Hautahi (BSc/BCA) - Victoria University of Wellington

Hautahi Kingi

Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, First Class Honours, in Economics

Hautahi Kingi

Being located in “the best city in New Zealand” was a key reason Hautahi Kingi chose to enrol at Victoria University.

“Wellington’s got the city vibe but not the city size. There’s heaps of stuff on but it’s not too big and the campus is close to town. You can walk anywhere in Wellington!”

Being near to the seat of government and the organisations that influence the New Zealand economy also helped make Victoria top choice for Hautahi. He gained a BCA in Economics and Finance and a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics and went on to graduate with First Class Honours in Economics.

“I always planned to study Mathematics at university but I also wanted to apply it—Economics is a good way to do that. A lot of New Zealand’s professional economists are based in Wellington and the staff at Victoria are well-connected to them and to what is happening in the economy.”

But, says Hautahi, university delivers much more than the course content of the subjects you study.

“It’s a holistic experience—university enlightens your mind. It’s not all about learning skills, although that’s important, it also teaches you how to learn and how to think critically.”

Hautahi was awarded a number of scholarships while at Victoria, which he says provided welcome financial reward and, just as importantly, recognition and encouragement.

“Deciding to apply for a scholarship gives you something to work towards. There are many more on offer than most students realise and not all of them are about academic excellence.

“A surprising number of scholarships don’t have many applicants because people think they don’t have a chance and don’t bother to apply.”

One thing Hautahi learnt is the value of exploring your options at university to find out what you like doing.

“Don’t have tunnel vision. You can go to uni with one idea in mind and come out having done something totally different and that’s fine. If you don’t like what you are doing, change and try something else.”

Since graduating from Victoria University, Hautahi has moved to New York. He is currently continuing his studies, working towards gaining a PhD in Economics at Cornell University.