Graduation stories reflect the many faces of Ara success

Across a broad range of study paths and from all corners of the globe, Ara's Spring graduation has once again demonstrated the depth and breadth of vocational education.

More than 1000 students were eligible for the event, earning certificates to masters degrees in a wide range of subjects.

450 elected to receive their qualifications in person to the cheers and delight of whānau and friends at Christchurch's Woolfbrook arena on Thursday afternoon.

Leading the student cohort and sharing her own graduation journey was Bachelor of Information and Communications Technologies graduate Kiisha-Rose Woodhouse (Ngāi Te Rangi, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui).

Now working in cybersecurity at technology consultancy Theta, Woodhouse is helping organisations navigate artificial intelligence while preserving Māori data sovereignty through a tool she developed as an Ara student.

Many in the audience remembered her from a viral graduation moment in 2024, when she crossed the stage with her baby son on her hip as her partner delivered a powerful haka from the stands.

“One of the biggest things Ara gave me was the confidence to use my voice. When I first started studying, I was the girl who was too whakamā to put her hand up because I was scared of asking the wrong question. Now, I’m the girl standing up here today, speaking in front of all of you,” Woodhouse said.

_{Left: Ara Associate Director for Māori Success Tate Tiatia. Right: Ara graduation student speaker Kiisha-Rose Woodhouse}

The graduation was opened with a karanga and haka powhiri by representatives from Ara’s Te Puna Wānaka and Te Whānau o Te Mātauranga Māori.

In her mihi, Ara’s Associate Director for Māori Success Tate reflected on the importance of language, culture and identity in shaping the graduates who crossed the stage.

"As we celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, we also honour the languages, cultures and traditions gathered here. Each carries a distinctive worldview; together they broaden our thinking, challenge assumptions and enrich the knowledge we share. May your language, culture and identity remain sources of strength and pride as you step forward with the knowledge, skills and confidence gained through your qualification."

Afghan refugee Fatima Bahrami received a warm reception as she crossed the stage. The Diploma in Business (Leadership and Management) graduate arrived in New Zealand through the United Nations refugee resettlement programme in 2024 and was reunited with her parents, brother and three sisters just days before graduation, ending six years of separation.

"I am proud of what I have achieved, but I am happiest that my family is here with me," Bahrami said.

_{Clockwise from top left: Graduates Kerry Roughan, Sasha Young (pictured with children Patrick 13, Neriah 7, Jethro 11 and Claire 10), Mark Molioo & family and Dipen Niroula.}

Among Ara's graduation cohort were recent school leavers, international students, people returning to study after years away from education and professionals looking to add formal qualifications to their skillset.

Among them were Bachelor of Construction graduate Kerry Roughan and Diploma in Business graduate Mark Moolio, who both chose to enhance their decades of practical experience with recognised qualifications.

Bachelor of Applied Management graduate Sasha Young had her five children with her cheering her on. She balanced raising her family on her own alongside study and work commitments, building a career that’s already included major events, international touring acts and large-scale workforce management.

"I took a chance on myself when I left retail to study, and that decision has opened doors I never expected," Young said.

International student Dipen Niroula spent today celebrating his Graduate Diploma in Quantity Surveying before heading to start a new job in Auckland next week. "I was thrilled to secure this job. It's my first step towards my hopes to be a senior-level Quantity Surveyor within the construction industry," he said.

Ara Chief Executive Darren Mitchell said graduation marked not only what students had achieved, but the contribution they would go on to make through their work and service to others.

"Each and every name called today represents a unique journey and a future contribution yet to be made. In ways large and small, people you may never meet will benefit from what you have learned."

Ara's hallmark standing ovation brought the ceremony to a close, accompanied by D'Illustrate's Kei Whati Te Marama, a song of love and gratitude gifted to the event which provided a fitting soundtrack to both Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and an afternoon rich in both.

_{Left: Fatima Baharami picutred with mum Amena and sisters Narges and Fazela. Right: West Coast based enrolled nursing graduates Jess Travis, Lynette Sollis and Kiri Stevens}