2 October 2018 – The official grand opening of the NZMA Porirua campus took place last week, with the Porirua Mayor, Mike Tana and Ngati Toa Kaumatua Taku Parai launching proceedings and acknowledging the important role that NZMA plays in the community.
The Mayor said that the Porirua community welcomed NZMA because some students felt more comfortable as they were more suited to studying at a community provider like NZMA, rather than at a large university or polytechnic.
The community also had the opportunity to tour the new campus and meet the tutors and the Careers team, and ask any questions on the day. As New Zealand’s largest private tertiary education provider, NZMA focuses on helping its students to become the very best they can be with the objective of gaining sustainable and meaningful employment or pathways to further studies.
The new Porirua campus offers Level 3 and 4 programmes in Early Childhood Education, Floristry and Computing. Located at 1 Prosser Street, Porirua the new campus is light-filled and purpose-built for the programmes on offer. Students enjoy modern equipped classrooms, first class resources and a student common area including study space and eating facilities.
Porirua Campus Head of Faculty, Robynn Kopua said, “We’re really community focused – we’re here to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
NZMA is a well-established and leading vocational school, and first offered programmes in Wellington in 2012, including a satellite classroom in Porirua from 2013.
Now NZMA is excited to be able to serve the Porirua community by offering a range of programmes to prepare people for meaningful careers and further tertiary studies. The entire focus of the campus will be to enable people to graduate with qualifications and skills which will make a real difference to their lifelong earning power and overall wellbeing.
Robynn added, “Right now we’re excited to offer Youth Guarantee programmes in Early Childhood Education (ECE), which we know will be attractive to students 16-19 years of age. We can also offer fees-free training in Early Childhood Education, Floristry and Computing for eligible students. Our tutors are specialised in these areas of study, and will certainly engage students early to ensure they enjoy their programme. As our roll grows, we will add other programme offerings not currently available in Porirua, including higher levels, to provide additional options and pathways to higher education.”
With the recent government announcement of fees-free tertiary study, local students have a fantastic opportunity to gain free qualifications to launch their careers. All New Zealand students who finished school in 2017 or 2018, qualify for a year of free tertiary education or industry training up to a cap of $12,000 per year.
The policy will also benefit those locals who aren’t school leavers but are keen to upskill. There are no age restrictions, and adults who have done half a year of tertiary education or training may also qualify for fees-free.
Robynn continued, “Porirua Campus prides itself on a culture that embraces the diverse needs of all learners. Our tutors are supportive and deliver creative, innovative and relevant training. We believe this will engage and help build a strong community.”
