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Story: Industrial design

School of Design students

Video file

When polytechnic tertiary education began in 1962, the Wellington School of Design, established in 1886, became the first in the system to offer a three-year, full-time professional programme. This 1963 newsreel shows some of the first full-time students training to become industrial designers. The ergonomics teacher is the head of the school, James Coe.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Pictorial Parade 143. National Film Unit, 1963

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Michael Smythe, Industrial design – Teaching industrial design, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/41839/school-of-design-students (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Michael Smythe, published 12 June 2013.