Wellington Visual Art trip to Massey and Victoria Universities

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Review of the Visual art trip to Massey and Victoria Universities Wellington in two parts.

Mr Jones & Luca Bevin

Mr Jones: On the last Thursday of August, a group of eight senior students and I set off to Wellington on a 6.00am flight. We were met in the capital by Mr. Garry who was already there to support our rugby and hockey teams. After gathering on the steps of Massey’s main building and having an impromptu and fortuitous meeting with an old boy and architect Mitchell McTaggart (1999 leaver), Mr Garry walked two students to Victoria for a prearranged tour and I took the remaining students to meet their guide for the Massey accommodation and campus tour. We are very fortunate that we have established a relationship with Massey over the years that allows us to bring students to meet their senior admissions staff and engage in a preapproved entrance interview. We had five students booked in for an interview and all five have gained preferential entry for next year. After a very busy morning we caught up for lunch with Mr Garry and the group who had gone to Victoria, after this we followed up on an invitation to visit Mitchell McTaggart at his architect studio on Cuba street, this was an exclusive and rewarding experience for the students and one that offered the students an opportunity for work experience if they follow this path. It would have been great to have visited more of what Wellington had to offer but our tight time frame created a hasty exit to catch our 3.05pm flight home.

Luca Bevin: Whilst the majority of the people attending the trip went and explored, Massy, myself and Jonty Riley along with Mr Gary went to Victoria and the halls. The tour started by walking through their main buildings including study areas, lecture theatres, and in-house resources they had on offer. The most prominent building which connects to almost the entire campus is an incredibly modern building with a multitude of floors offering anything a willful young student would desire. It was clearly the pinnacle of Victoria and rightfully so. After receiving a tour around there we headed onwards to explore what their architectural programs had to offer as Jonty is keen on attending Vic for architectural design. This is where their university really shined as they had state-of-the-art 3D printing technology along with renowned professors and an in-house workshop in which students can purchase materials without having to leave the comfort of their class. As we explored the university we briefly visited each of the halls and they all appeared very welcoming and a splendid place to live for one's first year at Victoria. What stood out was the customization that allowed for every student to feel comfortable. They had floors specifically for athletes and floors with an alcohol ban. This demonstrated their care and respect for each of the students no matter the type of person.