For long-time Queenstown local Gladys Henderson, enrolling in the New Zealand Certificate in Ngā Toi (Level 4) (Arts) at SIT Queenstown campus was never about gaining another qualification.
Already balancing a demanding full-time career, governance responsibilities and doctoral study, Gladys was searching for something different, a way to slow down and create space for herself amid the pressures of everyday life.
What she found was a transformative learning experience that changed the way she thinks, works and approaches life. "I really began studying weaving because I needed to find a balance for my head and my brain," she said.
"There were so many voices and demands competing for space that I needed somewhere I could sit still and just think."
Gladys said one of the unexpected gifts of the programme was discovering the value of learning through her hands rather than through constant analysis and problem-solving.
"Rāranga (weaving) helped me centre myself, centre my brain, and gave me permission to sit, work with my hands and be still."
Instead of deadlines, reports and academic research, she immersed herself in the careful processes of harvesting, preparing and weaving harakeke (flax).
"I didn't begin rāranga because I wanted another qualification. I was looking for something quite different, and rāranga gave me another way of learning through my hands, observation, patience and stillness."
Over time, the programme became about much more than weaving techniques.
"It became a journey of patience and reflection, and having time to find relationships and find my own ara, my own guiding line," she said.
A significant part of that journey was learning from respected kaiako Ruka Cameron and Rangiputa, whose teaching helped shape the learning experience for students.
"What we didn't realise at the time, but certainly came to understand, was how special it was to learn from Ruka. We had somebody who was an expert in the field."
Following Ruka's passing, students supported one another while continuing their studies. "Afterwards it was quite tough for our class," Gladys recalled. "But when we made it to the end we were proud of her, and we were also really grateful for Rangiputa because she had such a calming effect on us."
One of the most important concepts Gladys encountered was the idea of finding and following an ara, the guiding line within weaving that helps keep a piece on course. And although the programme has finished, that lesson has stayed with her.
"What this course has done is change the way that I think," she said.
"In finance and economics, which is demanding work, this course taught me that you have to find a space to be still in a place that is moving so fast."
Gladys said her graduation on September 5th was less about the finished woven pieces and more about the personal journeys behind them. “The graduation really brought it home for me because it wasn't simply about seeing what everybody had created," she said.
"Each piece represented an individual journey, and it was being able to celebrate those journeys together that made it special."