Hairdressing Changes Decoded

The hairdressing industry has welcomed the news that ākonga completing the Unified Hairdressing Programme from 2024 will finish their course as fully qualified hairdressers.

With the Unified Hairdressing Programme now out for consultation, Senior Academic Staff Member, Jewelle Lloyd, shared the details of what's changing with industry representatives at Success Decoded, an action-packed event organised by Senior Academic Staff Member – Hairdressing, Lynette Smith.

With a strong turnout from local employers, the event provided the opportunity to seek direct feedback from industry about the changes. 

Sponsored by Wella and held in H Block at the Toi Ohomai Windermere campus, Success Decoded also included a hairdressing showcase by industry expert and owner of Venom Hair in Southland, Adrian Barclay. Adrian presented four looks onstage accompanied by theming and music. The four models' hair was pre-coloured, and Adrian cut and styled the different looks live in front of the audience. He also talked about his hairdressing and entrepreneurship journey.

Next up was the annual Toi Ohomai Hair-Up Competition Finals, which was judged by a top, international stylist Dee Parker Attwood. The top three Level 3 and 4 Hairdressing ākonga from our different campuses presented their looks, and Beatriz Steindorff Voigt from Windemere was named the 2022 Toi Ohomai Hair-Up Competition winner.

Senior Academic Staff Member Hairdressing, Lynette Smith, said the event was a huge success, with many different elements coming together seamlessly on the day.

"Most importantly, we had some really great discussions and further built on our connections with local hairdressers, some of whom have employed our students in recent years.

"We also saw the event as an opportunity to showcase our new hairdressing salons, which were renovated and revamped prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This was our first event since then, so it was great to unveil the modern and professional salons our students train in.

"I also want to thank our event sponsor, Wella, for their generous funding. Without their support, we couldn't have delivered the high-quality event that we did achieve," said Lynette.