The stories behind academic dress
2 June 2026
The more than 5,000 people who crossed the stage at Autumn graduation ceremonies wore academic dress that visually represented their achievements and centuries of tradition.
Among the thousands who flow through the doors of The Graduation Place, there’s the occasional graduand who insists they’re only getting outfitted in academic regalia and attending graduation to please their parents.
“But then they put on the gown, and they’re fussed over with the trencher and the hood,” says Nina Tomaszyk, “and you see them grow before your eyes when they realise ‘oh, this is important. I’ve really achieved something.’”
Nina is general manager of the social enterprise, which supplies academic dress for graduation and other ceremonies from Auckland to Northland. While the University of Auckland’s Autumn graduation is a busy time for its team, with regalia on high rotation, it’s not unusual; from mid-March, The Graduation Place outfits people for several ceremonies a week – everything from lawyers being admitted to the bar to school prizegivings and church events.
So, what’s it like working behind the scenes with graduands as they approach such a significant milestone?
“I always love seeing the range of ages, such as when older graduates come in,” says team member Brooke Brown. “They may have started studies later in life, but they are so proud. It shows that you can achieve big things at any age.”
You see them grow before your eyes when they realise ‘oh, this is important. I’ve really achieved something'.
A highlight for operations manager Lisa Turvey is seeing how graduands reflect their cultures alongside the regalia. She recalls a family who requested a custom-made korowai that had a lining made using the tartan of the graduand’s clan, bringing together her Māori and Scottish heritage.
“I saw her at graduation and she looked so proud. That korowai is now in their family, so it will be worn by others when they go through similar milestones.”
It’s not only graduands that need kitting out for their big day; academic staff members who sit on stage during ceremonies also need to wear their regalia, showing off the scarlet red and gold of University of Auckland PhDs, as well as colours of universities from around the world where they’ve achieved their qualifications. Among the racks you’ll find everything from the crimson doctoral gowns of Harvard to the red robes of Oxford.
The profits it makes from supplying the regalia go to the Kate Edger Foundation, which provides tertiary education awards and scholarships to women across multiple institutions. Each year the foundation has its own awards ceremony to acknowledge the women who receive its funding.
Emeritus Professor Dame Charmian O’Connor was the driving force behind the social enterprise and the non-profit Kate Edger Foundation, with its roots in the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Federation of University Women.
“Traditionally, it was women volunteers who would hire out academic dress and sew the hoods. Over time, as money came in from the hiring, it made sense that funding would support women pursuing education,” says Nina.
“It’s not just the financial support that it provides, it’s also the validation – that someone’s backing that they’ve made the right call to pursue further education.”
- Caitlin Sykes
WHAT DOES THE REGALIA SYMBOLISE?
Academic dress has been worn for centuries and is full of history and symbolism. The regalia worn by University of Auckland graduates is based on the style of that worn at the University of Cambridge.
The flat-topped hats called trenchers are said to take their name from their likeness to ‘trenchers’ used in medieval times, which were flat, square plates, usually made of stale bread or wood. The hats are also sometimes called mortarboards, symbolic of a builder’s work and of how graduates have ‘built’ their knowledge over time.
There are a few stories as to why those receiving bachelors degrees have hoods edged with fur (these days, synthetic) while those receiving their masters don’t.
One is linked to the order in which scholars sat, with the more learned and senior sitting closer to the fire, and those further away needing the warmth.
Another is that the fur of the hood wore off the longer a scholar wore it, or that the fur was like the feathers of a baby bird, which was shed as a scholar evolved and matured.
This article first appeared in the June 2026 issue of UniNews.