Aotea – Te Pokapū | Aotea Centre
Each graduate may only get moments on stage to celebrate their achievement, but the journey to Unitec’s Graduation Ceremony is a long one; potentially years of study for the graduate, and, behind the scenes, up to six months of planning by Unitec Student Events and Communications Manager Ruth Marsters and team.
It’s why Unitec returns each year to a venue with the sense of occasion, the space, the location and the team to deliver what for many is a proud, once-in-a-lifetime milestone.
That experience element’s really important. Aotea Centre is amazing, it's so beautiful and the team are so responsive and professional.
Ruth Marsters, Unitec Student Events and Communications Manager
The 2025 ceremony saw nearly 1,200 students graduate in person, with 4,500 guests in attendance, alongside some 200 Unitec staff and 70 volunteer support staff. With three separate 2-hour graduation ceremonies occurring throughout the day, the event needs to run like clockwork.
It begins with the graduate procession through the central city, past landmarks including Albert Park, Auckland Town Hall, and Queen St, before arriving at the venue.
“The procession is special and our chance to showcase our graduates through the heart of Auckland city,” Marsters notes. “Then, Aotea Centre is great because we've got the Hunua Rooms, which are big enough to cater for all of our graduates. We take them into a marshalling area, putting them in the order that they're going to cross the stage. We've got about four checks in place on the day to make sure that we're giving the right qualification to the right person!
“Then we've got the Limelight rooms and back of stage so that our staff can get ready in those areas,” Marsters adds.
“The point of difference for Unitec graduations is that we allow families and friends to celebrate our graduates who cross the stage. Aotea Centre provides us with the capacity to let family come up to the stage, celebrate their loved ones, sing waiata or haka, and be a part of their moment as well.”
Beyond the venue’s size and flexibility, Marsters praises the rest of the venue team, from Urban Gourmet who supply light refreshments for guests and staff throughout the day, to the ticketing team.
She reserves a special shoutout to Louis from the tech team who has “saved her” on more than one occasion, including when she forgot to bring the audio for the national anthem. “Another time, at the end of the graduation, they process out and our staff form a Guard of Honor and applaud them. But the exit song that was played was a very dry American graduation march. We used it for the first ceremony, but we needed something else. I had to go to Louis and say, ‘hey, have you got Poī E?’ And he lined it up! No request is too leftfield for them.”
Marsters also commends the venue’s Wi-Fi and live stream capabilities. “In case family members or friends can't attend, they can always enjoy it online. The AV team help us put it on to our YouTube channel.
“Plus, that energy in the venue heightens the excitement, the nervousness. Often our graduates don't actually realise that they've gone across the stage and grabbed their certificate until they've sat down, which is why it's great to have the videos on YouTube so they can see themselves afterwards.”
Marsters says official feedback on the event’s organisation is always good. “Our scores are usually in the high 90% area. I wish I could take credit for it, but the majority of the time they're naturally on a high!
“But really, it's a pretty special moment, for our staff as well, to be a part of that journey.”
