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The Wellington Institute of Technology, also known as WelTec, is a New Zealand
polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...
based in
Petone Petone (Māori language, Māori: ''Pito-one'') is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. Europeans first settled in Petone in Januar ...
,
Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...
. WelTec was formed in 2001 by an amalgamation between the Central Institute of Technology (established in 1960) and the Hutt Valley Polytechnic (established in 1904) In 2020, WelTec, along with 15 other national polytechnics, became
subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...
of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. WelTec delivers vocational education to about 8,000 students every year. WelTec offers over 130 courses in disciplines ranging from hospitality, business, information technology, visual arts, counselling, engineering, construction and creativity.


History


Formation of Petone Technical School and name changes (1904–1960)

WelTec was formed in 1904 as the Petone Technical School at a different site in rented buildings. In 1908 the polytechnic moved to its current site in Petone on Kensington Avenue. The new technical school building (situated off Buick Street) was formally opened on 26 February 1909, by the Hon. G. Fowlds, the current Minister of Education at the time. The polytechnic went through multiple name changes; including Petone Technical College, Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College, Petone Technical Institute and Hutt Valley Polytechnic.


Central Institute of Technology (1960–2000)


Formation

The Central Institute of Technology (or CIT) was a polytechnic formed in 1960, originally as the Central Technical College before its name change in 1963. The polytechnic was originally based in the Petone Technical College. Construction of the Heretaunga site began in 1970, with the site moving in stages to the new campus. The first stage of pharmacy, science and engineering departments, consisting of three lecture theatres and a block of classrooms, was opened by the Prime Minister at the time,
Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand and as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), minister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until h ...
, on 27 April 1973. The second stage, a
halls of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...
, consisted of a seven-storey tower block providing accommodation for up to 500 students, along with training facilities for the polytechnics hotel administration courses. The halls of residence opened in February 1978. The third stage added a library, a
television production A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
studio, computer-training facilities, areas for training in heating, ventilation, and
aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...
, along with buildings for the management school. The fourth and final stage implemented
health science The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple ...
facilities. Courses were transferred from Petone as Heretaunga facilities were completed.


Transfer of health sciences and protests

In mid-1989, the Minister of Health
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
announced that the polytechnics pharmacy training classes would be moved to the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
, and that occupational-therapy training would move to Auckland. She was met with protesters while attending a polytechnic teachers' conference in Trentham in May. On 31 October 1989, as a result of the Department of Education's Wellington Regional Polytechnic review, the school of health sciences would be relocated to
Wellington Polytechnic Massey University () is a public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand shows that in 2024 ...
, closer to the hospital and the School of Nursing.


Premise upgrades

After a failed proposal to start a
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
school in 1992, the
podiatry Podiatry ( ), also know as podiatric medicine and surgery ( ), is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US ...
school was opened in 1992 by Associate Minister of Health at the time,
Katherine O'Regan Katherine Victoria O'Regan (née Newton, 24 May 1946 – 2 May 2018) was a New Zealand politician. She was a member of parliament from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. She served as a minister for the National Government for six ...
. An aerobics facility was opened to the public the same year, following the entrance of
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
into
receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
and the closure of five of their gymnasiums. An upgrade to the podiatry school was announced in 1993, including top of the line resources; a surgical unit with two suites, examination rooms, X-ray facilities, recovery rooms and sterilisation facilities. The facility was built on top of the former orthotics and prosthetics site. The same year a lecture theatre was built containing full media facilities. This was located between the northern and western wings of the main group of buildings. In 1994 the site was hosting courses for the
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...
, including the first stage of a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration.


Rise of students

CEO Mike Cooper announced in an interview with
Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...
newspaper "The Upper Hutt Leader" in 1995 the increase in students at the polytechnic. Since 1990, the average student age had risen from 19 to 31; females were now a majority, and Māori students had increased from 5 per cent to 14. The polytechnics roll had increased 26 per cent, while funding per student was down 23 per cent.


Introduction of a Wellington campus

The polytechnic announced on 30 August 1995 that they had leased 158 The Terrace to serve as their
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
campus. The "CIT House" was on 26 October 1995 and ran the polytechnics
computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...
and
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
courses. It was later reported that these computer courses were being used over the Internet for staff training and personal development by NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory and Portsmouth Naval Base in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. In 1996,
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
s in business information, tertiary teaching, tourism and services management were introduced.


Proposed mergers with other polytechnics

A merger between the Auckland Institute of Technology and
Auckland College of Education The Auckland College of Education, earlier known as the Auckland Training College and the Auckland Teachers' Training College, was a teachers' college in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. It was established in 1881 and was based in the Au ...
was proposed on 27 November 1996. The merger would unify the courses and structure across the three polytechnics. CEO Mike Cooper however unexpectedly announced his resignation, leaving Trevor Boyle as acting CEO until the outcome of the merger was known. The merger was later abandoned in late 1998. Another proposed merger was in talks with Waikato Polytechnic and was scheduled to be complete by 1 May 1998. A 'measure of agreement' was reached and on 1 July 1998 an article appeared stating the benefits of the merger. The polytechnic offered 11 degree courses at this time, and had campuses across the country, including
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
along with the main campus in
Heretaunga, Upper Hutt Heretaunga is a suburb of the city of Upper Hutt, located in the lower (southern) North Island of New Zealand. Heretaunga adjoins the suburb of Silverstream to its southwest and the two are commonly thought of associated with each other. To the ...
. CIT later withdrew from this merger as a conclusion could not be met.


