About Mō mātou

He Kanohi Kitea | Exposure exhibition showcases the work of our graduating students, including undergraduates in design, fine arts, screen arts and commercial music. 

Work by Masters students in design, fine arts and Māori visual arts will also be on display.

8–21 November 10am–4pm daily

Ngā Pae Māhutonga — Wellington School of Design is acknowledged as providing one of the best design educations in the Asia-Pacific region. Te Tohu Paetahi mō Te Hoahoa Bachelor of Design and Bachelor of Design with Honours Majors include: Visual Communication, Concept, Fashion, Integrated Photography, Textiles, Spatial, Industrial.

Ngā Pae Māhutonga offers a comprehensive and contemporary range of design courses, and with its high calibre faculty and world-class facilities it is an ideal environment for not only students, but also other partner enterprises to realise their full creative potential. Majors include: concept design, photography, fashion design, integrated design, textile design, spatial design, industrial design, and a full suite of visual communication design pathways including graphic design, illustration, typography, branding, information design, interaction design, moving image and service and experience design options.

Our design programmes equip students with a range of interdisciplinary design skills, and during their studies enable them to address local and global issues that produce inspirational and sustainable design solutions for a rapidly changing world.

Graduates and faculty embody the highest creative and professional attributes required to work globally in design businesses and the creative industries including: Nike, Fisher & Paykel, Wētā Workshop, Wētā Digital, Xero, TradeMe, Designworks, Sauce FX, Pik Pok, Saatchi & Saatchi, Clemenger BBDO, Kate Sylvester, Icebreaker, Kathmandu, IDEO, Apple, Philips, Ducati and GoPro.

Majors include:

visual communication design*

concept design

photography

fashion design

integrated design

textile design

spatial design

industrial design

*a full suite of visual communication design pathways including graphic design, illustration, typography, branding, information design, interaction design, moving image and service and experience design options.

Ranked #1 Art and Design school in Aotearoa and  top 150 Worldwide for Art and Design for 7 years running. 

— QS World University Rankings 

Red Dot

Ngā Pae Māhutonga—Wellington School of Design is ranked 2nd in the Asia Pacific annual International Red Dot Awardsand for the last 10 years has been placed in the top 3.

Designers Institute of New Zealand, Best Design Awards

Massey graduates have proven consistent success over the past 20 years at New Zealand’s most prestigious design awards. In 2024, students and staff from our school and college were awarded 29 gold silver and bronze placings, a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.

Whiti o Rehua | School of Art Whiti o Rehua | School of Art offers exciting pathways into contemporary art within Aotearoa New Zealand across a wide range of media and processes. The School comprises two programmes, Fine Arts and Photography.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts is a transdisciplinary programme focusing on the development of student interests through studio practice, tutorials, critiques, lectures, and forums. Rōpū (groups) of second, third, and fourth year students share studios, providing them with a supportive tuakana-teina, peer-learning environment. In addition, our Rōpū Māori delivers the same BFA course content as elsewhere in the programme in a kaupapa-friendly way.

Fine Arts academic staff include leading creative practitioners, scholars, and curators. They are supported by expert technicians and facilities that allow our students to expand their art practices and explore new and established media, including sculpture, painting, drawing, performance, installation, moving image, photography, printmaking, socially engaged art, site-responsive work, curatorial activities, and art writing. We also share courses with other areas of Toi Rauwhārangi | College of Creative Arts, including Design and Music and Screen Arts, providing opportunities for extending skills and developing transdisciplinary practices.

Photography is a key bridging major between Whiti o Rehua and Ngā Pae Māhutonga | School of Design with exceptional practice and scholarship led by innovators in their field. Research-led teaching brings staff expertise into the classroom where students are empowered to utilise world-leading facilities, both analogue and digital. Students are encouraged to find their own path within a wide field, allowing them to develop as commercial, fine art or documentary / editorial practitioners depending on their interests.

Each year the Photography programme partners with Te Papa Tongarewa to bring an internationally significant photographic historian, theorist, or artist to Wellington to deliver the annual Peter Turner Memorial Lecture. In addition, Fine Arts and Photography students are introduced to international visiting artists through exhibitions at The Engine Room Gallery and Te Whare Hēra International Artist in Residence programme (delivered in partnership with Wellington City Council). The residency supports artists from around the world to research, develop, and produce new contemporary art projects.

When possible, students are introduced to international visiting artists through exhibitions at The Engine Room Gallery and Te Whare Hēra International Artist in Residence programme, delivered in partnership with Wellington City Council.

Our graduates are photographers and artists who work in a variety of mediums and exhibit regularly in dealer galleries, municipal museums, and artist-run spaces and have participated in residencies across the world. They work in the wider arts community as critics, curators, writers, and educators. Our graduates run galleries, both commercial and artist-run spaces. They are also innovative builders, designers and outfitters who go on to work in the film and entertainment industries. They teach at secondary and tertiary level. They work in publishing and advertising industries. They design and manage websites and social media or are VJs in nightclubs and stage events. Some of our Fine Arts and Photography students also continue their studies at masterate or doctoral levels at Massey or elsewhere in Aotearoa New Zealand and the world. 

Whiti o Rehua | School of Art works closely with Te Ranga Tai Kura, whose staff contribute content specifically from a te ao Māori worldview across our programmes in the Critical Studies courses, Professional Cultures, and Studio practice, ensuring that kaupapa Māori approaches are integrated into both contextual learning and studio practice.  Additionally, like other areas of the College, students can elect to undertake a double major in Mātauranga Toi Māori alongside their other major or specialisation.  

Te Rewa o Puanga was established in 2015 to address the expansion of New Zealand’s international reputation for innovation and creativity in music and media production. The college has a state of the art multi-million dollar facility that is the only one of its kind in Australasia. It features recording, rehearsal and live performance studios, production and post-production facilities including a dubbing theatre, music and creative technology labs, a motion performance capture studio and a virtual volume.

Commercial Music

Our Commercial Music programme is the only degree in New Zealand designed specifically to address the creation, production, promotion and distribution of tomorrow’s music. It has three majors: Music Practice (contemporary composition and performance), Music Technology (music software and hardware development, live and studio engineering) and Music Industry (promotion, copyright, management, and distribution).

Screen Arts

Our Screen Arts programme is part of the National Academy of Screen Arts (NASA) where academia and creative industries come together to nurture and capture the stories of Aotearoa.  Students and professionals work side-by-side using state-of-the-art facilities, industry-specific software, and the latest equipment to build relevant creative practices.  Our motto is “See Work,  Make Work, Network!”

Both degrees are taught by experienced academics, technical staff and visiting artists, producers and entrepreneurs. The programmes focus on connecting students with emerging technologies and creative practice relevant to social, economic and cultural enterprise.

Te Tohu Paetahi Pūoro Pakihi Bachelor of Commercial Music Majors in:

Music Practice
Music Technology
Music Industry

Bachelor of Screen Arts Majors in:
Animation
Factual Production
Film Production
Game Development
Immersive Media
Media Technology
Visual Effects

The college now has a state of the art multi-million dollar facility that is the only one of its kind in Australasia.