Alumni Gathering 2025

On the 26th of June, we welcomed a new cohort into our alumni family as they proudly graduated from their respective programmes. Our June graduations are especially notable, as we hold our annual alumni gathering later in the evening. 

This year we were proud to welcome 6 industry guests with the event sponsored by 8 key partners. InterContinental Wellington, Sofitel Wellington, Cloudy Bay New Zealand, Copthorne One80 Restaurant, Palliser Estate Winery, EuroVintage, La Cloche, and an alumni owned business Le Bouillon Bel Air. With 3 executive chefs and 3 leaders in staffing management, our alumni had the opportunity to connect and learn from some of Wellington's top hospitality experts. 

• Our industry guests:
  • Carl Maunder | Executive Chef, InterContinental Wellington
  • Chetan Pangam – Executive Chef, Millennium Hotels & Resorts; NZ Beef & Lamb Ambassador 2024–2025;
    Ora King Salmon Ambassador 2024
  • Joe Costelloe – Executive Chef, Sofitel Wellington
  • Jordan Crow – Talent & Culture Coordinator, Movenpick Wellington
  • Katrina Te Puni-Manuel – Talent & Culture Manager, Sofitel & Movenpick Wellington
  • Rebecca Ralph – HR Manager, InterContinental Wellington

For our recent graduates, they were able to connect with past alumni and hear of their current successes, from new ventures that have recently opened to important lessons learned in climbing the hospitality ladder. The evening had our highest attendance yet; we are excited to strengthen and grow our alumni network in the coming years.  We are thankful and grateful to all who attended, our alumni, staff, student volunteers, and distinctly to our sponsors and industry guests who are instrumental in the success and growth of our students.