Kaikohe campus to create opportunities for tertiary study

NorthTec chairman Vern Dark.

Tertiary education opportunities for people in the Mid-North will improve later this month when NorthTec opens a new campus in Kaikohe.

NorthTec is fitting out the new learning centre at 4 Station Rd, and will formally open the campus on September 19.

The opening of a campus in Kaikohe is a commitment to education in the Mid-North and will enable a wider range of qualifications to be taught in the area, NorthTec chairman Vern Dark said.

Mr Dark said staff, students, stakeholders and members of the community will take part in a powhiri at 10am, followed by a blessing of the new premises. The opening day will also include entertainment provided by local schools.

The two-storey building, formerly used by Top Energy, was this year identified as an excellent base for NorthTec in the Mid-North, he said.

"Until now, the qualifications offered in Kaikohe were limited by the teaching space available at NorthTec's premises in Park Rd. Some lessons were taught off-campus, meaning that staff and students were split between several small venues," he said.

"The new campus means all Kaikohe students and staff can be based in one centre, and there is more space available for teaching."

Programmes to be offered at the new centre initially include agriculture, automotive studies, forestry, carpentry, painting, computing, foundation studies, sustainable land development, horticulture and commercial transport.

Mr Dark said the new campus represented NorthTec's commitment to tertiary education provision in the Mid-North.

"It will enable us to offer a wider variety of programmes, which are aligned to the Te Tai Tokerau labour market and meet the needs of industry and our local communities."