2025 October Alumni Newsletter

Your latest Alumni newsletter

Kia ora koutou katoa,

Our spring newsletter is here! This edition spotlights alumni from Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts and the creative impact they’re making across Aotearoa and beyond.

We celebrate six fashion graduates selected to show at New Zealand Fashion Week, featuring collections from three 2023 and three 2024 Bachelor of Design (Hons) graduates. We also feature Professor Johnson Witehira, who leads Te Rewa o Puanga School of Music and Screen Arts, blending mātauranga Māori with contemporary practice across type design, large-scale public artworks and digital media. Alumnus Joshua Ambler (Spatial Design) shares why “design can actively improve lives,” calling for more holistic thinking in how we shape our cities. And alumna Kayla Christensen, a World of WearableArt (WOW) finalist, reflects on Kārearea, her award-winning piece honouring ancestry, nature, and cultural identity.

Looking ahead, 2027 marks Massey’s centenary, a moment to reflect on our legacy and shape our future. We’re inviting you to share your stories of impact. We also have a special announcement today from Chancellor Alistair Davis about Massey University’s new Vice-Chancellor. You can read his message below.

Ngā mihi nui,
Alumni Relations Team

Leadership announcement – New Vice-Chancellor appointed

Kia ora koutou,

I’m pleased to share that Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has appointed a new Vice-Chancellor following a comprehensive recruitment process.

Professor Pierre Venter will join the university in February 2026 and will be based in the Manawatū where he has lived since emigrating from South Africa in 2011. He brings extensive experience from both academia and industry, including his most recent role as Director of Research and Development at Fonterra. He holds a PhD in Microbiology, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Microbiology, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, all from the University of the Free State, South Africa.

Professor Venter’s dual-sector experience positions him to lead the university with a strong focus on applied research, innovation, and industry engagement, reinforcing Massey’s highly regarded reputation as an applied university at the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy.

You can read the full announcement here.

On behalf of the Massey University Council, I would also like to acknowledge Professor Thomas for her outstanding contribution during what has been an exceptionally challenging period for the university sector. Her leadership, through the constraints of limited government funding and the unprecedented disruption of a global pandemic, has been nothing short of remarkable.

It has been a privilege to work alongside her during my time on Council, and I extend my sincere thanks and best wishes for her future endeavours.

Ngā mihi nui,
Alistair Davis
Chancellor

New voices at NZFW: Massey’s Graduate Collections

Six emerging designers from Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts took the spotlight at New Zealand Fashion Week, presenting Graduate Collections at Auckland’s Shed 10 this August. The showcase featured work from three 2023 and three 2024 Bachelor of Design with First Class Honours graduates from Massey’s Fashion School.

Professor Johnson Witehira – bridging Indigenous knowledge and creative technology

Professor Witehira (Tamahaki, Ngāi Tū-te-auru, Ngāti Hinekura) leads Toi Hangarau (Creative Technology) and heads Te Rewa o Puanga School of Music and Screen Arts. He blends Māori knowledge with today’s tools, designing Māori typefaces, creating large public artworks and digital works, and partnering with Māori communities across Aotearoa.

Kayla Christensen – stitching ancestry into art

Kayla’s award-winning entry in the 2024 World of WearableArt (WOW) Awards was a tapestry of ancestry, memory, and imagination. Her creation, Kārearea, brought together three models standing side by side to form a hand-painted and hand-stitched triptych mural. Inspired by the history of tapestry and her grandfather’s role as a fighter pilot in World War II, the piece earned first place in the prestigious Aotearoa section of WOW.

Joshua Ambler – designing with purpose at Hutt City Council

Joshua Ambler (Ngāti Korokoro, Ngāpuhi) didn’t start in a studio; he started behind a café counter. After running five cafés, a foundation course “unlocked something” and led him to Spatial Design at Massey. Now Hutt City Council’s Kaupapa Māori Design Officer, he embeds Mana Whenua aspirations – makaurangi, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga – into urban projects that reconnect people, place and story.

Nero Asher – Kākāpō egg incubator wins global recognition

With only 238 kākāpō left, many newly laid eggs must be transported to incubation facilities. Seeing how fragile the eggs are and how rugged the terrain can be, Bachelor of Industrial Design (Hons) student Nero Asher created the Kākā Pod: a compact, suspension-based carrier that cradles eggs between flexible pads to absorb shocks. USB-rechargeable for up to 3.5 hours of controlled conditions and adaptable for other native species, the Kākā Pod has just earned a Red Dot Design Award.

