Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki

24/09/2026

🎓 Today and tomorrow we’re celebrating our Trade Academy and 3+2 students! 🔨✨

It’s been fantastic having these high school students as part of the WITT campus community throughout the year. They’ve shown great commitment, put in the mahi and worked hard to complete their courses and now it’s time to celebrate their achievements!

Over these two days, whānau and friends are joining us on campus to recognise their success at our prizegiving ceremonies. We’ll be celebrating our top students and those who have achieved something outstanding along the way. 🥳

We’re also incredibly grateful to our amazing Taranaki industry supporters who have sponsored prizes for our students:

🔧 Euromarc – Mechanical Engineering
🎣 Hunting & Fishing New Zealand – Conservation
💄 Beauty Gallery - Professional Beauty Supplies – Beauty & Makeup
💇 Wella– Hairdressing
🛠️ The ToolShed Mitre 10 New Zealand &
🌱 Farm Source Ltd – Conservation & Agriculture
🍽️ Rice Rice Baby Bidfood New Plymouth – Hospitality
🚗 The NAPA Network– Automotive
🎨 Gordon Harris The Art & Graphic Store – Creative Arts

Your support helps us recognise and celebrate the next generation of Taranaki talent, and we’re so grateful to have such strong industry connections behind our students. 🙌

To all our Trade Academy and 3+2 students: Congratulations! We’ll miss having you around campus, but hopefully it won’t be goodbye for long. We’d love to see some of you back at WITT for a full-time programme next year or in the years ahead! 🎉

24/09/2026

🎓 Today and tomorrow we’re celebrating our Trade Academy and 3+2 students! 🔨✨

It’s been fantastic having these high school students as part of the WITT campus community throughout the year. They’ve shown great commitment, put in the mahi and worked hard to complete their courses and now it’s time to celebrate their achievements!

Over these two days, whānau and friends are joining us on campus to recognise their success at our prizegiving ceremonies. We’ll be celebrating our top students and those who have achieved something outstanding along the way. 🥳

We’re also incredibly grateful to our amazing Taranaki industry supporters who have sponsored prizes for our students:

🔧 Euromarc – Mechanical Engineering
🎣 Hunting & Fishing New Zealand – Conservation
💄 Beauty Gallery – Beauty & Makeup
💇 Wella– Hairdressing
🛠️ The ToolShed Mitre 10 &
🌱 Farm Source Ltd – Conservation & Agriculture
🍽️ Rice Rice Baby & Bidfood – Hospitality
🚗 The NAPA Network– Automotive
🎨 Gordon Harris The Art & Graphic Store – Creative Arts

Your support helps us recognise and celebrate the next generation of Taranaki talent, and we’re so grateful to have such strong industry connections behind our students. 🙌

To all our Trade Academy and 3+2 students: Congratulations! We’ll miss having you around campus, but hopefully it won’t be goodbye for long. We’d love to see some of you back at WITT for a full-time programme next year or in the years ahead! 🎉

23/09/2026

Moving to New Plymouth from his home in Punjab – a northern Indian state one fifth the size of New Zealand with 30+ million people – was a giant leap into the unknown for WITT graduate Suhail Walia ✈️🏔️

His bravery paid off…👏

Suhail graduated with a Diploma of Construction Management (Quantity Surveying strand) from WITT in 2025. With this qual, he’s building a new life while overseeing the building of hundreds of residential homes in Auckland 🏘️🏠🏗️

His new job with Parnell-based Craft Wolf Construction, is a dream come true, he says. And from day one on the job, he was pleased to find that course material from his WITT studies was instantly relevant, confirming the decision to enrol on the recommendation of an education agent in India was the right one 🌟

Read more…
https://www.witt.ac.nz/news/punjab-to-parnell-witt-grad-builds-new-life-and-new-homes-2

21/09/2026

📣 Ngāti Mutunga whānau funding support is available! If you’re a Ngāti Mutunga member planning to study at WITT, this could be an opportunity to help with some of the additional costs that come with education or training.

