EIT Te Pūkenga flood rebuild: More classrooms open for new academic year

A dawn karakia was held this week to mark the reopening of three blocks. Photo / EIT Te Pukenga

Eastern Institue of Technology Te Pūkenga has celebrated the start of its new academic year by reopening some of its flood-hit classrooms and blocks.

The tertiary education provider, which has campuses in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti (Gisborne), has been busy rebuilding its main campus in Taradale since flood waters poured through the site last February during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Most of the campus was impacted, with more than 500 rooms flooded.

Some courses have been back on campus since July and three more blocks (A, M and G) were officially reopened this week, to coincide with the start of the 2024 academic year.

That means about two-thirds of the campus is now operational.

The final third is expected to be fixed by the start of 2025, with more buildings reopening throughout this year.

EIT Te Pūkenga executive director Glen Harkness said the reopening of the three blocks was an exciting development on the road to recovery.

“The buildings A, M and G will enable significantly more delivery and student-facing services to return to campus.

“Of note, G block is home to the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools Trades Academy, which will see secondary school students return to campus shortly.”

He thanked the many people who had helped with the rebuild.

“While we have appreciated the way the community has allowed us to deliver our programmes throughout Hawke’s Bay [in pop-up classrooms], it is good to be coming home and resuming normal services.”

EIT Te Pūkenga offers a wide range of qualifications with full-time, part-time and online study options available.

Flood waters ravaged EIT's Taradale campus in February 2023. Photo / Warren Buckland

It had a difficult time last year with a failed merger and the cyclone.

At the start of last year, all 16 polytechs and institutes of technology across the country were merged into one nationwide body, Te Pūkenga.

Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds announced in December that Te Pūkenga would be disestablished.

She has hinted that EIT could be returned to its old model and could again govern itself in future.

M block is home to the School of Business but will also accommodate programmes from across the institution.

A block is home to departments such as the International Centre, the Education Development Centre that supports staff, and Te Kura Awarua Rangahau Māori Research Centre.