Decide, plan and act for success

Decide, plan and act for success

Twelve Pasifika graduates took part in a colourful and uplifting ceremony held in their honour on Friday night.

Guest speaker, Bella Ansell, the director of a successful Wellington-based training consultancy since 1999, gave an inspiring address relating a story of how winning a 200m inter-college running race as a pupil at Porirua College was a turning point in her life. “I was told to run and just keep running,” Ms Ansell said. “I won. Until then, I didn’t recognise the potential that I had – or the knowledge that each and everyone of us has the potential to achieve.”

Ms Ansell’s advice to graduates was in three parts – decide, plan and act. “First decide what it is you want to do – make a decision. Second, you have to plan and think about what you want to do. The third part is to act on the dream – whatever you dream is, you can be whatever you want to be.”

Associate Professor Rukmani Gounder, who chairs the Pasifika@Massey staff network, also had some advice for graduates telling them not to stop until they achieve their goals. “To receive results, you must have desire, belief and enthusiasm, this will lead to excellence,” she said.

Graduates this year are from the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau and Tonga. They received qualifications ranging across the spectrum of what the University offers: Business, business information systems, construction, design, engineering technology, exercise science, fashion design and technology, health science, nursing and public health.

The University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Mäori and Pasifika), Professor Sir Mason Durie, drew on the opening devotion given by Reverend Tavita Filemoni about the difference between wisdom and knowledge. “Graduates will think they have a degree and a lot of knowledge – knowledge does not mean they have wisdom – there is a lot more to learn after you get a degree, and a lot more to contribute," Sir Mason said. “Your achievements are excellent for New Zealand and important for Pacific Island nations, beyond Aotearoa and the Pacific. As a University it is our responsibility to have graduates who can contribute to their communities here and communities in other countries.”

Over the past six weeks, 105 new Pasifika graduates have received qualifications from the University’s five colleges and across three campuses and distance learning, 40 per cent at postgraduate level.

ENDS

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