Image: Rawiri Keelan is a graduate of the Wintec | Te Pūkenga Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts. He is now studying the Graduate Diploma in Communication with a focus on media and creative writing, digital marketing, and communication.

Wintec | Te Pūkenga Communication students have just launched a suite of stories, in collaboration with Hamilton City Business Association (HCBA), highlighting ‘rising stars’ celebrating Matariki, that live, work, and create within central Kirikiriroa Hamilton. 

The project was set in motion when Wintec | Te Pūkenga Team Manager Julie Ashby, a member of the HCBA board, instigated the idea to celebrate Māori creatives in the area and some graduates and other talent in the CBD.

Communication tutors Abby Dalgety and Cate Prestidge went on to integrate the idea into the student-run Agency, which forms part of the Wintec Communication qualifications. 

As a media team, the students interviewed eight creatives in the central city, brokered by Creative Waikato and the HCBA, whose work spans across music, hair and beauty therapy, art and fashion, to interview and undergo photoshoots for a feature of “Rising Stars” for Matariki on the Hamilton Business Association website.

The media team was made up of students’ Kae Evans (writing and social media design), Emmalea Taylor (photographer and writer) and Rawiri Keelan (writer and ako support) working alongside agency student lead Phoenix van Driel who helped with the design work. Communication tutor Prestige mentored and edited their writing and coordinated the client feedback to complete the project in time for Matariki.

“It was a real collaboration team effort,” says Dalgety. “Ra Keelen taking the lead in mentoring and guiding the group of students, Emmalea Taylor took the lead with the photography and Kae Evans leading the planning of the project (with myself as the tutor for the Agency).”

Rawiri Keelan is a graduate of the Wintec | Te Pūkenga Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts. He is now studying the Graduate Diploma in Communication with a focus on media and creative writing, digital marketing, and communication.

“It can get in my head that I’m too old to do this,” says Keelan about his journey as a mature student. 

“Digital Marketing and agencies are full of young people, but I fell into this social media marketing rabbit hole, and I’ve realised that storytelling is the essence of this and that can come from different backgrounds.

“It’s hard to tell stories that flow within limitations but I’m kind of getting used to the elements that need to be in there. I try and approach it like music,” he says. 

Keelan says his children have been surprised to see these feature articles published online, “they’ve always seen me do my music, but having these stories published, it makes it real for them, they didn’t know that I could write articles”.   

Dalgety says the collaboration utilises the student-run marketing agency to help tell these stories. 

“They are future rising stars themselves!” 

Working on real-world projects has been an exciting and inspiring experience for these students, says Dalgety. 

“When they saw the campaign go live it made it that much more real.”

Having the opportunity to talk to talented creatives in our community and help tell their stories was something the students felt a sense of pride about, says Dalgety, they got the “sense of privilege of being able to tell and share stories with the wider community”.

Wintec | Te Pūkenga is located within the Hamilton Kirikiriroa CBD and Dalgety says there are endless things to learn and be inspired by. 

“There is a lot of pride when your work is published for the local community, rather than handing in an essay or a theoretical assignment.

“To be able to experience real world applications whilst learning about how talented our city is has been a highlight for our students.”