A love of teaching – Marcus Williams celebrates 30 years at Unitec

The year was 1990 and MC Hammer’s ‘U Can’t Touch this’ was blazing up the New Zealand pop Charts, Sky Television had just launched and Marcus Williams, a young photography enthusiast, joined Carrington Polytechnic as a part-time technician refreshing darkroom chemicals

Today, Marcus is Unitec’s Director of Research & Enterprise at Tūāpapa Rangahau Research and Postgraduate Office.

It’s technically 32 years, says Marcus of his anniversary, as he was a contractor to begin with, but even he is surprised at the longevity of his tenure and attributes it to the continual evolution of his role.

The first one came when after a year of continually working 20 hours in his nine-hours-a-week role, Marcus progressed to a teaching role in the photography department.

“Back then, there were no cell phones, no internet, and only senior executive and management had computers. Your lesson plans and assignments were handwritten and photocopied, or typed. If you had a typewriter. But we built a really successful photography department.”

As the years progressed, Marcus refined his skills as a photography teacher and researcher and completed undergraduate and then postgraduate degrees. It was a busy time for him, as alongside teaching and studying, he was also busy raising a family.

“But I just loved teaching. It was fantastic. And I was freelancing as well, so I did all sorts of photography for the institute.

“To be honest, they were delighted to have someone on staff who could do it, so I did several annual reports. One of them was quite a showpiece of black and white photography for which I did all the photography and printed all the prints in a little dark room under my house.”

A special memory, he says, was photographing the blessing of the main beam for Pūkenga.

“We built it here. It was a big laminated beam built in the Carrington Polytechnic Building Department, blessed by Sir John Tūrei. I photographed it and then the chopper flew it up and lowered it down into position on the building side and it fitted perfectly. It just fitted absolutely perfectly.”

Research caught Marcus’ interest, and he became an active researcher and was highly rated in Unitec’s first-ever PBRF in 2003.

In 2011, he was asked if he would consider the role of associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Creative Industries and Business, but then a bit later in 2013 the faculty job was restructured. By coincidence, the Dean of Research resigned and his job came up at the same time.

The special gathering held at Ngakau Mahaki in 2014 to honour Marcus Williams on his appointment of Dean Research and Enterprise.

“So, I applied for both and was appointed as the Dean of Research.”

Now in his role of Director of Research & Enterprise at Tūāpapa Rangahau, Marcus is justly proud of the achievements that Tūāpapa Rangahau have made over the past decade. Leading and working with team Tūāpapa Rangahau has been and remains a huge honour, rich in laughs and great kai!

“All degree programs meet the rather high Unitec bar for the NZQA mandate that most staff teaching on degree programmes should be research engaged, and we have reached 100% greenlit for the research productivity traffic light which we achieved by 2020. This is a huge team effort that every member of the Unitec research ecosystem should be proud of.”

He considers another of the Institute’s greatest achievements is the growth of the research centres.

“They represent regenerative opportunities for New Zealand, and by regenerative I mean that they range from direct environmental benefit, in the case of Applied Molecular Solutions and the Environmental Solutions Research Centre, through to creating weightless exports with security software in the Cybersecurity Centre, to regenerating mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori education.

“With the most recent centres in healthcare education and digital heritage, they are working to regenerate heritage and develop more effective education for our healthcare system. This is the work I am most proud of; to have helped to facilitate the development of these centres and other research at Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka, to make a difference to our country, our people and our environment. “

On a personal level, Unitec has never failed to help provide a workplace that was conducive to finding a reasonable work/life balance.

“The people at Unitec have always had a lot of aroha, that’s what I’ve enjoyed the most and it is why I have stayed. “

Marcus and Suzi at work in their studio

Marcus also felt supported as a teaching researcher in the Creative Industries and his endeavours saw him awarded residencies in Italy and Estonia. Then the Big Apple/New York, after winning the 2009 Wallace Trust Paramount Award. This was a highlight of his career, living for six months in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, making photographic work and exhibiting.

“It has been a great ride, I’ve worked hard with many terrific people, built and developed things, learnt a great deal, had time for my family and had many opportunities. In the midst of all this however, there is no doubt that the introductions I have received through Haare Williams, Hare Paniora and others into Te Ao Māori have been the most profound over these years.

Experiencing noho marae across the mōtu has been a great gift; from Rongopai in Tūranga nui a Kiwa, to Parihaka in Taranaki, a different way of being in the world has been revealed to me.

The carving of Ngākau Māhaki, the development Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae in conjunction with the values that enabled us to pivot out of the darkest moments of the transformation are all experiences I have had the privilege to live through here at Wairaka. Ko Wairaka tēnei”.

Read more about Marcus’s creative enterprises

Wallace Award 2009

Off to the Big Apple