Rain's Big Break after Balancing Study and Motherhood

Toi Ohomai Bachelor of Applied Information Technology graduate, Rain Ruan, is making her mark at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, as a Business Intelligence Analyst.

After completing a six-month intern developer role at the farming co-operative developing a mobile app for their national network of service centres, the Ballance IT team encouraged Rain to apply for a permanent position they had advertised.

At Ballance's Head Office in Mount Maunganui, Rain's work week is usually spent supporting colleagues across the organisation with their data needs. She receives "tickets" to complete, and provides valuable data-driven insights that help guide business decisions.

But yesterday was different because Rain was at Mercury Baypark in Tauranga marking the completion of her degree at the 2025 Toi Ohomai Graduation Ceremony. It was a proud moment for Rain and provided an opportunity to reflect on her unwavering commitment to her studies and celebrate the start of her new and exciting professional career.

Rain immigrated to New Zealand in 2011. Originally from China, her entry into the world of IT came during the Covid-19 pandemic when working in the tourism industry in Taupō became less enjoyable due to operating restrictions. Faced with uncertainty, Rain decided to make a change.

"I wanted a career with clear opportunities for progression and more flexibility," she says.

Rain enrolled in a year-long Level 5 Diploma in IT at Toi Ohomai and quickly discovered her interest in software development.

"I really enjoyed it, and I was good at it, so I decided to keep going," Rain says. "I went on to complete a Bachelor of Applied Information Technology, bringing my total study time to three years."

During year two, Rain welcomed her second child and began balancing new-born motherhood with her coursework. Though her studies were primarily based on campus in Tauranga, the Toi Ohomai IT Faculty made several adjustments to allow Rain to learn remotely.

"I was able to dial into lectures and complete assignments online. I only had to go to campus a few times that year. That level of support was crucial for me during the new-born stage," she says.

Rain says the personalised approach to learning at Toi Ohomai was one of the biggest advantages of her education.

"The class sizes are smaller, which meant I got more tailored learning support from tutors. They were proactive in helping me apply what I was learning to real-world scenarios. In fact, it was a Toi Ohomai tutor, Francisco, who helped me secure the initial project role at Ballance over summer," she adds. "He helped me get my foot in the door, and then I worked hard to prove myself."

Rain's time in New Zealand has also taught her about the importance of gaining sought-after qualifications that are recognised locally.
"When I immigrated at 24, my degree from China wasn't recognised here. I realised I needed to dedicate time and effort into gaining a qualification that would set me on a clear career path in New Zealand. There were sacrifices, including taking three years away from the workforce without pay, but it's been worth every moment," she says.

Looking back, Rain feels a deep sense of pride in how far she's come.

"As a mum, I'm so proud of what I've achieved - not only for me, but for the benefit of our family," she says.

Rain encourages anyone seeking a career change, particularly in the field of information technology, to go for it.

"Studying IT or programming might sound intimidating but our tutor gave us the best advice when we were starting out. He said, 'IT is like building. You just need the right tools, and when you learn to use those tools, you can build anything.' That gave me so much confidence! And you do… you learn along the way," Rain says.

Congratulations on graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Information Technology, Rain! Here's to a big future, in big data.