Staff and Student Profiles

Amie Romine
Bachelor of Design and Arts Graduate
After learning the art of fashion design at UCOL Te Pūkenga, Amie Romine is now ready to pass on her knowledge to a new generation
Meet Amie
Maioha Riwai-Couch
New Zealand Diploma in Performing Arts (Māori and Pacific Dance) Level 6
A vibrant and charismatic ākonga that thrives in performing and entertaining, Maioha is a first-year student studying the NZ Diploma of Performing Arts at UCOL | Te Pūkenga Wairarapa.
Meet Maioha
Amishel (Sunny) Kumar
Nursing Graduate
Being awarded a Friendship Award at St John's Hill School was a harbinger for Amishel Kumar, who is well known as Sunny.
Meet Sunny
Andrea du Chatenier
Senior Lecturer - Visual Arts and History Art & Design
With multiple awards under her belt, Andrea du Chatenier, a sculptor turned ceramicist, is excited about the future of art and design and the prospect of what Te Pūkenga – the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, might bring to the creative sec
Meet Andrea
Benyamin Haluk
New Zealand Certificate in English Language (General) Level 3
Beny will be graduating in 2023 with the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 3) (General), having blown his grades out of the water.
Meet Benyamin
Mikey Jr Kawana
New Zealand Diploma in Performing Arts (Māori and Pacific Dance) Level 6
“My journey hasn’t been straightforward, nor will it ever be, but being part of this course has helped me to reconnect to my own Te Ao Māori journey and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Meet Mikey
Debbie Hahn
Art and Design Lecturer
2022 has been a big year for UCOL Te Pūkenga lecturer Debbie Hahn, who was awarded two art prizes.
Meet Debbie
Charlene McGechan
Bachelor of Nursing
Watching a nurse care for her brother dying of cancer spurred Charlene McGehan to sign up for the Bachelor of Nursing degree at UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui.
Meet Charlene
Andrés Salinas
Senior Lecturer Creative Industries
A chance meeting at a creative conference in Chicago led Andrés, a native of El Paso, Texas, to head to Aotearoa 21 years ago.
Meet Andrés
Karley Taunton
Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Deciding to study the Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) was easy for Karley as she had always had an affinity for technology.
Meet Karley
Theresa Byrne
Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology Graduate
Becoming an IT Business Analyst wasn’t a career path that Theresa envisaged during her school years.
Meet Theresa
Sophia Yoon
Fine Furniture Ākonga
The joy of making things people use and value is what drew Sophia (Sojung) Yoon to furniture making.
Meet Sophia