors here really want you to pass, are helpful and make you feel inspired and confident. At the moment I’m enjoying waxing and spray tanning, and the make-up that we do soon will be fun.
I’m doing the Foundation course to re-train my brain ready for my degree. I’ve rediscovered learning and I’m amazed at what I’ve been able to take in.
The combination of the learning journey and being student rep is strengthening my personal growth and character so I’m becoming more confident.
I love the diversity of our course content. I am discovering a love for marketing which is a total surprise to me. My dream is to be successful – which to me means financially successful as well as waking up to do something I enjoy every day.
I especially love learning about the bigger tools and how to use them safely. And I’ve fallen in love with the hand router. I had no idea it existed and I love using it.
We have a strong class bond in the course because we’re all motivated to move our lives forward. We’re all here for different reasons so it makes an interesting mix of people.
I’m loving being around people who love what I love, and it opens your eyes to be amongst people with different ideas and attitudes. The tutor is excellent and finds a way that works for how I like to learn.
My classmates are all adult students and we’re here because we want to be, so it’s a great learning environment, and the tutor has been in the industry so can give us feedback on both commercial and domestic situations.
The best part of this course is that we’re out there doing up a community building in town, not just sitting in a classroom.
I’m enjoying the drawing, which is a real surprise to me. It looks complicated but on the computer it’s so easy. It’s very satisfying when you get all the components together.
The training here is very practical and holistic and the tutors are beyond dedicated. They are so flexible and understanding and we can talk to them out of hours if needed.
I’m full time Dad for my three year old so the challenge is balancing study with the time with my daughter, and NorthTec is really flexible and supportive around that.
The practical work in the workshop is the best part of the course for me. I like working with my hands but I’m amazed at how much I don’t know about the building industry. I have developed a different appreciation and respect for all the layers of k…
The best part of doing the course is learning things that I didn't know existed. We get a window into other cultures.
Some aspects of science are a challenge but once I get the breakthrough moment and understand something, I love it. We have three cool tutors who all have different styles and I’m learning lots.
It’s surprises me how much I’m loving everything about it so far and this is a really nice learning environment. We’re learning things in depth and that makes the study more interesting.
Learning Te Reo is already boosting my confidence. It’s bringing back early memories of when I first heard it spoken. I love learning more about Maori protocols
Doing this course is changing my perception of myself, my own whakapapa and my tupuna.
I love the touch of the soil and being amongst the smell and growth of the plants.
The Applied Writing course is online, all of the tutors are writers and we have online forums with the other students. At first I felt different from them but then I realised I just have my own style and I’m enjoying the varied perspectives.
I’m keen to help the next generation spend more time outside and to serve as a role model for them in some way. We have this amazing natural resource in the north and I want to encourage youth to enjoy getting out amongst it.
There are a whole heap of surprises within this course. We learn about life and we learn about our own development and in doing so we develop and grow as people.
I love everything about the course and I’m even getting through the written assessments OK. The students are a good team and some of us knew each other from school.
I’m being encouraged here to explore past my own boundaries and to dare to be different in order to fulfil my potential. It’s exciting keeping a visual diary and I’m getting great grades. I’m starting to value myself.
Weaving has literally made up the fabric of the social, economic and spiritual development of our people. Now I’m seeing the value on every level.
The step from year 12 to here (level 2 to level 5) is a challenge in self-discipline, but I’m so much more motivated to learn. I also love that we have a small class with direct access to the tutors.
I’d love to work in the Ministry of Health of Education where I could impact and implement policies that affect kids. Children in poverty don't have much control of what is happening around them and someone needs to speak up on their behalf because …
This course has broadened my perception of art. I don’t just look at it visually now but I look at what the artist is communicating. Our whānau of students here watch each other grow and help one another.
I’m a people person and my nature is approachable and gentle so I think my hospitality manner is natural.
I’m loving having a play on the machines and the course is a lot more hands-on than I expected. I’m also surprised at how good I am on the lathe.
I'm developing even more of a deep passion for helping those people out there who are struggling with addiction and mental illnesses.
I really appreciate the smaller class size here, getting to know our class mix of domestic and international students, and the one-on-one access with the tutors.
Plants are the best therapy and they need to be nurtured - just like people do. It’s great for me learning from other like-minded students and the tutor.
I love being amongst students who are keen to learn and tutors who are dedicated and enthusiastic about what they are teaching. Our classmates come with backgrounds ranging from beauty therapy, to water treatment to the arts.
I especially love the CAD and the modern technology that we use. It’s fast and the results look really professional.
I’m one of the youngest in our class and I love the range of ages and backgrounds. The tutors are so available, accessible and supportive and we’re getting a chance to network with industry contacts.
Balancing the full-on energy of my baby at home and this study is a challenge but there is a lot of self-directed study involved with flexibility of timing and fantastic tutor support.
The best thing about the courses is that we learn totally on the job with the tutor when he comes on site.
We plan to put up a purpose built honey extraction and processing shed that will be the basis of an industry on the peninsula, but first we need to get on with learning the basics.
