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“I believe that because I’ve experienced addiction, I can utilize the talents I’ve been blessed with to support others to move forward.”
“This course is giving me an overview about mental health and addictions that I didn’t have. The different tutors are helping me get a better understanding and context and I’m getting extra help privately.”
“I started doing the course in Whangarei when I was at Women’s Refuge, then Housing New Zealand got a house for me up here so I transferred the credits. I haven’t studied for years so I’m learning to be patient with myself and others and to adjust to being in a classroom environment. We’re all on the same journey here so we get huge support from each other and from the tutors.”
“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.”
“My first priority is to finish the course and my dream would be to work with and support people in my own community – especially youth.”
“As youth, we all have capability to lift ourselves but a lot of us don’t realise we can do that by studying at...
“I was very clear that I wanted to go to uni and study psychology but I didn’t get uni entrance from school so was looking at the best bridging study to get there when I chanced across this course. I was here for Orientation to support my partner and when I mentioned what I wanted to do to his tutor, she said this health and wellbeing course was perfect.”
“I was very nervous and quiet when I started because I come from right up north and was the youngest in the class, but my advantage was that I was straight out of school so I was used to study and written structure. I’m finding my grades are really good so that has helped my confidence and the course helps with communication and making presentations. It’s a really open environment here and all the students and tutors are genuinely supportive.”
“I’m realising since leaving home that my Dad is my inner voice encouraging me to be my best self. I’m really surprised here how strong the Māori aspect of the course is. I’m Māori but our parents didn’t speak te reo and I had to learn where I came from to give my pepeha here.”
“I can truly further my education by doing this course. I’m keen to upskill and want to absorb as much as possible to better my confidence, communication and motivational interviewing. I’ve already started applying to Auckland University where my sister is studying to be a doctor. My path will be a Bachelor of Arts with a Psychology major and my family’s end goal is to open a clinic up north for our own people. My Mum has her social work degree, my Dad is studying social work, my sister will have her medical degree, and I’ll have psychology.”
“I’m one of the oldest of ten children and all of us know how much need there is for education and up-skilling in our region. We as Māori are a small percentage of the population but the statistics in prison, mental health, and limited education are high. Together we can help with this. As youth, we all have capability to lift ourselves but a lot of us don’t realise we can do that by studying at NorthTec in a supportive system and staying in the area.”
I love meeting the people here and sharing ideas. I tend to think in black and white so I like to see and learn...
“A passion for health and well-being has replaced my substance addictions. My progress has come from a pathway of self-discovery that I hope to pass on to others.”
Floyd has learnt the hard way. “I was sent to prison for 10 years for something I did when I was quite young. The steps that led me to prison were fuelled by substance addictions. Inside, I got the punishment but not the help I needed so I dug deep into myself to find a way up. We were offered courses so I did three levels of horticulture and one of auto engineering while I was there.”
“I got work in a saw-mill when I got out and have since finished a Mechanical Engineering Certificate in Maintenance and Diagnostics. My real sense of purpose came when I started some hard-out gym work. The physical training got me hooked on health instead of substances, plus it cleared my body and mind of a lot of toxic stuff.”
“In fitness training you set yourself small goals, and by achieving them you gradually lift your self-esteem. I now come over to Kaikohe from Rawene every day for voluntary training in the gym, with a view to take over the business, and I’m doing the Mental Health and Addictions course at the same time.”
“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 have a bigger vision of what I want to create but for now I’m committed to completing the course. I want to open doors for people who may not have those doors open because of circumstances or prejudice. Through the gym, I’ve already been able to help a young guy with some mental health issues win a regional and then national power lifting title. I’m confident I can help because I have the experience – and am now getting the training.”
“Since I’ve been here, I amazed at the massive growth in myself and in others on the course. It has transformed my...
