The Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) is a government owned tertiary education institution with three campuses: Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, and Gisborne, New Zealand. It is also referred to as EIT Hawke's Bay, EIT Tairāwhiti, and EIT Auckland. EIT serves as the main regional higher education centre for the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne regions.
It has two faculties. The Faculty of Educations, Humanities, and Health Science includes Te Ūranga Waka – Te Whatukura, Toihoukura, Education and Social Sciences, Health and Sport Science and Nursing schools, and an Ideaschool. The Faculty of Commerce and Technology includes Tourism and Hospitality, English Language Centre, Trades and Technology, Business, Computing and Applied Science schools.[2][3]
The Eastern Institute of Technology has a 28-hectare (69-acre)[2] main campus in Taradale, a suburb in Napier. It is situated between the twin cities of Napier and Hastings, (approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) from Napier, and 11 km from Hastings), which together comprise the fifth largest urban area in New Zealand. There are also additional campuses in Tairāwhiti and Auckland on Queen Street.[4] EIT also has learning centres in Hastings, Waipukurau, Ruatoria, Tokomaru Bay, Wairoa and a centre in Maraenui, a suburb of the city of Napier.
History
Signposts on Taradale Campus
The Eastern Institute of Technology, as it is named today, was officially opened as the Hawke's Bay Community College by the Minister of Education, Phil Amos. Mr Amos laid the foundation stone, on 4 October 1975. In 1987 the Hawke's Bay Community College was renamed the Hawke's Bay Polytechnic. The next name change – to the ”Eastern Institute of Technology" occurred in 1996, the Institute's 21st year.[5] The site of the main campus was donated to the people of Hawke's Bay at the time of the province's centenary by the late Margaret Hetley and in memory of her husband, Arnaud.[5]
EIT had 10,000 students in 2014. Approximately 400 international students study at EIT each year and come from over 40 different countries.[2] It has its own Student Village across the road from the Hawke's Bay campus.[6][7]
A campus-wide wireless network, EIT Anywhere, allows students to use laptops or other mobile devices on campus. EIT Online, EIT's learning management system, allows students and staff to share information, communicate and interact through online course sites. It is powered by Moodle, and in October 2008 EIT Hawke's Bay hosted the annual Moodle conference.[8] with Martin Dougiamas as keynote speaker. The MoodleMoot was successful and described as "brilliantly run, fantastic speakers".[9]
In 2015 the teacher student ratio was 14.5:1.[11] EIT aims to meet the demands of the region's key industry groups as well as the wider employment market, and networks closely with the community. Programmes such as Viticulture, Wine and Food Science and Nursing are unique to the region. [citation needed]
There are now more than 130 programmes offered at masters, postgraduate, degree, diploma or certificate level, across a range of subject areas including:
