Harry Weise (l), Karlos Tui, Olivia Mellor-Killalea and Pita Tonga were excited to graduate in 2021.
Beginning a whānau tradition with a korowai and having family arrive from Australia with the opening of the travel bubble the day before graduation, were just some of the extra special moments for the nearly 800 graduates who celebrated in Wellington on Tuesday.
For some, the wait for graduation had been extra-long after choosing to defer last year because of the first Covid-19 lockdown.
That was the case for four friends who were due to graduate in 2020: Harry Weise - Third Class Honours with a major in Visual Communication Design, Karlos Tui - Bachelor of Design, Olivia Mellor-Killalea - Honours with a Major in Visual Communication Design and Pita Tonga - Second Class Honours, with a major in Visual Communication Design.