“All the odds were against me, so if I can do this degree course anyone can. I’m a foster child brought up in state care, I’m of Māori descent and I was kicked out of school at year 11. I looked down on my social worker and was determined to never be that, but my own experiences has now served to light my passion to help others in similar situations. Because I know how that path feels, I can encourage and work with people at a different level. I’m only 18 so I can really relate to youth.”
“My realisation that I wanted to study and work in social services only happened after I transitioned from state care into a residential home and lived independently. I also realised that because I had left school with nothing, university wasn’t an option for me, so I started my study path at a foundation course at NorthTec in hospitality, then did the certificate in Health and Wellbeing. Over the holiday break I found the courage to commit to doing this degree course. I’m all in it for the youth.”
“I am totally loving learning so many new skills and I feel so supported here as an individual and as a Māori. The wairua of the whole class and tutors supports our mana. We’re all different ages, cultures and gender, and we’re on different paths but we’re all in the same waka and we’re all passionate about being here. Listening and learning from each other gives us different perspectives.”
“Because I dropped out of school, I’m more hands-on and don’t like paperwork but my passion to learn and the support here is helping me focus on study. Because I’m young, another challenge is balancing study with the pull from my friends for social life.”
“Since I’ve been here, I'm amazed at the massive growth in myself and in others on the course. It has transformed my sense of self, and when I get my degree I’m keen to serve as a role model for rangatahi. I did some work with an organisation called VOYCE (Voices of the Young and Care Experienced) as a result of a work placement with Oranga Tamariki in the Health and Well Being course, and I’m now a paid intern for VOYCE and on their National Youth Council.”
“I came from so far down and now I have some exciting options ahead of me. When I finish the degree, my dream is to continue to study with a Master of Social Work and then maybe a degree in clinical psychology. I want to work my way up to parliament and be part of changing the laws that impact the youth of today.”
“To kids out there in care – if you get shut down, look for new doors to open. If you go off track, make a new way forward. How we deal with things shows what we’re made of. Live your own time line, and keep doing you.”
The best part of the course is having a tutor who supports each of us in every way. We’re all walking this journey...
“Mum is a social worker so I know how much need there is for support workers up here. One of our whānau has also been in and out of prison for years and in supporting him, I see lots of others without support.”
“So I already have the experience and this course will give me the ticket into the industry. I actually did the Mental Health and Addictions course some years ago but I’ve grown since then, and so has my urgency and drive to be able to help.”
“I saw this new course when my partner came to enrol for something else, so I was a last- minute enrolment. I always thought I’d do a bachelor in social services or nursing first but this timing feels right.”
“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. Because of what we share, we’ve developed a trust in each other and have connected in a deep way to create our own whānau.”
“Doing the course will give me many more employment options so I can help whoever I come across. I’m already doing that in my everyday life but this adds a professional aspect and helps me with self-care and boundaries.”
“I will become a full-time support worker as soon as I complete the course and I can do my bachelor of social services while I’m working. I’m still expanding and exploring longer-term options but they include supporting the elderly, youth, and maybe prisoners, and giving respite to carers.”
Some aspects of science are a challenge but once I get the breakthrough moment and understand something, I love it...
“I was home schooled in rural Hokianga so I’m loving having a teacher in a classroom and other students for support. When my parents moved to Whangarei I switched to Correspondence School then after six months I had some personal struggles and found it harder to be motivated.”
“I had an epiphany just before turning 18. I realized I was leaving school with next-to-nothing and needed to do something to turn my life around. I contacted NorthTec and asked for advice to stair-step my way into study. We narrowed the choices down to nursing and social services and I chose social services but that needed level 3 Foundation Studies, so this is my start point.”
“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. I’m back into the rhythm of study, I have a goal to keep motivated, and I’ve just bought a car.”
“When I complete this course I’ll go on with more study either in social services or nursing, then my ultimate job would be to help people from unsafe homes and from off the street. I’m keen to help them with their emotional and mental states and to give them skills to be self-empowering. In the meantime I work a weekend job and I’m a volunteer at the local fire brigade.”
