NorthTec (Tai Tokerau Wananga) is the largest tertiary education provider in northern New Zealand. NorthTec is the only Northland-based Tertiary Education Institute that provides programmes ranging from foundation, certificate, diploma and degree levels.
Working closely with local and national industries, NorthTec provides practical, quality training that meets Northland’s needs. NorthTec has campuses and learning centres in Whangarei, Kerikeri, Rāwene, Kaikohe, Kaitaia and the Rodney District.
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There are about 10,000 students at NorthTec annually. About 40% of the student body claims indigenous Māori ancestry[1]. Māori culture is thus an integral part of NorthTec’s activities. This is reflected in part by the presence of the Te Puna o Te Matauranga Marae (Māori meeting house) complex on the Whangarei campus.
International students from China, Japan, India, the USA, North Africa and a host of other countries take advantage of the English language, hospitality, business, nursing and other quality courses on offer at NorthTec. As most of these students do not have English as a first language and are not used to the local culture, NorthTec has an active International Office to assist. This offers tuition in English and peer mentors who either are familiar with the cultures of East Asia or, where possible, senior students of similar cultural backgrounds.
Some 40% of the student body attend classes at the main campus located in Whangarei, about 160 km north of Auckland. The remainder attend the regional campuses listed above.
NorthTec was originally founded as Northland Community College. This opened with its own campus in Raumanga Valley, Whangarei, on 1 April 1978. As such, its mission was largely to offer trade and community education. The first Chief Executive Officer was Noel Harrison.
The new college grew rapidly and became instrumental in supplying Refining NZ at nearby Marsden Point, with skilled workers. By 1981, it offered more than 50 skills-training courses. In 1983, the college commenced the phased take-over of nurse training from Northland Base Hospital.
In 1989, the Whangarei District Council set up the Northland University Foundation, with a view to founding a university in Northland. To date, this aspiration has been partially fulfilled. Five university-standard bachelor's degrees are offered. Additionally, many of the degree, diploma and certificate courses can count towards degrees at other institutions (see below).
By the mid 1980s, competing private bodies were offering trade and community courses in Northland. This was one factor which led the college to change its product offering to include higher and sometimes more academic tuition. As part of this process, it became a polytechnic in 1988 and took the name Northland Polytechnic for the next 17 years. Later in 1988, it was offering degrees and diplomas of a competitive standard.
In 1990, negotiations were concluded with the University of Waikato, which enabled courses taught at Northland Polytechnic, as it was then, to count towards degrees at the University. By 2006, similar arrangements had been concluded with other universities, most notably, Massey University and Auckland University of Technology.
To support the enhanced level of learning, the organisation went on a world-wide campaign of staff recruiting. It now has staff with high academic qualifications, including several with masters’ and doctors’ degrees.
Today NorthTec is governed by a Council, which supports the Chief Executive. The current Council Chair is Vern Dark. NorthTec offers Bachelors degrees in the following areas:
Subject to demand, NorthTec offers certificates and one-year and two year diplomas. A full list of these can be viewed on the NorthTec website. The programmes on offer in 2012 are:
Bachelors degrees Diplomas Certificates Graduate diplomas