Te Pūkenga reaffirms commitment to Hawke’s Bay campus with face-to-face learning to return

EIT | Te Pūkenga Hawke’s Bay campus will partially reopen to ākonga (learners) in time for Semester 2, 2023 (July).

"We are committed to providing education and training in the region and to the community that has supported it so strongly," says Te Pūkenga Chief Executive Peter Winder.

Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive damage to the Taradale site in February when the nearby Tutaekuri River rose inundating most buildings with flood water and contaminated silt.

"While the damage was extensive, the strength of our national network meant we were able to bring resources from around the country to continue teaching all but eight Semester 1 programmes. The partial reopening of the Hawke’s Bay campus will help ensure we have the facilities to offer all the programmes we planned to in Semester 2 ".

"I would like to extend my thanks to ākonga, kaimahi (staff) and the local community whose response to these events has been nothing short of inspirational," says Mr Winder.

Te Pūkenga has approved a plan to return delivery in select, remediated buildings on site in July for programmes requiring specialist facilities for training.

These include veterinarian nursing, nursing, viticulture, wine science, some creative disciplines plumbing, automotive and mechanical engineering.

While ākonga are set to return to site, a building programme is currently under way to restore damaged facilities with the goal of a return to full operations in early 2024.

In the wake of the cyclone, ākonga continued their studies through a blended model of online delivery and classroom teaching in more than forty-five temporary locations.

"We’re grateful to the many organisations who kindly offered us space to make sure our learners had access to training during the disruption. When times are tough, our community bands together and that was evident through the last few months," says EIT | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Glen Harkness.

"This partial reopening demonstrates our commitment to connecting ākonga with the best educational experiences to pursue success right here in Hawke’s Bay," says Mr Harkness.

EIT | Te Pūkenga is actively enrolling for the more than 180 certificate, degree and postgraduate programmes it offers.