There are a whole heap of surprises within this course. We learn about life and we learn about our own development...
“I’ve always been a nurturing, caring person but five years ago I wouldn’t have guessed I’d be studying for my degree in social work – despite my mother suggesting I would be a good social worker.”
“I’ve taken a lot of paths since high school including early childhood teaching, an introduction to nursing, and working in rest homes. One of the clients at one of the rest homes was under mental health care and it was then that I developed a passion for working in mental health.”
“Once I decided that I wanted to be a social worker, I applied for and was accepted for other unis but I have dyslexia and NorthTec was the only place that offered support with that –plus, I’m not a city girl. We come out with the same qualification from here without the exams.”
“The best thing about this course is how small and intimate the class is, plus all the support we get from the tutors and each other. We’re dealing with big issues here so it brings up our own weaknesses and strengths. Dyslexia has been my biggest challenge but I have faced it with all the support here, so it isn’t an issue with my study now.”
“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. The layers of depth and complexity of being human are ongoing and fascinating.”
“This degree will give me an entry to social work and open the door to practice in the mental health area. I’m already employed at the Alzheimer’s Society so I have a foot in the door there, but after finishing the course I’ll be able to really start my career and put my learning into practice.”
“Later in my career I’d like to do a master’s degree so I can teach mental health and help others with dyslexia. I want to empower others to find their own paths. In the meantime NorthTec is like a second home to me and I would encourage anyone to study here. I’ve found everything I’m looking for here and it has set me on a journey I never thought I’d be capable of.”
Balancing the full-on energy of my baby at home and this study is a challenge but there is a lot of self-directed...
“When the nursing application form asked why I wanted to be a nurse, I realized that I didn’t. I had done level 4 foundation to get into study and prior to that was choosing between social services and art. A lot has been going on for me in recent years including some hard relationships, so that cemented the decision to get into social services and start with the mental health and addictions course.”
“I’m passionate about it. It feels like the right thing to do and the teacher and class are diverse and interesting. The whole point of the course is to help understand differences. This was in focus right in our first module, which was the Treaty of Waitangi. This involved some strong opinions made more pointed by delivery of oral presentations.”
“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.”
“When I finish, the course will either be a foundation for me doing the Bachelor of Social Services, or I can get work as a support worker. Long term I’d love to work with linking kids into foster homes or adoption.”
The course has helped me from a personal level right through to broadening my whole worldview and has given me tools...
“I’m a young father. I had a daughter when I was 15 and was supported by a social worker, and I knew then that I wanted to work with people and support other teen dads.”
“To that end, a few years ago I was one of the founding members of Whangarei Youth Space and I still work there. Being there has been my motivation to step up and do this training to enable me to be of more service and to better benefit my community. Prior to doing this, I did the Mental Health and Addictions Certificate when I was 17 and then worked in the mental health unit at the hospital.”
“I always knew I’d come to NorthTec to do the degree when I could, and I love how much I’m learning. As well as learning about myself, we learn about the way people live in the world and how systems and organisations like WINZ and CYF (now Oranga Tamariki) work. We’ve also learnt about the history of Aotearoa which is really valuable to me and my kids who are Maori. 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.”
“My biggest challenge is balancing my work commitments, my fulltime study here, and family. I love learning in class, ask lots of questions and get as much work done there as I can. I’m the only male in the class and as students we learn as much from each other as we do from the tutors. We’re on the same journey together, share our stories, and have developed a strong bonding. The tutors really challenge us to think differently and they do it in a supportive way.”
“Getting this degree will open up a lot more career options for me. I want to work at a level that makes change in the Ministry of Social Development. I am planning on doing my placement at Oranga Tamariki for a while and I’m currently work at a NGO (Non-Government Organization, but I want to end up working in social policy somewhere at government level so I can help improve things for my greater community.”
I'm developing even more of a deep passion for helping those people out there who are struggling with addiction and...