This course can really open doors and has made me so happy and confident. This is an international ticket and longer term I want to be a professional make-up artist for famous people.
Another aspect I enjoy is that we learn how to train others, so we work with school students who are keen to learn. I’m surprised at how much the tutor goes out of her way to expose us to employers and the industry.
There is such a huge difference from school and I really look forward to coming here every day. The environment is great and the classes and students are fun but we still learn so much.
I want to help my kids strive by showing them that their parents can study and do well. I’d love to now move on into Social Work and help others with addictions.
I’ve learnt a lot here about how to work respectfully with others. I’m strong in who I am and I can assert my opinions, and I’m learning to respect diversity.
The paperwork was a bit of a challenge but the tutor helped me, plus I went home and studied in the evenings - and I finished top of the class.
With the help of the tutors here I now understand that people all learn differently and that I can learn. I have the right help here. I dreaded school but I really like coming to the course and I’ll be able to into vet nursing when I pass Foundation…
This course is helping push me out of my comfort zone to try new stuff and then I find out it’s easy.
I was involved in middle management and could see flaws at the higher levels but without the relevant knowledge, I couldn’t affect any change, so I started my study in Applied Management.”
Doing the course has changed my life and enabled me to live up here. I’m earning real money doing real work and it’s good fitness training in the process.
Learning here is so different than in China because there they tell you how to solve the problem. Here you learn how to solve the problem yourself.
The course has helped me from a personal level right through to broadening my whole worldview and has given me tools for my kete that I can use every day.
I’m planning to get into the military to train in automotive engineering. I’ve always known that’s what I’ve wanted to do and this course is my first step on that journey.
I’d always been interested in mechanical things and used to love watching my Dad fix the car, but working at Marsden Point made me realise that it was something I really wanted to take further. I looked through lots of training options and settled o…
If you want to chance at something, just do it. I kept telling myself I couldn’t do this, then one day I told myself to shut up. And I just got on with it.
By doing this course I’m proving to myself that I can follow my heart and be successful. I can trust myself. Follow your heart because your head will follow that.
My recovery journey has fuelled my motivation to help people take really good care of themselves on every level in their life and work.
I previously loved to bake cakes but as my horizons have broadened, my passion has moved from bakery to butchery. I’m a carnivore, I can cook a mean steak, and I love learning about the cuts to the extent that I’m wondering about doing a butchery ap…
This course is broadening my horizons as well as extending my writing. I thought I’d write children’s books and poetry, but now I’m wondering about a novel.
I love the hands-on approach. It’s enabled me to really ‘get it’ in a way that I couldn’t do if it was just on paper. It’s still a challenge for me to picture the projects from the plans and drawings, but I’m actually doing it and it’s really satisf…
When you’ve been stuck, the first step is the hardest. Once you’re over that, you’re flying!
I love creating the meals, finding out what’s involved in that, and learning about the ingredients and the history of the food. The tutor is amazing and gets us to work as a real team.
I’ve gained so much more confidence in myself now. I also want to inspire other mums to step out and up. The steps and support are here to get on a study pathway.
It’s great being able to do what you love and get a degree out of it. I want to be an art teacher and this qualification will give me a lot more options for the scope and context of that.
I’m one of 11 siblings and I’ll be the first one to get a degree. It’s making my whānau proud and it is also self-rewarding. My whānau is my motivation.
A lot of the other students and the tutors are working or consulting as well, so we’re all able to network and give each other professional leads.
I love being outdoors every day and learning by doing. This course is nearly all practical and any theory relates directly to what we’re doing.
I have just finished the Diploma and the flexibility of doing it part time while still working made sense. As well as being able to earn, I could put what I was learning into practice straight away.
The training here is so hands-on and I’m loving the community involvement. Some of the papers are designed around Sports Northland events and we get to volunteer at things like turbo-touch in schools.
An unexpected surprise is the real kinship in our class. The reasons we are here are many and varied and we know that a key part of humanity is to support each other.
"We have heaps of peer support. The other students and tutors are easy to be around so it’s given me confidence. I’ve now got a goal and a plan of how to get there."
Already I am gaining confidence. In our assignments we had to find and interview someone in the business world and I’m learning how to interact with people on the phone professionally.
The best part of the course is having a tutor who supports each of us in every way. We’re all walking this journey together and the course is part of our own healing.
I want to specialise in working with high-level athletes like Olympians so the credentials of the tutors here, as top-level performers themselves, was also a drawcard.
I have two kids and I thought it may be too late for me to study, but as soon as I saw the pamphlet for this course everything fell into place.
I loved the atmosphere here, and getting to make the coffee in the café – complete with perks.
As part of the course we students work together on a house for work experience and we work well as a team. We’re a good mix of ages and backgrounds.
Our tutors have a lot of trade connections but we make our own way to getting work experience on Fridays and that can lead to other opportunities.
The best aspect is the other students. The support network you create together and how students encourage and value each other is what makes studying in smaller classes a wonderful experience. The students and tutors are always approachable and will…
This course has really opened my eyes to the value of mainstream education. Before starting this course, I had been too scared and embarrassed to get help but the support is here.