Palmerston North celebrates 2022 graduates

The ceremonies, held at The Regent on Broadway, begin Tuesday morning and run until Friday afternoon, opening with Māori and Pacific ceremonies.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, graduation ceremonies were postponed earlier this year and qualifications for the Manawatū graduation ceremony were conferred by Chancellor Michael Ahie.

This week, many of them will finally celebrate the end of their study journey in person, and their entry into Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s alumni whānau.

Sixty-three graduates will receive their doctorates and 247 graduate with master’s degrees.

Among the PhD students is Maree Sheard whose research argued nurses in armed forces are responsible to their employers for meeting the expectations of their roles but are also accountable to nursing regulatory authorities for maintaining professional standards. Maree examined how members of the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps balance their dual accountabilities and found that complex interactions between the culture of the Defence Force and nursing practice behaviours impact upon the decisions that military nurses make and the degree of autonomy they possess. Efforts by nurses to prioritise patient wellbeing are subjected to a subordinating discourse of nurses not being needed that ultimately calls into question the safety and quality of care that is delivered to service personnel.

Dr Katherine Littlewood, Lecturer in Animal Welfare from the School of Veterinary Science, graduates with a PhD for her research on domestic cats. Domestic cats are living longer and more are living with chronic conditions. Owners may find end-of-life decisions difficult and often involve veterinarians in the end-of-life management, meaning it is essential veterinarians understand their role. There is also a need to know how veterinary students are taught relevant topics and skills. Dr Littlewood investigated how aspects of end-of-life management were taught to Australasian veterinary students. She then explored the role veterinarians play in end-of-life management from the perspective of owners. Her research demonstrated knowledge gaps which if filled, could improve veterinary training and animal welfare outcomes.

The ceremony details can be found on our website. You can also watch a live stream of each ceremony.

Massey University social media
Before and after the ceremonies we will be taking photos of our graduands for Massey’s social media pages. Keep an eye out for our photographers if you’d like to get your photo taken. You can also share your graduation highlights and photos with us by using the hashtag #MasseyGrad.