Nominations for 2026 Alumni Excellence Awards now open

Let’s celebrate Massey graduates who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and communities, both here and overseas. Nominations for the 2026 Alumni Excellence Awards are now open.

Award categories

Alumni Excellence
Young Alumni (for nominees aged 35 or under at the date of nomination)

Photo: 2018 Awards recipients Jane Wrightson, Patrick Hesp, Chloé Julian and Ivan Pivac

Celebrating 100 years – share your story with us

Planning is underway for our 2027 centenary, and we’re kicking things off with '100 Stories of Impact' – a campaign to spotlight the people, moments and milestones that define Massey. If you have a story lead or idea you think belongs in the centenary storytelling, we’d love to hear it. Visit our centenary website and submit your ideas via the submission form.

Help elevate Massey’s global reputation

Massey is ranked 230th globally and 3rd in New Zealand in the QS World University Rankings. The Vice-Chancellor invites alumni to help strengthen Massey’s reputation. A key rankings factor is taking part in QS’s short, confidential reputational survey in February. Your participation helps boost Massey’s global standing, attract talent, and amplify impact.

Designing for impact: Massey graduates win big at Red Dot Awards

Honours graduates from our Visual Communication Design programme have won six Red Dot Design Awards - one of the most respected global competitions celebrating excellence in design.

Dairy innovation and kiwi classic win big at New Zealand Food Awards

Fonterra’s Easy Bakery Cream has taken Massey’s Supreme Award at the 2025 New Zealand Food Awards. The gala event celebrated the innovation and excellence shaping Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and beverage sector.

Webinar: Imposter syndrome in academia

Wednesday 5 November 12pm-1pm

Feeling out of your depth isn’t failure - it’s feedback. Learn how to use it with Associate Professor Andy Towers (Co-Director, Mental Health & Addiction Practitioner Training Programme) in a practical alumni webinar.

Webinar: The impact of AI on our future

Thursday 6 November 12pm-1pm

Join Professor Christoph Schumacher for a clear, practical look at how AI will shape work, productivity, and growth in Aotearoa New Zealand, plus what you can do now to prepare.

Alumni and friends night in Singapore

Thursday 20 November 6-8pm

Join us for drinks and canapes and an evening of networking and creating new memories with fellow alumni with a welcome by Her Excellency Gabrielle Rush, New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore.

Spaces are limited at this event so please register early

Alumni event at Centrepoint Theatre

Wednesday 10 December 5pm

Enjoy the world premiere of Feilding Market Fiasco at Centrepoint Theatre with a special group discount rate and pre-show nibbles. Network with fellow alumni and enjoy a great show to celebrate the end of the year.

Tickets are limited, so don’t delay. Book and pay online. Alumni can bring a guest.

Alumni function – experience 'Exposure' tour

Friday 14 November 5:30pm

Exposure is an annual exhibition of graduating students from Massey's College of Creative Arts in Wellington, celebrating the creative talents of the next generation as they take their first step into their creative careers. We invite you and a guest to experience Exposure at an exclusive after-hours networking event and exhibition tour.

Massey visits the Pacific

Recently, we journeyed across Fiji, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea to reconnect with our alumni and strengthen partnerships in the region. Alumni and Friends events in Suva, Apia and Port Moresby were true highlights, filled with energy, enthusiasm, and inspiring conversations about the future.

Discover and win!

Massey University Press has generously gifted one of their latest publications for our alumni giveaway. Simply email us to go in the draw to win! As a special thank you to our alumni, we’re offering an exclusive 20% discount on all Massey University Press books. Don’t miss out!

Make it at Massey in 2026

Whether you dream of making wild monsters, masterpieces, imagined realities, deep connections or jaws drop, you can make it at Massey. Semester 1 2026 applications are open for Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest creative community, Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts. Your creativity will thrive in this vibrant and inclusive ecosystem, housed in state of the art facilities with expert mentors to help you find your place and your path. This is more than a degree – it’s a launchpad into the creative industries. Come find your people and shape your future with us.

Apply now for 2026

Connect with your alumni community!