School of Design Innovation Te Kura Hoahoa

Apply now

Student profiles

View student profiles from the School of Design Innovation and find out why they enjoy studying here.

Portrait of Elijah Kingi

Elijah Kingi

Elijah Kingi expressed their culture and personal narrative through a Master of Design Innovation.
Black and white portrait photo of Lara Speer

Lara Speer

Lara Speer designs with purpose through a Bachelor of Design Innovation.
Portrait of Kelly Fernandes

Kelly Fernandes

Originally from Mumbai, India, Kelly Fernandes is studying a Bachelor of Design Innovation at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Portrait of Jwen Yap

Jwen Yap

Jwen Yap, originally from Malaysia, moved from Queenstown to Wellington to study Master of User Experience Design.
Laura Garcia smiling and doing acrobatics on a stool in a dramatically lit black and white photograph

Laura Garcia

Award-winning designer-developer Laura Garcia has an artistic spirit. She was determined to ‘make it’ as a creative.
Aisha Iskanderani, PhD candidate at the School of Design Innovation

Aisha Iskanderani

Aisha Iskanderani’s experience as a mum was the motivation behind her PhD at the School of Design Innovation.
Black and white portrait of Shaz Bell

Shaz Bell

First year Design Innovation student Shaz was a recipient of the Future Designers scholarship.
Joyce Kim Master of User Experience Design

Joyce Kim

For Joyce, the Master of User Experience Design was the perfect way to get into the design industry, after a career in teaching with no formal design experience
Camden Wright Master of Design Technology Graduate

Camden Wright

Camden's passion for storytelling led him to the Master of Design Technology. Now, he uses his skills in VFX for his work at Weta Digital.
Christy Wells Master of Design Innovation

Christy Wells

While studying for her Master’s in Design Innovation, Christy was part of an international, multidisciplinary team designing an upright, head-only MRI system.
Regan Petrie in graduation robes

Regan Petrie

A love of technology, games, and being creative led Master of Design Innovation graduate Regan Petrie to study Design and helped him land his dream role at Lego
carym Wharera sat in front of mac in design. studio

Carym Wharerau

Carym Wharerau hopes to use his degree in Communication Design to influence the design sector through a Māori/indigenous lens.
Alicia Esquivel writes on post it notes.

Alicia Esquivel

Alicia says studying in the Master of User Experience Design offered her the opportunity to learn the ropes and get into the industry quickly.
Daniel Gardner

Daniel Gardner

In his Master’s project, Daniel explored how to illuminate the problem of plastic wrappers and waste through photography.
Ananya Khare uses weaving machine

Ananya Khare

Ananya Khare’s Master of Design research is exploring the use of textiles and craft in creating circular economies.
Katie O'Brien

Katie O'Brien

After completing her undergraduate studies, Katie O’Brien knew she wanted to narrow the focus on something she was really passionate about in a Master’s degree.
Steven Almond places a cushion on the 30 year sofa he designed for his Master's research.

Steven Almond

MDes student, Steven Almond saw postgraduate study as a chance to expand his skill set and consider what the circular economy could mean for industrial design.
Will Barber at Garage Project.

Will Barber

Media Design alum, Will Barber uses skills he gained studying at the University's School of Design Innovation to create award-winning websites.
Aportrait photograph of a person.

Ana Morris

"I wanted to make objects with meaning and purpose."
A colourful graphic of a person's head.

Dipanwity Biwas

Dipanwita Biswas, a postgraduate student from India, explored her identify through two cultural tropes.
An tablet computer photographing a work of art.

Jonathon Bishop

Jonathon's Master of Design Innovation thesis explored the way augmented reality can enrich our understanding of the world.
A portrait photograph of a person.

Molly Leishman

Molly has been inspired by the way her studies have brought her love of people and communities together with her creativity.
A digital graphic of cube-like shapes.

Rebecca Jervis

Meet Rebecca, a student with a passion for digital design, including animation, app and game design.
A photograph of the top of a golf ball and club.

James Irvine

For James, switching to design studies has led to exciting research opportunities and a career in interior architecture.
A digital graphic of a landscape.

Ryan Achten

The Master of Design Innovation course introduced Ryan to new design fields, including creative coding and 3D media.
A set of shelves made out of wood and black metal.

Ellen Crane

Meet Ellen, a student with a passion for industrial design, and find out how that earned her a foot in the door at Weta Workshop.
A collage of photographs.

Sean Harris

Sean enjoyed how his Bachelor’s course allowed him to put his study into practice.
A digital graphic of human armor.

Flavia Rose

Joining the School of Design Innovation as a BA graduate has led to some exciting opportunities for Flavia-Rose—including the chance to work at Weta Workshop.
Luminous design on a black background.

Nicole Hone

Find out how the Bachelor of Industrial Design course has helped Nicole grow as a designer.
An motion blurred image of someone coming down stairs.

Jess Noone

For Jess, Wellington was the perfect place to explore her creative side and get amongst the city’s inspiring design scene.
Portrait of a person in a digitally superimposed suit of armor.

Tamati Kawha

Meet Tamati, a Master’s student who is honing his video production skills at Victoria University of Wellington.