The Napier Pipe Band leads the EIT graduates through the Napier CBD on Wednesday, with graduate Chelsea Fisher (centre) among the pipers. Photo / Doug Laing
The Napier Pipe Band leads the EIT graduates through the Napier CBD on Wednesday, with graduate Chelsea Fisher (centre) among the pipers. Photo / Doug Laing
Napier became a city of gowns, hoods, caps and umbrellas as more than 400 people strutted the Napier Municipal Theatre stage and the CBD streets for Wednesday’s Eastern Institute of Technology graduations.
Two ceremonies, coming after a year of record Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) enrolment, marked the successes of687 degree and postgraduate graduates, with 415 in person to receive their qualifications.
Among them was Bachelor of Creative Practice Chelsea Fisher, who has simultaneously studied screen production, worked at Pak’nSave and practised with the Napier Pipe Band, and was there in the front line for the lunchtime piping of the graduates through the street and the rain.
The EIT was established in 1975 as the Hawke’s Bay Community College on its Taradale Campus and the last year saw 13,474 students studying, representing 5089 equivalent fulltime students (EFTS) across the now multiple campuses and programmes.
For 2025, 3817 qualifications were awarded, including 2969 certificates, 190 diplomas, 358 degrees and 300 postgraduate qualifications at Levels 8 and 9.
Of those completing qualifications, 60% were female and 46% were aged under 25. Māori made up 48%, while 5% identified as Pasifika. The average age was 31, with graduates ranging from 16 to 86 years old.
Among the speakers were the two valedictorians, Dylan Simonsen (Bachelor of Accounting) and Candice D’Acre (Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion).
Starting the pathway in 2020 and enrolling in the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Accounting Support Services) (Level 4) studies to test whether he could return to classroom learning after several years in the workforce, Simonsen completed a BAcc and has already started his career with an accounting firm.
“I didn’t know if I could really cut it,” he said, reflecting on the four years working in a variety of industries after leaving school in 2016. “I was at a point where nothing was concrete or something I could move up in, so I decided to go back and study and work towards that.”
Bachelor of Accounting graduate Dylan Simonsen has been named as one of two valedictorians for EIT Hawke’s Bay.
Thus his surprise at being named a valedictorian: “I did not think that would be me. My first reaction was that there’s got to be someone smarter than me to get this. But I am so grateful.”
D’Acre graduates for a second time, receiving her Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion), starting over a decade ago with two preschoolers in tow as she first enrolled for a Bachelor of Business Studies.
Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion) graduate Candice D'Acre (third from right), one of two valedictorians for EIT Hawke's Bay.
“I just decided I needed something more,” she said. “I literally marched my baby down to EIT and signed up for the business degree that day and picked all my classes. So, there was really no going back.”
Balancing motherhood, lecture and working at Kmart had its issues, and she said: “I was breastfeeding and [her son] wouldn’t take a bottle, so his dad would bring him into EIT so I could feed him between classes.
She was awarded the Sir James Wattie Scholarship and first graduated in 2021, becoming the first in her family to complete a degree, and returned in 2023 to combine her business skills with a creative pursuit.
Graduates line up before the EIT ceremonies at the Napier Municipal Theatre. The EIT says 60% of those completing qualifications last year were female. Photo / Doug Laing
EIT chief executive Lucy Laitinen said the ceremonies were a significant milestone for both the institute and the region.
“With EIT now re-established as an independent institute, we are focused on ensuring our graduates leave with the skills, confidence and resilience to succeed, wherever their next step takes them,” she said.
EIT’s Tairāwhiti graduation was held last month, with the Auckland ceremony scheduled for May 19.
Doug Laing is a senior reporter at Hawke’s Bay Today, with more than 50 years’ experience in the news game, including 39 years continuously in Hawke’s Bay since starting a second stint at the Napier Daily Telegraph in 1987.
