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O'Week Toi Ohomai Style

Friday 3 March 2017, 9:22AM

By Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

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O'Week fun at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
O'Week fun at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Credit: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

BAY OF PLENTY

Sausages sizzling, hamburgers grilling, music cranking, competitions, give-aways and a whole lot of action on the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology campuses can only mean one thing – Orientation Week is mid-swing!

Student Experience Coordinator for Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s Tauranga campus is a staunch advocate of O’Week and says the reasons behind it aren’t just all fun.

“Each year we time O’Week to coincide with the beginning of the new tertiary semester,” explains Brenna. “It provides all of our students, both new and retuning, to come together as one body and inject a bit of fun. Coming to campus can be pretty daunting for new students so O’Week helps them to get to know their classmates in an informal setting while bonding whole cohorts – think class tug-of-war and touch rugby challenges.”

Setting students up to succeed is the underlying ethos of O’Week. Students spend time learning about the facilities available to assist them (like study and IT support) as well as undertaking fun activities to help them engage with campus life. For many younger students, it’s also an opportunity to be put in touch with services that allow them to register to vote, sign up for KiwiSaver and a raft of other ‘rites-of-passage’ services.

“O’Week celebrates the students’ arrival on campus and sums up how exciting it is for them to start their qualification at Toi Ohomai,” says Jess Meade, Accounts Manager - Events & Promotions for Rotorua’s Mokoia Campus.

“Whether you are from another country, down the road, first in your family to attend tertiary education or the latest in family tradition of trade professionals, O’Week is our opportunity to welcome and mark your decision to upskill with you.

“O’Week has an exciting atmosphere and that is largely in thanks to the great support we get from the community and the sponsors who participate with interactive stalls.”

The week-long event also allows for local community engagement with advice on hand from local banks, citizens advice, civil defence, travel and transport providers and family planning. It also allows to student to become volunteers with the likes of the Cancer Society, Volunteer Centre and NZ Blood Service, as well as finding out information about local and government politics. Local radio stations The Edge, Mai FM and ZM also get on board, adding to the atmosphere.

O’Week fun continues next week for students at the Bongard Centre (in Tauranga’s CBD), Taupō, Tokoroa and Whakatāne.

With thanks to all of our stall holders and supporters, including:

ACC, ANZ, Bay Hopper, BNZ, Cancer Society, CBK, Family Planning, Harvey Norman, HukaFalls Jet, Inland Revenue, Lakes District Council, McDonalds, Mediaworks, OGO, New Zealand Blood Service, NZME, Rainbow Support Network, Spark / Skinny, STA Travel, Tauranga City Council, The Electoral Office, Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship, Toi Te Ora Public Health, Westpac and 2Degrees.