Will we see you at CANVAS Tauranga Careers Expo?

More than 4,000 high school students and local job seekers are expected to attend this year’s CANVAS Tauranga Careers Expo, being held at Mercury Baypark Arena in Mount Maunganui this Thursday, 7 and Friday, 8 August. 

The CANVAS Tauranga Careers Expo is the Bay of Plenty’s largest and most comprehensive annual careers fair. Organised by Rotary and Priority One, the free event features over 70 stands from local employers, trades training organisations, and tertiary education providers.

The Toi Ohomai stand is the event’s largest exhibition space, offering a range of interactive activities, engaging displays, and a strong kaiako presence to discuss study and training options for 2026 with prospective learners.

Over two days, all visitors to the Toi Ohomai stand can get a fresh fade from our student barbers or have their hair curled or dry styled by our trainee hairdressers. Attendees will be drawn to the LED-lit Corolla hatchback, donated by Toyota and used by our Automotive Engineering team to showcase the type of work ākonga complete during our mechanics courses.

Check out our augmented reality sand table, sponsored by Fulton Hogan. The hands-on tool, used by Toi Ohomai civil engineering, architecture and quantity surveying students, offers an interactive taste of planning, pricing, excavation, and building on a dynamic topographic map. Shape landforms and watch the contours adjust instantly in real time!

If you're a secondary school student, you can also enter a draw to win a decadent double-chocolate mud cake decorated with macarons for your class, made by our Culinary Arts faculty, and our music tutors have a band area set up and are playing live tunes throughout the day.

There's prizes galore, plenty of copies of the 2026 Toi Ohomai Prospectus to take away, and significant promotion of the Toi Ohomai Open Days - Ngā Rā Whakawaia happening at Tauranga and Rotorua campuses on Saturday, 23 and Saturday, 30 August respectively.

Toi Ohomai Academic Staff Member – Information Technology, Andrew Chapman, says each year the expo is always a great opportunity to connect with ākonga (students).

“We chat with school leavers about what they’re already learning in IT at high school and ask about their career goals. This helps us understand where students want to go in the dynamic and fast-evolving tech industry and can inform future curriculum adjustments, alongside other data and insights,” Andrew says.

Principal Academic Staff Member – Electrotechnology, Karl Harrison, says it’s important for Toi Ohomai to have a highly visible presence at CANVAS to connect with prospective learners, share course information, and engage with industry.

“Air New Zealand is here, and some of our New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Pre-Trade (Level 3) graduates go on to avionics careers with them. Earn-Learn is also here and many of their apprentices complete the theory part of their qualification at Toi Ohomai. Connecting with industry is definitely another important aspect of the event.”

Other organisations and education providers at CANVAS this year include Air New Zealand, BCITO, Craigs Investment Partners, New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy, Port of Tauranga, Trimax, Zespri, and more. 

Want to find out more? 

Visit the CANVAS Tauranga Careers Expo website.