Meet Hoani Pohatu, dispatch team leader at WineWorks Marlborough and recent graduate of NMIT’s online New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4).
Hoani has worked at WineWorks Marlborough, a contract wine bottling, warehousing and distribution centre based in Blenheim, for just over five years.
He transitioned into a team leader role in his second year with the company, so when WineWorks decided to help four team members take their leadership skills to the next level through online study with NMIT and eCampus, Hoani was asked if he was interested.
While he was happy to be asked, Hoani was nervous at first that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his studies alongside his work.
“I knew my role was busy and I was worried that I wouldn’t have the time to study,” he admits.
One of the great things about learning online is that leaners can fit their learning around busy lives. Despite Hoani’s concerns about balancing study and work, last year, all five of the WineWorks team members learning with NMIT and eCampus NZ successfully graduated with a New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4).
Hoani believes that completing the qualification helped him build his confidence in both his academic abilities and his leadership skills.
“Not only was it good to prove to myself that I could do something like this, but a lot of what we were learning on the course also tied in with our roles and what we needed to do to help our guys out on the floor,” says Hoani.
“We learned how to talk to our peers and how to prioritise work and plan ahead,” he says.
Hoani enjoyed the experience of working through the qualification with other WineWorks team members and credits their support for helping him to achieve his goals.
“We looked after each other and made sure we were on track. We’d give each other a tap on the shoulder and make sure we were heading in the right direction.”
He has also enjoyed putting what he’s learned into practice at work.
“My team have absolutely noticed a difference,” he says.
Congratulations, Hoani, on a job well done!