Josh Nikora
“The technical and industry knowledge you gain is such a strength of the programme.”
After finishing his secondary education at Shirley Boys High School, Josh Nikora (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto) began a Bachelor of Visual Communication at Ara | Te Pūkenga. But two years into his degree he “fell out” with graphic design.
“From a really early age I’d been interest in designing tangible things, understanding how machines work and creating detailed drawings,” he says. “But at high school I’d stopped focusing on those early interests and just chose classes that I had friends in.”
That led him to graphic design, which—in the end—turned out not to be what he wanted to do. “I was struggling to be motivated. I wasn’t sure if I could see myself continuing with visual communication as a job post-study, so I began to re-evaluate what I wanted to do.”
After “a little growing up and overcoming my fear of taking my own path”, Josh started making his move towards studying architecture.
He took an introductory certificate in architecture and construction and then enrolled in Ara’s Bachelor of Architectural Studies.
The degree had its challenges, including having to study remotely during the Covid lockdowns. However, he persevered and not only got through but excelled, winning an Ara Eke Panuku award for Māori achievers.
Josh says it was “a huge plus” that his teachers were passionate and engaged in students’ individual interests and he credits them with helping him stay engaged.
“They were enthusiastic, knew what they were talking about and spoke with tons of knowledge and experience.”
One of the things Josh most enjoyed about his degree was pushing the limits of his creative and technical skills and the satisfaction of seeing it all coming together. “The technical and industry knowledge you gain is such a strength of the programme. It sets it apart from the other main tertiary institutes and came in handy during our design competition in Auckland in our third year.”
Josh completed his degree at the end of 2022 and quickly gained employment as a junior architectural technician with Hierarchy Group.
“The main part of my job is helping to deliver plans for residential projects across Aotearoa New Zealand, from land acquisition all the way up to handover. I've been absorbing as much information as I can and I’m enjoying the experience greatly, especially working on socially important projects delivering housing to those that may need it the most.”
Josh says Ara's focus on practicality, buildability and design intent have helped him a lot in his role so far. He intends to work hard at gaining more experience at Hierarchy so he can become a Licensed Building Practitioner in design. In the future, he’s keen to head overseas to gain further experience in Australia and Europe.