Pacific commitment highlighted
AUT visits Papua New Guinea
AUT strategy includes the University’s place in Aotearoa and in the Pacific and aspirations to make a positive and lasting contribution for our country and region.
This was brought to life by a recent visit to Papua New Guinea by Damon Salesa – the first time a Vice-Chancellor of an NZ university has visited the country.
Our PNG alumni
AUT’s relationship with PNG is currently spearheaded by the growing number of alumni. Many of these great graduates were Manaaki Scholars (funded by the New Zealand government). Their AUT qualification has put them to the top of the list in the local job market, allowing them to get meaningful work and begin contributing to their communities.
During the visit, Vice-Chancellor Professor Salesa hosted a group of Manaaki Scholars who have graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and postgrad diplomas in various fields including Computer and Info Sciences, Engineering Technology, Construction Management, Business and Public Health.
“It was inspiring to meet AUT alumni making a huge difference in PNG and embodying
AUT’s mission of producing graduates the world needs,” said the Vice-Chancellor.
Work is now underway to support and grow the alumni network in PNG and beyond.
Dignitaries and opportunities
During the visit, meetings and round table discussions were hosted by the New Zealand High Commission with senior politicians, diplomats, academics and executive leaders of PNG’s key universities and tertiary institutions.
Crime and social issues were acknowledged, but alongside this the delegation learned of the opportunities presented by the size of PNG’s population and its relatively good infrastructure.
The potential for education was, understandably, a central theme and the opportunity for partnerships and new approaches to hosting PNG students were discussed.
Graduation Ceremony
The Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office were also able to hold a graduation ceremony to present the late Keith Kote’s family with his parchment for the Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Electrical Engineering. This was extremely well received with 30 family members attending. The High Commissioner and Vice-Chancellor spoke and the High Commission staff all attended and sang a Waiata.