Cheers all round at Animation College Rotorua graduation

Students and family members celebrate after Animation College's graduation ceremony on Wednesday. PHOTO/ SUPPLIED

There were cheers all round as 19 students graduated from Animation College's Rotorua campus.

The special ceremony, held at the Lone Star lastnight, marked the first cohort of students to graduate from the three-year Level 6 Diploma in Applied Animation (DAA) and Level 7 Diploma in Digital Media (DDM).

Nine students graduated with the diplomas, while another 10 students graduated from the two-year Level 6 DAA to their third year, the Level 7 DDM.

There were plenty of family and friends on hand to support the graduates.

Rotorua Animation College senior regional manager Nige Ward said the Rotorua campus added a "real whanau feeling to storytelling, it offers the ability to nurture individual animation skills, both in a traditional 2D sense with the paper and pencil, and with software such as Flash/Animate, Photoshop and After Effects".

He told the students he hoped "we can build an industry here with your help", and said he believed there were great things ahead.

The third year students have been able to work at Digital Basecamp, a collaborative "one-stop-shop for creative techs", where they worked alongside industry leaders on live projects.

"With state-of-the-art facilities and Digital Apprentices pioneering the space, the industry is buzzing in Rotorua."

The Animation College Rotorua campus was launched in May 2015, with one programme; the Diploma in Applied Animation 2D.

Nineteen students and two staff were on site on one floor. Now Rotorua has 42 students, five staff, two floors, two programmes, and Digital Basecamp.

Graduates
Level 6 DAA graduates: Stanley Morehu, Rihipa Taiatini, Matthew Wood, Dylan Jackson, Pinto Te Waaka, Shaun Hendren-McMillan, Rain Gotz-Tier, Seth Waller, Jack Cater, Levi Maangi.
Level 7 DDM graduates: Sasha Rotherham, Briar Holden, Oliver Frew, Chereeann Poinga, Koroheke Baker, Tony James, Watikena Haira, Te Mauri Kingi, Alexander Hyde.