LEADING THE WAY: Maori warriors led by Tukiterangi Curtis escorts Waiariki Institute of Technology graduates to the Rotorua Convention Centre.
LEADING THE WAY: Maori warriors led by Tukiterangi Curtis escorts Waiariki Institute of Technology graduates to the Rotorua Convention Centre.
Plenty of pride on display at ceremony
Waiariki Institute of Technology graduates stopped traffic as they walked through the main city streets of Rotorua as part of their graduation celebrations.
Hundreds congregated at the City Focus yesterday morning and made their way down Tutanekai St to the Rotorua Convention Centre donned in black gowns, caps and colourful hoods and sashes to distinguish which faculty they belonged to.
The procession was led by a group of Maori warriors as proud family and friends lined the footpath to take photos of their loved ones' big day.
For Aniket Dadole, yesterday's graduation ceremony was a satisfying end to a three-year Bachelor of Computing, Communications and Technology degree.
"It feels really great to have finally finished," he said.
"I'm from India so I've also enjoyed living here for three years and experiencing the multicultural city and it's been nice to be around friendly people."
Fellow graduate Mark Noble said his time at Waiariki was rewarding, having switched from his job as an electrician to study for a Bachelor of Applied Social Science majoring in Social Work.
He is currently working at Idea Services helping people with learning and physical disabilities.
"[At Waiariki] I enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends and going right through to the end with them," Mr Noble said.
"I changed careers as I felt like I wanted to do something that benefited other people and help out society."
Waiariki chief executive Professor Margaret Noble said the day was a great opportunity to celebrate the students' success.
Waiariki Graduation Students gather at the Rotorua Convention Centre.
"Some have gone through challenging times to get here, juggling family and work, so it is a really good way to celebrate their achievements," she said.
"This is also the first time we have had three ceremonies here with regional campus ceremonies held next week and that's from the feedback we have received with students wanting smaller ceremonies so they can bring their whanau along and to have the day a little more special.
"It's also a chance for students to say thank you to the staff, family, friends and all the people who have supported them along the way."
Waiariki council chairman Graeme Nahkies said graduation day was his favourite day of the year.
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"It's fantastic for me to stand on the stage and to see all these bright faces come up and be rewarded. I just really enjoy being a part of it," he said.
"There's a lot of special achievements and you get the sense of how much support there is from the other students and hearing the tributes they pay to their family and whanau in the audience, so there is a lot of very happy people."
