About Wellington Institute of Technology
Wellington Institute of Technology, known as WelTec, traces its origins to the Petone Technical School, founded in 1904, making it one of New Zealand's oldest tertiary institutions. It began by offering evening classes in rented accommodation before moving to its current Petone site four years later. Over the following decades it operated under several names — including Petone Technical College, Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College, Petone Technical Institute, and Hutt Valley Polytechnic — before becoming WelTec in 2001.
In 2012, WelTec joined with Whitireia — a polytechnic established in 1985 to serve the Porirua region — to form the combined institution now known as Whitireia and WelTec. Both operate as a business division within the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST), with the two scheduled to become a single, standalone legal entity on 1 January 2027.
Together, Whitireia and WelTec enrol over 8,000 students annually across campuses in the Wellington region. Programmes are offered at certificate, diploma, degree, postgraduate, and Master's levels, with a focus on vocational and applied learning developed in conjunction with industry.
Studying at Wellington Institute of Technology
Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) offers programmes across a range of levels, from short courses and secondary school pathways through to bachelor's degrees. Study can be undertaken full-time, part-time, or online.
For secondary school students in the Wellington region, the Wellington Trades Academy (WTA) provides vocational programmes delivered at WelTec campuses during the school week. Two examples of WTA strands are:
- Trades Academy Health Pathways – Anatomy and Physiology: a 34-week programme at Whitireia Porirua Campus, leading to NCEA Level 3 with 21 credits (6 at Level 3 and 15 at Level 4). Content covers body systems, organs, and microbiology through theory and practical work.
- Trades Academy Digital Media: Animation and Game Design: a 34-week programme at Te Awakairangi (Petone) Campus, leading to NCEA Level 2 with 31 credits (21 at Level 2 and 10 at Level 3). Content covers digital image editing, filmmaking techniques, Toi Māori motion graphics, and 2D game development.
For those returning to study later in life, short courses ranging from half-day workshops to 12-week programmes are available alongside longer qualifications. Assessment across programmes is competency-based against unit standard outcomes, following NZQA requirements.
Programmes
The programme search on the WelTec website lists study areas rather than individually named qualifications. The following study areas are listed, but no specific programme names, qualification levels, or durations are provided in the source.
- Animal Healthcare Assisting
- Architectural Technology
- Automotive
- Bakery
- Barbering
- Beauty Therapy
- Business
- Business Administration
- Carpentry
- Cookery
- Counselling and Addictions
- Design Media
- Digital Media and Design
- Electrical
- Engineering
- English Language
- Foundation Studies
- Hairdressing
- Health and Wellbeing
- Hospitality, Food and Beverage
- Information Technology
- Makeup Artistry
- Management
- Māori Nursing
- Mechanical Engineering Trades Short Courses
- Nursing
- Nursing Pacific
- Painting and Decorating
- Paramedicine
- Performing Arts
- Plastering
- Plumbing, Gas-fitting and Drainlaying
- Professional Practice
- Publishing
- Quantity Surveying
- Screen Production
- Social and Community
- Social Work
- Te Reo
- Tiling
- Trades Academy
- Veterinary Nursing (Companion Animals)
- Welding
- Youth Work
Individual programme names, qualification levels, and durations within each study area can be found via the WelTec programme search.
Address
Where Wellington Institute of Technology is based, taken directly from the Ministry of Education's own address record for this provider.
Approximate location, estimated from the provider's address via OpenStreetMap — not an official Ministry-verified coordinate. View larger map →
- StreetBuick Street
- SuburbPetone
- CityLower Hutt
- Postcode5045
- Territorial authorityLower Hutt City
- RegionWellington Region
Contact Wellington Institute of Technology
Find the published contact details for Wellington Institute of Technology, including its phone number, website and other available contact information.
- Phone04-9202400
- Fax04-9202650
- Websitewww.weltec.ac.nz
Other providers in Lower Hutt
Explore other tertiary providers based in Lower Hutt, near Wellington Institute of Technology.
-
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Waiwhetu
Campuses
Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) operates three campuses in the Wellington region.
- Te Awakairangi Campus, at 21 Kensington Avenue, Petone, Lower Hutt — approximately 15 minutes by road from Wellington city.
- Whitireia Campus, at 3 Wi Neera Drive, Elsdon, Porirua — approximately 20 minutes from Wellington city, offering community-driven courses at the site where Whitireia originally began.
- Wellington Regional School of Construction, at 18 Western Hutt Road, Petone, Lower Hutt — a trades training facility opened in 2015, located on State Highway 2 near Petone railway station, where students train in carpentry, painting, decorating, and tiling.
Research Areas, Institutes, and Centres
The following named research publication is associated with Wellington Institute of Technology:
- Whitireia Journal of Nursing, Health and Social Services: an annual open-access journal publishing research and creative works from staff, students, graduates, and external contributors in the fields of nursing, health, and social services. It accepts articles, research briefs, book reviews, conference presentations, creative nonfiction, creative works, and reflective pieces.
Entry Requirements
Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) sets entry requirements on a programme-by-programme basis. The specific academic prerequisites for each programme are listed on that programme's individual webpage. No institution-wide minimum grades, NCEA credit thresholds, or English language test scores are stated as universal criteria.
International students must meet English language requirements, and any foreign secondary school qualifications are assessed against a country-by-country equivalence list. English language test results submitted as part of an international application must be less than two years old.
Curated by the KuraData team from Wellington Institute of Technology's own website, reviewed 14 September 2026.
Data source
- SourceTertiary Providers Directory — Ministry of Education
- KuraData last checked6 September 2026
- Editorial content based onWellington Institute of Technology's official website — reviewed 14 September 2026