What our Students are Saying
Toi Ohomai is home to an amazing community of students.
Come to campus and you'll hear our talented music students jamming, taste the delicious food served up by our hospitality students, get fit with our passionate sport and recreation students, and get the latest industry insights from our engineering team.
We're continually inspired by our students - read about some of their amazing journeys.
Bachelor of Applied Management (Business Management) graduate Cameron Gillespie (Ngāti Ranginui) has been recognised as the qualification’s top student for 2025, as well as the top ākonga Māori across all Toi Ohomai business programmes.
Emma Henstock’s nursing journey began with a passion for caring for others. After completing her Bachelor of Nursing in 2023, she was awarded the Waikato Women’s Federation Award for Theory and Practice Excellence. She started her career at Tauranga Hospital in the Assessment and Planning Unit.
After graduating with a New Zealand Certificate in Skills for Living for Supported Learners, Millie Winch has secured her dream role working in the office at Bunnings Warehouse in Tauranga. Millie’s role includes everything from providing administrative assistance to the store’s Office Manager.
Megan Burrows had been drawn to architecture from a young age and has used that passion to carve out an international career. Growing up in Tauranga, Megan says she had a strong interest in architecture for as long as she could remember, especially in how buildings are designed and detailed.
When Rebecca Swartz realised traditional schooling no longer suited her, she discovered that a foundation course at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology could help her explore her career interests opening the door to a future in beauty therapy.
When mum-of-two Alexandra Millin began exploring new career options after moving from Rotorua to Taupō, she wasn’t sure where to start. A quick search on TradeMe revealed a growing demand for land surveyors in the area, and a whole new career path she hadn’t previously considered.
Among the graduates of Manu Taiko - Toro Parirau, New Zealand Certificate in Māori Governance (Level 4) at Toi Ohomai is Rotorua Lakes Councillor and Chief Executive of Te Puna Ariki Charitable Trust, Te Rika Temara-Benfell. Te Rika serves on multiple trusts and boards.
For Ngatiroirangi Peipi, the journey into te reo Māori began with a moment of inspiration. After watching a documentary about the Battle of Rangiriri, he felt compelled to visit the site himself. Standing there, surrounded by history, something shifted.
In a full-circle moment, Toi Ohomai Bachelor of Creative Industries graduate, Jade Baxter, has returned to the Tauranga campus where she studied, this time as a graphic designer within the institute’s Brand and Engagement team. Jade completed her degree in 2023.
In December 2022, just a week before Christmas, Logan Poole (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa) received a phone call that would change his life. He was diagnosed with life-threatening liver disease and liver cancer, so he stopped working to focus on his treatment.