Michael Fowler Centre ceremonies

Graduation ceremonies follow a formal structure. Find information on guests, parking, access and announcements.

This year we will hold three ceremonies at the Michael Fowler Centre (MFC), on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 December.

MFC ceremony 1—Wednesday 10 December 9.30 am

Te Wāhanga Aronui—Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Iho Māori—Te Kawa a Maui
Te Whānau o Ako Pai—Faculty of Education
Te Wāhanga Tātai Hauora—Faculty of Health

MFC ceremony 2—Wednesday 10 December 3 pm

Te Wāhanga a Manaia—Faculty of Science and Engineering

MFC ceremony 3—Thursday 11 December 3 pm

Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture—Faculty of Law
Ōrauariki—Wellington School of Business and Government
Te Wāhanga Waihanga-Hoahoa—Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation

Guests and tickets

All graduation ceremony tickets are free. As a graduate, you are guaranteed three tickets for your guests. You do not need a ticket for yourself.

Once we have allocated tickets according to venue seat capacity, if there are any more tickets available for your ceremony, we'll email you a form so you can request these. To be considered for additional tickets, you must submit your request by the deadline listed in the May or December graduation timelines.

Additional tickets will be allocated on an equitable basis, based on venue capacity. If you don’t need all three of your guaranteed tickets, you’ll have the option to let us know and return them so they can be reallocated to other graduates.

Approximately two weeks before your ceremony when we know the final numbers of attending students and guests, the Graduation Office will email you confirming the number of guest tickets you've been allocated. All ticket allocations are final.

There may be further tickets available as graduates withdraw from the ceremonies in the last couple of weeks before the ceremonies. These standby tickets are made available upon request when collecting your tickets. These are subject to availability and are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

To find out where and when to collect your tickets, visit the Collecting tickets and academic dress webpage.

We do not assign specific seats for guests, unless a wheelchair accessible seat is required. The seating for guests is general admission. If there is a large group who wish to sit together, or your guests would like specific seats, we recommend arriving 45 minutes before the start of the ceremony.

Bringing children to the ceremony

Children are welcome at graduation ceremonies but must be accompanied by an adult who is not graduating. They are not permitted in the graduate marshalling area or on stage at any time.

Children aged two and over require their own ticket, while those under two do not need a ticket but must sit on an adult’s knee for the entire ceremony. Please note that the auditorium has no space for buggies, prams, or pushchairs.

Accessibility and special assistance

There is lift access to all floors and step-free access to seating on the lower level of the auditorium. We encourage guests who require easy access to seating to arrive early—the auditorium doors open 45 minutes before the ceremony.

If you will require specific assistance as a graduate or for one of your guests, let us know by completing this form, ideally well in advance of your ceremony.

If you or one of your guests unexpectedly develops a need for special assistance within a week of your ceremony, get in touch with the Graduation Office as soon as possible by email graduation@vuw.ac.nz or phone 0800 04 04 04.

Getting to the venue

The Michael Fowler Centre is on Wakefield Street and is adjacent to Te Ngākau Civic Square.

There is a taxi stand directly outside the venue on Wakefield Street and buses stop on nearby Manners Street. Street parking near the Michael Fowler Centre is very limited.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to get to the venue:

Guests need to be seated at least 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
Graduates need to be at the venue at least 45 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Go to the marshalling area wearing your academic dress and sign in.

Parking and public transport

The Michael Fowler Centre does not have public parking available, but there is convenient street parking and parking buildings nearby. You can find parking options on Parkopedia.

There is a drop-off and pick-up area at the front of the building, accessible from Wakefield Street.
There are Metlink bus stops in the area.

Photos and video

Official photos will be taken by Woolf Photography. A livestream video will be available on the day and a video of the event will be available on YouTube after the ceremony.

Order of ceremony

Before the ceremony starts, guests need to be seated in the auditorium and graduates assembled in the marshalling area.

The official procession of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington staff will enter the main auditorium and move to sit on the stage.
Graduates will be called into the main auditorium by te tangi puoro and haka whakatau, followed by a haka pōhiri.
Chancellor's address (speech).
Doctorate graduates will be called up onto the stage to be congratulated and presented with their qualification certificate before moving to sit with staff on stage.
All other graduates will be called up onto the stage to be congratulated and presented with their qualification certificate.
Graduate speaker's address (speech).
Chancellor’s closing remarks.
The official staff procession leaves the stage and graduates follow.

What to expect when crossing the stage

Withdrawal in advance

If you applied to graduate during a ceremony at the Michael Fowler Centre but are now unable to attend, use this form to let us know. The deadlines for withdrawing are:

4 April for May ceremonies
31 October for December ceremonies.

Unwell on the day of graduation

If you are unwell, do not attend your ceremony. Use this form to confirm your withdrawal.

If you want to attend one of the next set of ceremonies, let us know in the 'Reason for Withdrawing' section.
If you don't want to attend another ceremony, check the postal address shown in the form as this is where we will send your certificate.