Bertha Parvis Institute of Technology is a place where thoughtful scholarship meets hands‑on making, nestled at 15 Dufferin Street in Mount Victoria, Wellington 6011. We are a K–12 academic school with a strong senior‑secondary focus, shaping curious learners into principled problem‑solvers. Our approach is intentionally human: rigorous, structured, and occasionally imperfect, because genuine learning often includes trial, reflection, and improvement.
Who We Are
We are educators, makers, and research‑minded mentors who believe secondary education should prepare students for the intellectual habits required at BSc/MSc level while remaining faithful to school standards. We do not confer tertiary qualifications; instead, we cultivate readiness—clear thinking, methodical experimentation, ethical practice, and collaborative delivery. Our classrooms and studios are places of enquiry, where students learn to frame questions with care and test ideas with discipline.
Our Academic Shape
Our senior programmes for Years 11–13 are organised into six pathways:
- Computer Science & Data Systems (CS Pathway — BSc/MSc readiness): Algorithms, data structures, software engineering practices, digital ethics, and human–computer interaction, taught with project sprints and reflective journals.
- Digital Arts & Design Practice (DAD Pathway — MFA/MDes readiness): Design thinking, typography, UX, motion graphics, creative coding, and studio critiques that mirror higher‑education workflows.
- Applied Mathematics & Physical Sciences (AMPS Pathway — BSc/MSc foundation): Modelling, calculus, statistics, physics experiments, and formal lab write‑ups with peer review.
- Engineering Fundamentals & Technology (EFT Pathway — BEng/MSc preparation): Materials, electronics, CAD, systems thinking, and design‑build‑test cycles emphasising safety and sustainability.
- Economics, Business & Social Enterprise (EBS Pathway — BCom/MSc readiness): Micro/macro analysis, accounting, entrepreneurship, and policy contexts supported by evidence‑based reports.
- Biological Sciences & Environmental Stewardship (BSES Pathway — BSc/MSc foundation): Genetics, ecology, field methods, and bioethics seminars grounded in Aotearoa New Zealand contexts.
Values That Guide Us
- Rigor with care: Precision and kindness coexist in our practice.
- Ethics first: Data privacy, inclusivity, and responsibility underpin our projects.
- Place‑based learning: Mount Victoria’s natural and urban settings inform fieldwork and design briefs.
- Interdisciplinary thinking: Mathematics speaks to code; design speaks to engineering; science informs enterprise.
Leadership and Community
Our Tumuaki (Principal), Mereana Tānemahuta, leads with humility and determination. We work in partnership with students and their whānau, acknowledging that progress sometimes arrives unevenly: a model that needs re‑work, a design critique that stings before it clarifies, a dataset that resists interpretation. We treat such moments as evidence of a living education.
What You Can Expect
- Structured courses aligned to senior‑secondary standards and assessed transparently.
- Studio and laboratory cultures that simulate professional workflows without overclaiming outcomes.
- Capstone projects that ask students to define a question, build a method, and present findings, with explicit attention to ethics and accessibility.
- Clear transition support for pathways beyond school—university, apprenticeships, creative practice, and community leadership.