Merge of Hutt Valley Polytechnic and the Central Institute of Technology (2000–2010)

In 2000, a merger between Hutt Valley Polytechnic and the Central Institute of Technology was announced. The merger would see courses from both occurring at the Petone campus as most students lived closer to this campus. The agreed name of the merged polytechnic was the Wellington Institute of Technology. The Hutt Valley Polytechnic announced the closure of the Heretaunga campus on 18 April 2001. The reasoning for this was due to the decline in students at the Heretaunga campus. Courses ceased at the end of the first trimester in June 2001. Other
tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...
providers did take up some of the CIT's courses; including the Auckland Institute of Technology taking up
podiatry Podiatry ( ), also know as podiatric medicine and surgery ( ), is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US ...
, and the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
taking up
dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...
. The Heretaunga campus was considered by a range of tenants, however was eventually sold to an investment group, who leased the building out to Aurora44, developers of video game Ashen. In 2005, WelTec opened their Church St campus in a previous
PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...
building, built in 1988.


Attempted merger with Whitireia Community Polytechnic (2011–2019)

On 23 November 2011, the merger of both WelTec and Whitireia Community Polytechnic was approved by the Minister for Tertiary Education
Steven Joyce Steven Leonard Joyce (born 7 April 1963) is a New Zealand former politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party. As a broadcasting entrepreneur with RadioWorks, he was a ...
. Each polytechnic would retain its individual branding and identity however operate under a shared council. The new council commenced on 1 January 2012. Discussion regarding a merger of the branding and identity of the two polytechnics followed for years after the merger of the council. Added financial pressure to both polytechnics helped fuel this discussion. In 2018, the Minister for Education
Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand politician who has served as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), leader of the Opposition since November 2023. H ...
announced a NZD$65 million cash injection for struggling polytechnics including WelTec and Whitireia. As part of this cash injection, a commissioner was issued to replace the combined council. In 2019, both WelTec and Whitireia announced 55 full-time equivalent jobs would be cut by the end of the year.


Merge into New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology (2020–present)

On 1 April 2020, WelTec was subsumed into the New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology (NZIST) alongside 15 other national Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs). The polytechnics will be considered subsidiaries of NZIST until the end of December 2022. The same day as the subsumption, Mark Oldershaw replaced Chris Gosling as CEO of both WelTec and Whitireia.


Campuses and facilities


Campuses


Petone

Petone is the main campus located on Kensington Ave. in Lower Hutt and includes the main administration departments, a learning commons with library, the Student Hub, and several blocks which serve different functions.


Wellington

The Wellington CBD campus is located on Dixon Street in the
Wellington CBD Wellington Central is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, and the financial heart of both the city and the Wellington Region. It comprises the northern part of the central business district, with the majority of Wellington's high-rise buildi ...
. It is shared with Whitireia as part of their strategic partnership and the Wellington ICT Graduate School. The campus focuses on their business offerings. The campus was previously located on Church St in Wellington until 2017.


Wellington School of Construction

The Wellington School of Construction campus is located on State Highway 2 next to the Petone railway station. The campus was opened in 2015 and focuses on carpentry, painting and applied decorating. The campus covers 9,614 m2 and therefore gives space for students to work on up to six houses.


Wellington School of Hospitality

The Wellington School of Hospitality campus is located on Cuba Street in the
Wellington CBD Wellington Central is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, and the financial heart of both the city and the Wellington Region. It comprises the northern part of the central business district, with the majority of Wellington's high-rise buildi ...
. It was opened in 2015 and cost $11 million to build. The campus focusses of WelTec's hospitality offerings and has its own learning commons area, along with training restaurant ''Bistro 52'' and training café ''Latte Lab'', which are both open to the public.


Auckland

WelTec operated an Auckland campus, which was located on Queen Street in the
Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...
. It focused on social services including addictions and youth development,


Facilities


Cafes and restaurants

WelTec offers cafes and restaurants on most campuses. A cafeteria is available on the Petone campus for staff and students, while training restaurant ''Bistro 52'' and café ''Latte Lab'' are available to the public at the Cuba St campus.


Childcare

WelTec offers an early childcare centre called ''Te Whare Ako''. Parents can utilize this service while studying at the campus.


Free bus

In conjunction with Whitireia, WelTec runs a free bus service between the Petone and the Whitireia campus located in Porirua. The bus runs during weekdays and is free for staff and students.


Hair and beauty salons

WelTec offers professional salons where students can learn on public clients. These usually operate in the second trimester (June to October). Salons are available at both the Petone and Cuba St campuses.


Prayer rooms

WelTec offers prayer rooms at two of their campus: Petone and Cuba St. Students and staff can utilize these to pray in a safe and quiet environment.


Learning commons

WelTec has three
learning commons A learning commons (also called a scholars’ commons or information commons) is a technology-rich, flexible space for collaborative study and information sharing. There is typically a stronger focus on digital technology in a learning commons tha ...
spaces on the Auckland, Petone and Wellington Cuba Street campuses. Students can utilize these to complete assignments using provided IT services, get help from support staff and access other WelTec services and resources.


Controversies


Podiatry course relocation

In 2001, 25 podiatry students sued WelTec for up to $350,000 to cover costs after their course was moved to Auckland. Many students had begun the course at the Upper Hutt CIT campus and were told they would have to move to
Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...
to complete the course.


References

{{Coord, 41.2244, S, 174.8847, E, type:edu_region:NZ, display=title Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Buildings and structures in Lower Hutt Education in the Wellington Region 2020 disestablishments in New Zealand