A graduation ceremony is an amazing event where we come together to celebrate this huge accomplishment in front of peers, friends and whanau. 

Graduation date

Tuesday 8 April 2025, Auckland Aotea Centre

Procession time and location

Procession is our street parade to showcase your study success.  It begins from Albert Park leading us to Aotea Square via Queen Street.

We encourage everyone to attend procession and be amongst the electric atmosphere created with other graduands, regardless of the ceremony you’re in. 

Please assemble at the water fountain in Albert Park by 9:00am where you will be assembled in ceremony order before being escorted to Aotea Square.

Ceremony time and location

There may be more than one ceremony in a day. All date and time information will be sent to you in an email about 5 weeks before the ceremony. Check the graduation email to find your graduation ceremony date and time.

Please arrive at the venue 30 minutes before your ceremony i.e reporting time.

Venue: Auckland Aotea Centre, Auckland CBD
 

Prepare for graduation ceremony

Regalia

Graduation is a formal event and graduands must wear the regalia according to your qualification.
Failure to wear regalia will mean graduands will not be able to take part in the ceremony.
Wearing Korowai or garlands over your regalia is permitted.
You are responsible for getting your own regalia and can hire or purchase you own for the occasion. 

Hire regalia

Regalia can be hired from Academic Dress Hire and can be ordered online. 
Visit: 17 George Street Newmarket
Phone: 09 358 1044
http://www.academicdresshire.co.nz/

Purchase regalia

If you wish to purchase regalia our preferred supplier is Etude Classique.
Email: paul@etudeclassique.co.nz 
Phone: 09 522 5241
http://www.etudeclassique.co.nz/

Dress code

Graduation is a formal occasion, with a smart casual dress code.

Guest tickets

Each graduating student who is attending the graduation ceremony can have up to 3 free tickets for friends and family to attend the ceremony.
To get your free guest tickets:
Tickets are usually available from Ticketmaster about four weeks before the graduation ceremony.

- Go to Ticketmaster and search for Unitec Graduation
- Select the ceremony (you can find the ceremony information in our email to you)
- Click on ‘enter offer code’
- Enter the promo code (you can find your code in our email to you), and click ‘apply’
- In the quantity (QTY) drop down menu, select the number of complimentary tickets you would like to receive
- Click ‘find tickets’
- You will now have an allocation of complimentary tickets

Additional guest tickets

There are a limited number available for purchase from the Ticketmaster website. They are sold on a first come first served basis and are very limited.
Extra tickets cost $5 each in addition to a booking fee (which is charged per order).
Any unclaimed guest tickets will be made available for the public purchase the week prior to the ceremony.
Further information on ticket sales and redemption dates will be sent to you via email.
If you have any queries regarding tickets, please call us on 0800 10 95 10.

International guests

If you have invited international guests, Unitec can provide you with a letter for immigration visas.
Learn how to request a Letter of Eligibility to Graduate.

Children

Children over the age of two need a ticket. They must be closely supervised and accompanied by an adult (who is not graduating) at all times as there are no childcare services. Graduation ceremonies are formal occasions and children can often find them uncomfortable. Guests with young children should sit next to or near an aisle so they can easily leave the hall if necessary.

Official photographer

Shot 360 Photography is our official photographer and they will photograph your moment on stage at the ceremony. Photos can be viewed and ordered from their website or in person at the ceremony.
The Shot 360 team will also have a studio at the ceremony venue for you to walk-in and have photographs with your friends and family. You can also pre-book a session for the day.
More information on their products and services can be found on their website, https://shot360.co.nz/.

Florist

At the ceremony
iMAX Florists will be at the ceremony venue and will have a range of flowers and graduation mementos available for purchase.

Pre-order flowers

You can pre-order flowers and collect them at the venue on the day. Pre-order for pick up on the day.

Parking

Parking is available at numerous places in the city.

Please remember that parking will be popular on the day, so we recommend arriving early.

These websites offer parking information:

Parking in Central Auckland
Guide for city centre parks

Ceremony videos

If friends or family are unable to attend your graduation, they can still watch the moment that you cross the stage and accept your award in our ceremony videos.
Videos are uploaded to our YouTube channel, and may take up to a week to be uploaded after the ceremony.
View graduation videos on YouTube

No longer able to attend the ceremony

If you are no longer able to attend the graduation ceremony, please notify the Graduation Office as soon as possible.

Email the Graduation Office, graduation@unitec.ac.nz

In your email include the following details:

  • Name
  • Student ID
  • Graduand number (if known)
  • Contact details
  • The qualification you are graduating with

Need help? Contact us

If you have any questions or need additional help, please contact our Graduation Office.

Email graduation@unitec.ac.nz