Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
12 minutes ago
EIT’s close partnerships with local industry are helping Hawke’s Bay businesses access the skilled graduates they need.
Technology company Hawke’s Bay Technologies has been relying on EIT graduates for more than a decade as its workforce has grown.
Managing Director Duncan Wallace says one of the strengths of the relationship is EIT’s willingness to listen to industry and adapt to the changing needs of the technology sector.
Hawke’s Bay Technologies IT Service Desk Manager Daniel Howard (left), Service Desk Engineer Zachariah Hull, IT Engineer Cameron Smith and Managing Director Duncan Wallace.
“We’ve spoken to them in the past about the things we’re seeing change in the IT world. The nice thing is that they’re usually telling me they’re onto it before I’ve even brought it up.”
The relationship began in 2013 when Hawke’s Bay Technologies approached EIT looking for its top computing graduates.
“We went looking and we went to EIT. We asked who the best graduates were from the class of 2013, had a few candidates come through, and that’s how it started. Ever since then, we’ve kept going back.”
Hawke’s Bay Technologies provides technology services and products to businesses and education providers across Hawke’s Bay and beyond, including managed IT, print management, audio-visual solutions, AI automation, phone systems and other technology solutions.
As the business has grown over the past 13 years, so too has its reliance on EIT graduates, who now work across engineering, finance and technical support roles.
“We haven’t grown from 10 people to 32 overnight. We’ve grown gradually, and while we haven’t needed to recruit all the time, we always default back to EIT and ask the lecturers who the go-to people are.
“It has genuinely been really good. We’re really happy with who we’ve got on board, and a lot of them have been here for years.”
Duncan says EIT graduates stand out because they arrive with practical experience as well as technical knowledge.
“They join us with practical experience, not just the theory, which means they can get up and running from day one.
“They also come in with a fresh set of eyes, so they tend to ask questions that someone who has been here for a while might not. That helps to modernise our business.”
Among the Hawke’s Bay Technologies staff who have studied at EIT are IT Service Desk Manager Daniel Howard, Service Desk Engineer Zachariah Hull and IT Engineer Cameron Smith.
Zachariah says EIT’s practical learning environment prepared him well for the workplace.
“You really do learn to do the things you’re going to do in your job. It’s very technical and practical. You get here and think, ‘This is exactly what I learned.’ Not all the papers I completed were related to this specific role, but the foundational knowledge I gained helped me step into it much more easily.”
Duncan believes investing in EIT graduates benefits both individual businesses and the wider region.
“Taking on interns and graduates means you can build your own talent pool rather than always competing for skilled workers already in the workforce.”
He encourages other employers to consider partnering with EIT.
“Don’t hesitate. You get access to good, local, down-to-earth, grounded and practical people. EIT has been great at listening to what we and our industry need. It’s a great vehicle to grow your workforce.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/07/21/eit-delivers-the-skills-hawkes-bay-businesses-need/