Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) board members, staff and students turned out in force to welcome new Chief
Executive Onno Mulder at a pōwhiri marking his first day on the job on Monday.
SIT Honorary Fellow and kaumatua Michael Skerrett and staff from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa organised the pōwhiri at the
Invercargill campus. Ngai Tahu representatives were also there to welcome Onno Mulder.
The pōwhiri included E rere Otepuni, the waiata specially written for SIT and sung at the pōwhiri by all staff and
students.
SIT Board Chair, Alison Broad said, “We are looking forward to working with Onno. He brings a wealth of experience in
strategic leadership, change management and business development.”
Onno Mulder said that he had been drawn to his new role by SIT’s reputation for quality service delivery and innovation,
and by the way it put learners at the centre of all conversations.
“I start a new journey today, but we are all on this journey together. My focus is on positioning SIT strongly for the
future. We will do that by building on what the organisation has already achieved. We will continue to lead the way in
innovation in education,” said Onno Mulder.
Mr Mulder said he was looking forward to working closely with the board members, staff, students, iwi and stakeholders
to continue the advancement of SIT.