Applications close 5pm, Friday 23 October 2026.

At WITT, our team is here to help you understand the funding and scholarship options available and check which ones you may be eligible for. Applying early gives you more time to explore the opportunities that could help support your study.

👉 See the original post below for full eligibility and application details.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Second Funding Round of our Other Training and Employment Subsidy Grants.

These grants provide support to whānau for additional costs associated with education, training for employment, or pre-requisites required to start employment.

Opening Date: 12:00pm, Friday 18 September 2026
Closing Date: 5:00pm, Friday 23 October 2026

Funding available:
- Education: up to $250.00
- Training for Employment: up to $250.00
- Pre-requisites for Starting Employment: up to $250.00

Applicants must be able to whakapapa to Ngāti Mutunga and be registered with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga, either in their own name or recorded under their parent(s). Members aged 18 years and over are encouraged to register in their own name.

Grant Conditions
- Applicants are unable to receive this grant as well as another TRoNM Education grant within a financial year.
- A successful applicant in Round 1 is unable to apply for Round 2.
- Priority is given to first-time applicants each year.
- Funding is available to both full-time and part-time students.
- Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to re-apply in subsequent rounds.
- Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

Required Documentation
- Bank Verification – confirmation of bank account number.
- Ngāti Mutunga Registration – evidence of registration with TRoNM, either under your own name or recorded under your parent(s). This is the confirmation email you would have received from the - Registration Officer when your or your parent’s registration was validated.
- Statement of Intent – a statement explaining why you are applying for this grant. Include relevant information such as your school, workplace, event, or team you are involved with, and how the funding will support your education, training, or participation.
- Supporting Documents – evidence that helps verify the costs or expenses you are requesting funding for. This could include quotes, invoices, sports fee statements, receipts, or other relevant documentation.

Completed applications must be submitted to [email protected] by 5:00pm, Friday 23 October 2026.

For further information regarding eligibility and the application process, please visit our website:
https://www.ngatimutunga.iwi.nz/education-grants/other-training-and-employment-subsidy-grants/

20/09/2026

🌿 Te Wiki o te Reo Māori @ WITT 🌿
What a fantastic week of events celebrating Te Reo Māori at WITT! 💚
A mihi nunui to Whaea Viv for all your hard work in pulling everything together. What an awesome week! 👏🏽

Our ākonga loved getting involved in the activities each day, with Kahoot probably taking out the top spot for most! 🎉Our Living Skills ākonga did an amazing job serving up the BBQ, with the simple rule being: as long as you asked in Te Reo, you were served! 🌭🔥

A special mention to Te Kauta and Garage Café, who encouraged everyone to order their hot drink in Te Reo Māori and received a Choc Fish...and this will continue from now on, whānau! 🙌🏽
The creative artwork produced throughout the week was next level, alongside our awesome “Nō hea koe?” board. Congratulations to Sahara, who won the prize! 🎨🏆
It was fantastic to see our WITT community embracing Te Reo Māori, having fun, learning, and giving it a go.

Kia pai tō koutou rā, everyone! 💚
Ka pai koutou katoa!

17/09/2026

Te Wiki o te reo Māori is a special time for us at WITT 🫶

Te reo is part of who we are here in Aotearoa, says WITT te reo tutor Bernie Edwards 🗻

“Even learning a little can help people feel more confident using names, greetings and everyday language in a respectful way. Every person who learns and uses te reo contributes to its revitalisation and ongoing strength — even if it’s simply saying 'kia ora' each day or using kupu Māori where they can.”

Bernie shares his thoughts on why everyone can find their place on this learning path, and his fav whakatauki! 🌟He also chatted to Ken and Crez at More FM Taranaki 93.2 this week about how to add Māori kupu to your daily kōrerō, not just for a week but āke, āke, āke!