“Since studying in this area, I'm developing even more of a deep passion for helping those people out there who are struggling with addiction and mental illnesses. I know first-hand what it's like as I have been a sufferer in the past. For many years I battled alcoholism, addiction and multiple mental illnesses.”
“Now that I am sober, clean and healed of mental illness, this course is giving me a better understanding of what it may be like for others effected by addictions and mental illness. There is a massive need everywhere and I would thoroughly love to help.”
“This course is the beginning of my career journey. I am considering further study in the future and would ultimately love to open up my own Christian ministry drug and alcohol counselling service.”
“I enjoy studying at NorthTec Kaikohe because, although I live 35 kilometres away, I only have to come in to campus one day a week to participate in class learning. The rest of the study is done from home in my own time, making it very flexible and fitting with my family and other commitments.”
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...
“I’m a recovering addict and alcoholic from six years ago, so it is fitting for me to help others by passing it forward. I’m from Auckland and I moved up here to start a fresh life. NorthTec and this course happened to be here and I’ve just finished level 4.”
“The quality of the teaching, the resources, the facilities, and the people in general here are what I enjoyed the most. We had access to all of our tutors until an evening time-limit, and their willingness to see us succeed was a really good push for me. We also spent time in our own self-started student group and had a private Facebook group.”
“This support added to my drive and motivation to push through the challenge of having to travel to Kerikeri once a week. And I had to knuckle down on planning to fit the study and the travel in with my family time.”
“Learning Te Reo was the biggest surprise for me about the course. I’m Samoan and speak fluent Samoan and I was hesitant at first to get involved with Te Reo, but I learnt to do my own mihi and I got a lot of satisfaction from learning about a language and culture similar to, but different from, ours.”
“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.”
The biggest thing I’ve learnt in this journey is not to doubt your learning abilities. You can do anything you want...
“Someone in social work introduced me to this field and recommended I apply for a scholarship to study. I am a truck driver and digger driver by trade and I didn’t believe I could study at a tertiary level because I left school early. I started with the Mental Health and Addictions course in Kerikeri, and continued on to completed my degree at the Whangarei campus in Social Work.
“I did distance learning at Massey for a while but NorthTec suited me better because it’s face to face learning. I was surprised that I was able to achieve this level of study.
“Our class had students from South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, India, and England as well as sixth generation pakeha, so we are learning many different perspectives. The tutors put me in a tuakana (supporting) role.”
"My family and I have moved from Kaitaia to Whangarei and since the beginning of 2018, I am working as a Caseworker for the Salvation Army Bridge programme. I’ve been clean and sober for 24 years and there is so much need for male role models. I work alongside other clinicians in the Drug and Alcohol field and I cherish the learning I got from NorthTec, as the teaching prepared me for this role. My goals are and have always been to walk along those in the community who struggle with the nature of addiction. I am passionate about this role and see myself here for some time yet."
"My wife has now started the Bachelor of Applied Social Work as well, and I couldn't be happier."
“The biggest thing I’ve learnt in this journey is not to doubt your learning abilities. You can do anything you want to once you remove your own mind blocks.” Thank you to all the staff of NorthTec (especially those in Kaitaia) who were the biggest inspiration that I had in my years of study, they stood beside my, guided me, taught me, and supported me to where I am today. I still get support from staff today in the role that I have here at work."
NorthTec is not a second-class option, I always felt like going to a polytechnic meant that I wasn't as successful as...
It has taken 15 years to turn my life around and six years to complete my degree but my life has now changed forever
“When I walked across that stage at graduation to receive my Degree in Social Services, it was the first time I had graduated at doing anything – ever. I cried tears for the first time in my life.”
Ngametua has lived a hard life. “I left school at intermediate, was on the streets at 11 and then became a ward of the state. I was in and out of boys’ homes and foster care, and when I turned 17, I went to jail. I mostly lived life as a gang member and have had several stints in jail.”
