WITT celebrates Graduation Day in the heart of city

WITT celebrated 2025 Graduation Day on 14 February, with a return to the CBD at the TSB Showplace where around 300 graduands crossed the stage to receive their qualifications.

It was a perfect, sunny summer’s day – also Valentine’s Day - for the Graduation Day Parade led by the Taranaki Caledonian Pipe Band through the heart of the city at 12.30.

A total of 934 ākonga (students) completed their programmes last year, with a third registered to attend one of two graduation ceremonies on Friday.

The first was for graduands receiving certificates and the second for those receiving diplomas, bachelor’s degrees and postgraduate qualifications. A number of special awards were also presented, including the BJ Hetet Memorial Taonga, awarded to Isobel Giblin who graduated with the New Zealand Certificate in Make Up and Skincare (Introduction, Level 3).

This year a total of 33 graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing, and 36 graduates who had studied at locations all over New Zealand gained a New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Civil) through WITT.

The first cohorts to gain qualifications in new programmes offered at WITT, included the New Zealand Certificate in Commercial Barbering, the New Zealand Diploma in Environmental Management and the New Zealand Diploma in Enrolled Nursing.

And the first to graduate from the Bachelor of Design and Arts programme were also among those attending the afternoon ceremony.

Guest speakers were David MacLeod, MP for New Plymouth, and Arun Chaudhari, CEO of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce. Laura Johnston, who graduated with a New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Civil, Level 6) gave a speech on behalf of students in the afternoon ceremony.

In her opening speech, WITT Operations Lead Executive Nicola Conley urged graduates to continue as lifelong learners and to remember the importance of community and the connections and networks they have formed during their time at WITT.

“I encourage you to stay connected with one another. Reach out, support each other, and continue to share your experiences,” she told graduates. “Remember, it is not just about what we achieve individually, but how we uplift those around us.”

Caption: Graduates parading through the New Plymouth CBD with tutors, friends and whānau.