Twenty one new kaimahi were welcomed into the Unitec whānau in a pōwhiri ceremony held at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae on Wednesday.
The pōwhiri was attended by the Senior Leadership Team, Pae Arahi Hare Paniora and Pou Whakarewa Matauranga (MIT), Dr Wiremu Manaia, our Marae team and Managers from Student Support Services.
Executive Director, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, told our new kaimahi they each brought their own expertise to Unitec and he was looking forward to working alongside them.
“You all bring your own skills and experience, and we’re grateful you’ve chosen us,” he says.
Peseta Sam emphasised the importance of understanding the kaupapa and purpose around serving our learners and communities, which is guided by our Te Noho Kotahitanga values.
“The two values which resonate for me is Mahi Kotahitanga, working together within our teams and across Unitec with other kaimahi (staff) and our ākonga (learners). The other value is Ngākau Mahaki, and it means respect for other kaimahi and our learners.”
Peseta added that Ngākau Mahaki is also the name of our Wharenui and ‘spiritual hub’ and a safe place for new kaimahi.
Deputy Chief Executive, Academic, Martin Carroll told our new kaimahi that they were arriving at a pivotal time for the Institute.
“It couldn’t be a better time to join Unitec. We are here to embrace something new and exciting around what vocational education and training can look like in Tāmaki,” he says.
Dr Carroll told our new kaimahi they each had a role to play with their unique skill sets and backgrounds.
“We are the engine that trains the workforce for Tāmaki and all your roles are necessary to make us function. So we’re incredibly vital to the current and future needs of Tāmaki Makaurau,” he says.
“We chose you because we think you are the best talent and the best fit for the direction we’re headed.”
Following the pōwhiri, kaimahi were given a campus tour and attended orientation sessions facilitated to familiarise them with our policies and values.
MEET OUR NEW STAFF
Todd Hopkins is three months into his role as an advisor at our busy Student Central in Mt Albert. He loves being on the front-line supporting our learners.
“It’s just a great vibe and energy here,” Todd says, enthusiastically. “The manaakitanga and the way we care and support our ākonga is amazing and I knew I wanted to be a part of it when I applied for this role.”
Todd worked in a similar role at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) before moving to Auckland.
Originally from Long Beach, California, Todd is a trained actor with a degree in Theatre from Whittier College in Los Angeles.
He taught at primary school level for nearly 20 years after training as a teacher in Nebraska.
A man of many talents, Todd loves to cook having attended culinary school in America.
Mr Hopkins also loves languages, having learnt German, French and Spanish while in school. Currently in his third year of learning te reo, he was the Rangatira who responded on behalf of the new kaimahi at Wednesday’s pōwhiri welcome.
Since arriving in New Zealand in 2018, he has also put his Acting skills to use moonlighting as a stand up comedian.
“I’ve done a few gigs around Auckland and it’s a passion I have to entertain,” he says.
Olaug (Ollie) Gardener has joined Unitec as an Academic Advisor in Te Puna Ako.
Ollie says she will be working closely with the School of Community Studies (Early Childhood, and Sport, Exercise and Recreation) in her role.
“I’ll be supporting them and making sure their courses are running smoothly and well designed to best serve our students,” she says.
While Ollie is new to her role, she is not new to Unitec having graduated with a degree in International Communications in 2003.
Born in Oslo, Norway, Ollie met her husband at Unitec while both of them were studying. After graduating she spent a year working at Fonterra in Learning and Development, before moving back to Europe, working in London and as an entrepreneur running her own technology company in Cardiff, Wales.
The mother-of-two spent five years in academia in Norway before deciding to move back to New Zealand with her family at the end of 2024.
“We’ve been staying with some friends since Christmas while I was looking for work,” she explains.
Ollie said it was surreal being welcomed on to the marae as it wasn’t built when she was a student, noticing a lot of changes at Unitec in the years since.
“The Māori immersion now is amazing. It seems much more prominent now than when i was a student,” she remarks.