“The last time I was in jail I did the Ko Wai Au (Who Am I) programme and it opened my eyes. It turned on a light bulb for me. I identified that I had been working with youth most of my life - but using my skills in a negative way. The programme also introduced me to education. Since then, it has taken 15 years to turn my life around and six years to complete my degree but my life has now changed forever.”
“After that programme, I started several short NorthTec courses but they had no meaning for me. Then a friend of mine was doing the Mental Health and Addictions course and suggested I jump on board. I loved that paper. I saw how my addictions were affecting me. And when I met the tutor at NorthTec, it turned out she was my social worker when I was 14! She hinted I might make a great social worker myself, so I decided to do it and began my learning journey.”
It was a long journey with some major set-backs including Ngametua struggling with the theory, pulling out of the course when he became homeless, and watching his oldest son go to jail with his second son heading that way too. “Little by little I’d get bits of my life together and I’d finish a paper here and a paper there, thanks to my tutor/ex social worker pushing me. By the time I did my third year, both my boys were working and I felt I was becoming a role model for them.”
“My motivation was that I wanted to change – both for my boys and for myself. I was ready to do the hard mahi.”
“Since getting my degree I have plenty of work and I keep getting more work offers. I now have a passion for working with the Youth Justice team plus I work with men in Tai Tokerau emergency housing. We help them be pro-active in gaining skills and being wiser in their choices. Education is the key – but you have it want it and you have to be ready to do the mahi to change – because it’s hard, and you end up turning away from your previous friends and whangai (adopted) family.”
“Working in social services is inspiring work and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I don’t win them all, but I’ve touched the hearts of men through education. My own education put everything in a different perspective. I realised I was feeding off negative energy, and it was a massive culture shock to turn and use my influence and skills in a positive way that inspired a similar change in others. I never knew I had a teacher locked up in myself.”
“Next I want to go on and do a master’s degree in indigenous cultures, but first I want a rest from study. I’ll stay with the emergency housing work for a while but long term my dream is to be a policy changer and help change our systems that are not working.”
“I’m still basking in that moment of walking across the stage at graduation. It was the proudest moment for me and for my family. I hope my story can open the way for others to face themselves and change their lives. If I can do it…..!”
I got my job at Ngati Hau by working there in my second year placement while still studying. The Girls Group is for...
“Doing my degree was the best decision I’ve ever made and now that I’m working in the field I’m even more driven to make a difference.”
“The stand-outs of the course were both the personal and the professional development from being on that journey. I grew so much as a person and I realised how important networking with colleagues is. It’s also much easier to learn when we apply the theory in our practicum work. When I started studying I wanted to do counselling but later I realized social work offered more scope for initiative, flexibility and creativity – which are my strengths.”
Maggie now works in social work in two roles. She runs the Girls Group for Ngati Hau Health and Social Services in collaboration with Te Ora Hou, and she has a contracted internship to provide cultural support for staff at Whangarei Youth Space. “I got my job at Ngati Hau by working there in my second year placement while still studying. The Girls Group is for girls aged 8-12 who at high risk due to their environmental factors. And I got the job at Youth Space through a Ngati Hau recommendation.”
“The NorthTec degree is directly relevant to my current work – especially as I’ve used the models, frameworks and tools to shape my practice. Looking at social change from community through to national and global levels is also really applicable for the Youth Space work. I use a strength-based approach, working holistically with a focus on whakawhanaungatanga - making meaningful relationships with both clients and colleagues.”
“Since I’ve been working, I’m a lot more confident in my ability, I’m more passionate and driven, and I know that I know my stuff. I want to continue to work with children and young people and I feel happy to have found work that I feel so passionate about.”
“It’s great to be helping strengthen community again. This is the future. I see my work as more about community...
