Open day marks milestones

Evelyn Kupa presents a painting to EIT CEO Chris Collins and council chair David Pearson at the official 40th birthday party on Friday night. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay's tertiary education institution has been in operation for 40 years and has spent the past week celebrating that milestone.

Hundreds of people took part in the celebrations, which culminated in the EIT open day yesterday.

The EIT, which officially opened its doors in 1975, continues to harness, develop and pave future careers and has been busy celebrating with long lunches, cultural showcases, activities and a 21st birthday for Te Ara o Tawhaki - the EIT's marae. Visitors got to ride the Orient Express train for free, take a garden and art walk, have a snack at the student restaurant, and tour the ever-evolving campus.

Children got to enjoy a bouncy castle, face-painting, a petting zoo and a sausage sizzle while students entertained the crowds with music. With 130 programmes, including 12 degrees and five masters', there was plenty to explore.

Practical demonstrations and information was provided by the nursing, massage, hairdressing, computing, horticulture, fashion, sport and visual arts students.

A few of the recently-crowned champion Magpies also made an appearance.

Once billed as New Zealand's first attempt at a community-based tertiary education facility, it is now known as the EIT, an exemplar tertiary education provider, with university-degrees, 10,000 students from over 40 countries, a student village, and learning centres and campuses from Waipukurau to the heart of Auckland.

In 1987, it was renamed the Hawke's Bay Polytechnic, and nine years later became the Eastern Institute of Technology, the forerunner of the current name, which it retained with the 2011 merger with Tairawhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne.