Ara | Te Pūkenga students graduate in joy-filled ceremonies

_{Hundreds of graduates were welcomed into the Town Hall for the Autumn ceremonies}

Fresh from four years of study, Kym Sualupe (Loops) Asi has thrown herself into her social work career - starting full-time work just as her youngest child started school.

But on Friday she took a moment to reflect on achieving her Bachelor of Social Work, taking the stage as student speaker at the first of Ara’s two Autumn Graduation ceremonies in the Christchurch Town Hall.

Almost 1900 students were eligible to graduate. On Friday, 850 crossed the stage to receive their qualifications in person and to celebrate their own milestones. Qualifications awarded ranged from foundation certificates priming learners for new paths in life through to master's degrees.

_{After her inspirational speech Loops Asi celebrated with her tamariki}

The 2023 graduation ceremonies were also significant as they were the first since Ara fully became part of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. That means the qualifications come from Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest education provider.

They were presented by both Ara General Manager Darren Mitchell and Te Pūkenga Deputy Chief Executive, Learner and Employer Experience and Attraction, Andrew McSweeney.

Asi, a mother of five, musician, veteran rugby league club volunteer and now social worker at Mapu Maia - an organisation providing counselling services and education for Pacific communities - took to the stage with personal story of transformation through education.

“We are not the same people we were when we started,” she said of her much-loved Ara classmates who had navigated many trials together. “This course enhances you, pushes and challenges you and then helps you feel ok when you are uncomfortable. I am ecstatically grateful for each kaiako (teacher) who has taught me in a way I felt heard.”

Leaving school at 16 with passes in English and Māori, Asi says her creative talents and motherhood kept her busy for two decades before she dipped back into study at Ara with a Level 3 business and administration course in 2016.

Then, amid grieving a family loss in 2018, she decided to choose a new path, signed on to the four-year Bachelor of Social Work and began navigating study challenges.

“The connections made with my Ara peers, my Eagles community, whānau, the wide Ara Pacific mentors, student advisors and tutors lifted my wairua (spirits) when it felt too hard,” Asi said. The three-time finalist for Ara’s Eke Panuku Pacific achievement awards, including the Elevation Pacific Mentor of the year, said a key thing she’d learned was “what you give is what you get back”.

The afternoon ceremony heard from Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications (Screen and Television Production) Distinction student Cole Yeoman whose new-found career has already spanned the country.

_{Cole Yeoman urged his fellow graduates to use their skills to help others}

Last year he was in Auckland working for Whakaata Māori (Māori TV). Now he’s Invercargill-based and working as a video journalist for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express. Yeoman, who completed an award-nominated documentary while studying, said his time at Ara had set him up for success.

“It's given me the skills and confidence to jump into all kinds of broadcasting roles. I feel I have a solid foundation of experience and knowledge of the screen industry, and I certainly have connections now, so opportunities will keep popping up and I'm excited to see where that might go and what it might lead to. I feel I can give anything a shot. It's great,” he said.

A grounding principle to him and a message he wanted to share with his fellow graduates was to use their newfound skills and experience to help others.

“Whether that's in broadcasting, business management, languages, education, cooking, IT, art, music, performance – they’re more than just jobs to get money, they're all important because they impact people.”

“We have an ability to do really good things,” he said. “Advocate for others, give generously for others. He aha he mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What's the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.”

Ara | Te Pūkenga Autumn Graduation fast facts:

• More than 1850 students eligible to graduate
• 865 graduates attended in person over two ceremonies
• More than 150 different qualifications awarded.
• Largest cohort in morning ceremony: Nursing with 137 graduates
• Largest cohort afternoon ceremony: Design with 61 graduates
• 120 students achieved a range of 22 post graduate certificates and diplomas
• 8 master's level qualifications awarded across nursing, health practice, creative practice and sustainable practice