“It’s great to be helping strengthen community again. This is the future. I see my work as more about community development than Social Services,” says Ligi Pakieto-Johnstone, recent Bachelor of Applied Social Services graduate from NorthTec. “Families are taking their power back now so there is not so much agency in their lives. In my new job as co-ordinator at Onerahi Resource Centre I can help enable this.” After a four year learning journey, Ligi has returned to work amongst the community she grew up in. “Two years of my training was in the Community Development stream at Unitec in Auckland. This introduced me to different models of community and gave me a lens to look further than the individual. Then my Mum was seriously ill so I returned to the north to be near her. I did the next two years of my study up here at NorthTec with the focus on the individual and I finished at the end of 2013.” During her study, Ligi was juggling her learning with working up to fourteen hours a day. “At some stage I was working seven hours of paid work at Te Puna a Te Aroha (Maori Women’s Refuge) and then seven hours at Te Ora Hou (an organization that works with youth at risk) as part of my practicum. I still wonder how I did it. I know it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my husband and my children. The journey has simply unfolded and I could never have been better prepared than by being on the path I have been on. This includes my Mum’s passing.” “I was also in the first year of roll-out of the Enquiry Action Learning (EAL) delivery of the NorthTec Social Services degree programme. I’m a kinaesthetic learner so it was perfect for me. We did group-led projects with the lecturer becoming more of a facilitator, and together we chose pathways which worked best for different scenarios. We had to learn to be team players while dealing with the dynamics of personality. We became like family as we learnt together. In those two years, I also developed my networks so my fellow students have now become my colleagues.” Ligi’s new job came up before she even finished her degree. “This position came up in my final few weeks of study. I applied and got it. I grew up in this community and my family has been part of it for over seventy years, so it offered a great chance to give back. I love the job.” Ligi especially loves working with people from different walks of life. “There are priceless moments most days and we are all learning every day. The challenge is to avoid taking over or becoming the expert. The people we work with are the experts on their own lives. By us working collaboratively and consultatively, they hold the power in their own lives. They simply need to see some different modelling and get a bit of guidance. The community I work with is my boss and I like that.” Ligi’s own family has been inspired by her learning. “I am the first woman in our whole whakapapa to study and succeed in tertiary education. My daughter has mimicked my modelling and will graduate as a teacher next year. The possibilities are wide open now to all our next generations.” “I was born at the change of tide and at the time, my grandmother said to my mother that I therefore had the capacity to change our whakapapa. I feel I have made that change by showing the power of education and knowledge. I feel I’ll be in this job back home in my own community for quite a while and I still volunteer for a day a week at hospice where I utilize the time to take me closer to my Mum.” Read more about NorthTec's Bachelor of Applied Social Service
“This certificate gave me an added skill for my profession and means I can nurse here specialising in mental health...
Since graduating Krizia has moved into work at Waikato District Health Board with an acute mental health service ward for older persons. She has also completed a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and a Master of Nursing at the University of Auckland, graduating in May 2019. “Studying cognitive behavioural therapy at NorthTec has helped me a lot in terms of my work as a mental health nurse, and with my postgraduate studies. I am more therapeutic and empathetic as a result of this training, and able to establish a good rapport with my clients.” “I am currently a certified mental health supervisor for mental health nurses where I applied my cognitive behavioural therapy skills, which I learned from Northtec.” Krizia was a qualified nurse in the Philippines and needed to study to become certified in New Zealand. “I was more into mental health in the Philippines so I decided on this six-month Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The certificate gave me an added skill for my profession and enabled me to nurse here, and specialise in mental health.” “We studied the thoughts, emotions, behaviour, and physiological responses of people and how they interlink. We also learn how to handle our own stresses, deal with anxiety and depression, relate to people, and pursue personal and professional development.” “The basis of the content is that you are your own therapist and we encourage clients to solve their own problems utilizing CBT techniques. I can apply this to my future nursing patients as well as to family and friends.” “The NorthTec International Committee went that extra mile to help us with anything. Whangarei is peaceful, clean, and close to nature, and the students were really supportive. “Thank you NorthTec!”
Soraya Te Iringa finished her Degree in Social Services and stepped straight into work that she loves. “I work with...