Kia ora,
As we look forward to Wellington’s summer, we farewell another year of studying and, of course, Salient for a well-earned holiday.
Victoria University is a special institution. It’s more than a place where skills are learnt. It is a place where we develop how we think and how we analyse the challenges ahead; the ideas we exchange in the common rooms are just as important as in the classrooms; the friends we make can last a lifetime; and the experiences we share can change lives.
You are our Wellington ambassadors now, wherever you live.
With exams looming, perhaps there is little time to reflect—but with many of you thinking about what courses to take next year or what careers to tackle, and how you might influence the local and global world.
In 2011, Wellington City embarked on a significant rethink of Wellington’s development toward 2040. Wellington is New Zealand’s most knowledge-intensive city—more of our jobs need a tertiary qualification than anywhere else in New Zealand, and at the heart of our strategy is a desire to make Wellington a smarter, greener Capital with a flourishing economy, especially in the digital and creative industries.
We are designing Wellington to be a connected city, a people-centred city, an eco-city and a city with a dynamic CBD. There will always be some paradoxes between short term outcomes and long term plans.
For those of you concluding your studies, congratulations, but for all of you studying in Wellington in 2011, thank you—you’re making a difference for the Capital’s future.
Celia Wade-Brown