“My qualification isn’t my trauma”
Turning a fight for treatment into advocacy for others.
From a life of addiction to becoming a beacon of hope for others
Jessica Apanui on becoming the support she once so badly needed.
From farming to cybersecurity: Unitec | Te Pūkenga graduate now security analyst at Auckland Transport
11 Jan 2024
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Emilio Bargiacchi decided to switch careers. He shares how Unitec | Te Pūkenga helped him trade farm life for cyber intelligence. And an internship with Spark was instrumental in securing a job – before graduation.
Unitec | Te Pūkenga Cybersecurity Graduate Nominated in New Zealand Women in Security Awards
When Gunjan Bhaskar moved to New Zealand, she thought she’d continue her teaching career. But, plans changed when she stumbled across Unitec | Te Pūkenga cybersecurity programmes.
Creative and practical learning helps Unitec -Te Pūkenga architecture graduates stand out in the workplace
We sat down with Unitec Te Pūkenga Architecture alumni, Lindy Ewart and Stu Penno, to talk about what the practice looks for when recruiting staff, and what advice they’d give graduates.
A great launchpad into the world of work
It was the virtual clothing fitting mobile app that Data and AI technical specialist Libby Lavrova developed when she was in Year 12 at Kamo High School in Whangārei that first launched her career in computing and has taken her on to a coveted role in AI at global tech giant, IBM.
Unitec Creative Industries’ alumni feature in Amazon’s Rings of Power
Amazon Prime Video’s recently released billion-dollar TV series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, features a line-up of graduates and staff from Unitec’s School of Creative Industries in the cast and crew of series one.
Pacific acting alumni star in Young Rock TV series
Performing and Screen Arts (PASA) alumni, Stacey Leilua, Fasitua Amosa and John Tui, made their debut on US television, appearing in Young Rock, a comedy/drama inspired by the early life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Unitec celebrates alumni success on Solomon Islands Pidgin Language Week
Unitec is celebrating the achievements of their Solomon Islands alumni and the contributions they are making in their home nation during the annual Pidgin Language Week celebration observed across Aotearoa from 22-29 November 2025.
Alumna’s award-winning debut inspires the next generation of filmmakers
In brief:
2014 Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts alumna Paloma Schneideman has earned global recognition with her debut feature Big Girls Don’t Cry, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and has since won the Grand Prix at the Biarritz Film Festival and opened the 2026 New Zealand International Film Festival last week. Schneideman says our Screen Arts programme’s hands-on approach, expert mentors and emphasis on understanding every aspect of filmmaking gave her the skills, confidence and discipline to build a successful career in the screen industry. One of our current first year BPSA acting students Ani Palmer plays the lead role Sid, and has earned widespread praise for her performance.
Proud alumnus thanks alma mater for celebrating Ni-Vanuatu culture on campus
In brief:
This is the second time Vanuatu Bislama Language Week has been celebrated across Aotearoa New Zealand and it runs from 26 July – 1 August 2026. 1,161 people identified as Ni-Vanuatu in the last national census. Together with workers on seasonal work schemes they number around 15,000. Vanuatu has a population of just over 335,000 and is around 2,255 kilometres north-east of New Zealand.
