Hamish Berry

2nd-year student, Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa in Communication Design and Māori Media

Creating, crafting and designing are things he has always enjoyed, says Hamish Berry who is studying a Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa in Communication Design and Māori Media.

“Throughout high school, I spent so much of my time designing and creating in my art and design class, and I just knew it would be right for me to continue doing what I love to do. I chose to study at AUT for the course options and because it was close to my home and whānau. After looking at other universities around Aotearoa New Zealand, none of them really had the specific courses that AUT had.

“For example, I wouldn't be able to do a design degree with a major in Māori media at other places, and I like that at AUT I can combine them to do something I love. I’ve always been passionate about learning about my Māori whakapapa and gaining more knowledge about it all, so it was great to find a major that focused on Māori people, problems and situations. I’ve been able to incorporate both of my majors by taking elements from Māori media and developing them into designs. I think that is something very special about the subjects I’m studying.”

Now in the second year of his studies, he already has a good idea how he sees his future.

“When I graduate I’d love to be a designer for a staple product or for event; creating new iterations for advertisements, festivals, new products and everything in between, and bringing a Māori view and a strong sense of Aotearoa to everything I design.”

The right move
What he enjoys most about university is being able to focus on the subjects he loves, Hamish says.

“Coming to a place where people have dedicated so much of their lives to design and where I can learn from them and gain some of their knowledge has confirmed that going into design was the right move for me. I’ve enjoyed being able to focus solely on the courses I enjoy. When I was in school, all I wanted to do was art and design and Māori, but I also had to do other subjects I didn’t enjoy as much. At AUT I can focus on design and Māori media, which gives me so much enjoyment. Seeing the final designs I’ve created makes it all worthwhile.”

There is one staff member who has particularly impressed him.

“Dr Maureen Sinton, one of my Māori media lecturers, has really supported and helped me throughout my first year of uni. She helped me understand the work I had to do for her Māori media class, but has also been so welcoming and happy to answer any questions I might have had about anything outside of class as well. And if she doesn’t have the answer, she always tries to find the right person to ask.”

Advice for other students
Hamish has some great advice for other students.

“My advice is to be open to everything! Take up the opportunities that come up throughout the year – there are so many special opportunities to take part in while you’re at AUT, so give it a go and at least try it.”

He also has specific advice around university deadlines.

“I’ve found that at uni the deadlines come up real fast, so after my first semester I had to step up my game and be more organised in all of my work. Being consistent straight from the start is something that was pushed and it makes such a huge difference if you’re consistently working on the deadlines from the start and not leaving it to the last minute to complete everything.”