Read more…
https://www.witt.ac.nz/news/whanau-whakapapa-mahi-inspire-te-reo-learners

11/09/2026

Tahi – rua – toru – whā !

We’re counting down to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Wiki o Te Reo Māori (14-20 Mahuru) 😃

At WITT we’ll be celebrating all week and encouraging kaimahi and ākonga to use the beautiful kupu in your kete, to kōrerō and be part of revitalisation of our national taonga 🌟🫶

Crafts, quizzes and kai to make it a fun, shared experience. And if you order your kawhe or other hot drink at Te Kauta and Garage Cafes – you’ll receive a chocolate fish. Ka pai!

Our regular waiata practice fits in nicely with the week’s events too!

The theme of the ‘wiki’ is ‘te reo towns’ and to embrace and use te reo in your daily life. All year. Every day, whatever level you’re at.

If you want to take the next step, WITT offers a ‘fees free’ entry-level programme with the NZ Certificate in Te Reo (Immersion, Bilingual). It’s kanohi ki te kanohi, in a supportive, inclusive environment where you discover the vastness and richness of Te Ao Māori 🌴🌏💫

https://www.witt.ac.nz/study/matauranga-maori/te-reo-maori/new-zealand-certificate-in-te-reo-immersion-bilingual-level-1

Kia kaha te reo Māori! 🔥

10/09/2026

WITT conservation students have hit ‘paws’ during their predator tracking work in a local bush reserve. Turns out there are way more wild cats than other predators commonly found 🐾🐾🐾🐯

Using a special monitoring camera and tracking tunnel with bait and ink pad, they’ve captured telltale cat paw prints, revealing a concerning number of feral cats at Rātāpihipihi Scenic Reserve. The students are working with Department of Conservation (DOC) to protect native species from introduced predators like rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets and possums 🦊🐭🐀🦔🦨

“The high number of cats seen on both trail cameras and tracking tunnels is really concerning”, WITT conservation tutor Georgina Ngametua.
“Monitoring experts at DOC were consulted around the unusually high number of cats found in the tracking tunnels, and it was made clear that our findings were staggering." 😳

In 2025 feral cats were officially added to the target species list by Predator Free NZ 🪶

As part of their training WITT conservation and pest operations students collaborate with a range of local organisations to help keep predator numbers down in parks and reserves around the region 👏🫶🌱

WITT students are guided by national-mandated policies and guidelines, such as DOC’s Predator Free 2050 strategy 👌

Read more on the awesome mahi our students are doing to benefit nature and the community!

https://www.witt.ac.nz/news/counting-cats-witt-students-detect-threat-to-native-species

03/09/2026

Nailed it!

At the beginning of the year, there was an empty space at WITT’s construction workshop site. In just over seven months, there’s now a whole house 🏠

The three-bedroom weatherboard whare made by WITT trainee carpenters is built to commercial standards. And it’s for sale 💰

Read how cool it is to learn how to build an actual house! 👷‍♀️👷🥾🔨🪚
https://www.witt.ac.nz/news/proud-trainee-builders-nail-new-house

02/09/2026

They didn't just learn how to build a house. They built one. 🔨🏠

Every year, our Level 3 Carpentry students put what they're learning into practice by working together on a real house at our WITT New Plymouth campus.

It's hands-on learning on a pretty impressive scale; reading plans, working with materials and construction methods, solving problems and developing the practical skills they'll take with them into the industry.

And when one group finishes, the house moves on so the next group can start again. This year's house is now for sale and looking for its next piece of land.

So while we're pretty proud of what our students have built, we're also hoping someone out there might know exactly where it belongs.

Explore Carpentry at WITT: https://www.witt.ac.nz/study/trades/carpentry/new-zealand-certificate-in-construction-trade-skills-carpentry-level-3

See the house for sale: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/property/residential/sale/taranaki/new-plymouth/welbourn/listing/6091846465