Julianne Andrews is the first to admit she is a better person when she’s studying. “I have to have something to keep my brain active,” she says. As a result, she has achieved a number of qualifications through SIT and SIT2LRN since discovering them in 2019.
Originally from the UK, Julianne and her husband with their two children, made the decision to immigrate to New Zealand in 2012. “We have a sense of adventure; we all like trying out different things; I ascribe to the ’life is short’ philosophy. We thought, what’s the worst that can happen?” she says.
Initially the family settled in Auckland, but it was the south which would woo them, after they found out about SIT and their Zero Fees Scheme. “One of the reasons we moved down here was for our children so they wouldn’t be saddled with debt.” As a result, both of Julianne’s children have studied at SIT.
Julianne juggled her teaching job with her foray into further study; she began with Te Reo Māori classes, Levels 1 – 4 at SIT’s Invercargill campus. The impetus for photography started after getting involved with an amateur modelling group her daughter was in. “I bought a camera to help them out, it was a mum thing; I wanted it to be inclusive, that was my driver really.” And Julianne wanted to do the photography properly. “I thought … if I was going to do it, I may as well do it well.”
Julianne completed the New Zealand Diploma in Photography Levels 5 and 6 back-to-back, graduating in 2024. She went into the courses open-minded, without any expectations.
The courses opened Julianne’s eyes to different genres of photography and different ways of thinking. It also challenged her with learning new skills. “I had a very rocky start with Photoshop. The first module, I wanted to throw the computer out the window, I was so frustrated!” she admits. “I thought, this isn’t for me, but now, I feel I’m better at retouching than I am a photographer.”
However, it was the exhibition requirement in the Level 5 diploma which caught Julianne’s attention and opened doors to new successes. She had discovered her passion for portraiture during the course and produced a portfolio of 25 images for website exhibition, by photographing girls, mainly from the local modelling group, who had been transformed into a variety of historic and mythical characters with striking costumes and make-up. Then it occurred to her, “Wouldn’t it be lovely to open this up to anybody?”
So, Julianne did, and ‘Empowher’ exhibition, was held at Whare Taupua Gallery in Invercargill during September 2024, where 44 women’s portraits were presented, inhabiting an array of characters - mythical Egyptian and Greek goddesses rubbed shoulders with real-life roles, from Steampunk enthusiasts to historical figures, such as Scottish queens. And amazingly, Julianne also made many of the women’s outfits herself.
“Doing the first exhibition was the best thing. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d do anything like that. It ignited a bug.” Now a regular at Whare Taupua, she has more events on the go.
Julianne started ‘Artism’ – art created by autistic artists, which had its first exhibition in April 2025 and will be run annually. “The gallery loved it” she says.
And it gave her the opportunity to get people together – both Altogether Autism and Autism New Zealand are going to be involved in 2026. “I’m encouraging others to do it; there will be way more artists next time.”
Then there’s a Steampunk exhibition on October 17th. “That first exhibition has grown all this. It’s been confidence building,” Julianne says, also admitting “I was terrified, but it empowered me to do these things.”
The most prized lesson imparted to Julianne during her studies was “SIT reignited my love of learning… You’re never too old to start something new.” The learning is all there for the student – “directing you in a sensible pattern from start to finish”.
Julianne says one of the big advantages in all her SIT learning has been the Zero Fees Scheme, and what good value for money she has had. “Zero Fees is up there… It’s so cheap and available to people. It means you can take a risk; you try something, and you haven’t wasted a lot of money.” And students can be located anywhere. She advises, “Give it a go, what price can you put on learning?”
She was also very appreciative of the support received from her tutors and the faculty. “A number of them came to my exhibition. I thought that was lovely of them.”
At an age and stage in life where she doesn’t have to worry about training for a career, Julianne acknowledges “I’ve always been a perpetual student… [I study] what interests me. Honestly, I never know what I’m going to do next.”
Since completing the photography diplomas, Julianne has been busy and completed the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Small Business) (Level 4). Then she decided she wanted to learn accounting and is now doing the New Zealand Diploma in Business (Accounting Strand) (Level 5) with HyFlex.
“HyFlex is amazing, it’s so versatile,” she says. “Sometimes I can’t do the live tutorials, and I can catch up and watch the tutorial afterwards. It’s worked really well for me.’’
Having achieved so much through distance learning, Julianne pragmatically points out that studying online is different to in-person learning; “It can be quite lonely. You are doing it remotely, it’s not instant help (if you have a question),” she says. “You do have to put a lot of the effort in yourself.”
Currently, Julianne is Southland’s Outreach Co-ordinator for Autism New Zealand, a part-time role she enjoys immensely, which she does alongside her studies. “I love the mix,” she says. Soon, the mix will include Julianne’s photography business, About-Face, and ‘doing the books’ for her and her son’s business. “I want to support my son, and get my photography up and running properly, but not take it too seriously.”
There’s also a potential project in the near future making short films for a charity. “It’s an extra paid job, using the skills I’ve acquired.” Always open to an adventure, she says “Who knows what will happen next?” The sky’s the limit for Julianne.