Wintec celebrates its stars for Matariki

A new book celebrating inspiring Māori from across the Waikato was launched on Wednesday 13 July at Wintec's marae, Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa as part of its Matariki celebrations.

The book, titled He huinga whetū, he huinga kōrero, A gathering of stars, a gathering of stories, is the work of Wintec's journalism, photography and graphic design students. It includes 12 heart-warming stories of Wintec's Māori graduates and staff who have gone on to achieve something special, despite many having faced significant obstacles along the way.

The content of the book is in both English and Te Reo Māori, and stories include the likes of Waikato Times reporter Donna-Lee Biddle, fashion designer Mitchell Vincent, chef Shannon Katipa, nurse Justeena Leafe and counsellor Kahu Davis. 

Wintec's director of Māori, Hera White says the publication is about highlighting Māori achievement at Wintec and the wider community.

"Although there is still much work to be done to achieve parity between Māori and non-Māori outcomes in New Zealand, we have come a long way and it's important that we celebrate this success," she says.

Wintec's School of Media Arts, head of school, Sam Cunnane, says that on top of highlighting Māori success, the project has brought with it all sorts of benefits for the students. 

"It's been another opportunity for the students to work on a real-world project where they have the chance to get their work published, giving them a head start when they look for employment."

Cunnane says 37 students contributed to the book.

"For the journalism students, we treated it as if it were a project in the newsroom - they were given their lead and contact details and sent off to develop the profile, while the photography students managed the photo shoots. Then each of the graphic design students pitched their concepts to us as if we were the client and the top design was chosen for the book."

You can view the book here.