January

John Christie starts as Central Campus Director

New Central Campus Director John Christie was excited to get going in his new role, after 10 years as Manager of Enterprise Dunedin (the economic development team at Dunedin City Council).

Music videos created in partnership with Dunedin musician

A partnership with an experienced Dunedin-based musician gave photography students some practical experience of the creative process around making music videos.

February

Shining a light on hidden disabilities

Otago Polytechnic aimed to shine a light on “invisible” disabilities, as we rolled out the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower programme across our campuses.

Hole in one work experience for Sports Turf students

First years studying Sports Turf Management at our Cromwell campus got some valuable hands-on experience helping prepare the green for the prestigious New Zealand Open golf tournament.

Sports rivalry and city tours for Te Pā Tauira residents

Residents of our student village Te Pā Tauira faced off against first years from Otago University halls for a College Sports Day as part of O-Week. They also had an introduction to Dunedin with a tiki tour around some of Ōtepoti’s hotspots.

March

Hannah Wall: Racing to Victory On & Off the Track!

OP student Hannah Wall achieved an extraordinary feat at the 2025 Motatapu Ultra Trail Run, winning the Women’s category and finishing an impressive fifth place overall in a time of 6 hours, 57 minutes.

National recognition for focus on animal welfare

The School of Animal Health was named joint winners of the Aotearoa New Zealand John Schofield 3Rs Award, recognising the principles as a cornerstone of the ethical use of animals in research, testing and teaching.

Bumper crop of graduates celebrate success

More than 650 OP graduates crossed the stage at the Dunedin Town Hall on Friday 14 March, spread over two graduation ceremonies. Our guest speakers were former professional Tongan rugby player Uili Kolo'ofa'I, and Fashion graduate / Dunedin-based designer Tara Viggo.

Student Success at Resene Total Colour Awards

Master of Architecture (Professional) student Omea Hall won the Rising Star Colour Maestro Award at the Resene Total Colour Awards for her project, Summit Spas.

April

A first for the ITP sector

Principal Lecturer, Claire Goode, was awarded a Senior Fellowship with the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) based in the UK. Claire was the first kaimahi from an ITP to be awarded this, and only the second person within Aotearoa New Zealand.

Rally good class for Automotive students

Students from some of Otago Polytechnic's automotive programmes got the chance to observe and assist with the scrutineering process of more than 30 cars, ahead of the Otago Rally event.

Ciaran Naylor stars at iD Dunedin Fashion show

Congratulations to Fashion Design graduate Ciaran Naylor who scooped top prize at the 2025 iD International Emerging Designer Awards – the first OP grad to do so in 12 years! Ten graduates also featured in a special “supersized” Otago Polytechnic showcase at the Dunedin Railway Station show.

May

Otago Open Days 2025 a huge success

The Hub was humming in early May, as hundreds of prospective students (and their whānau) visited our campus from around the South Island (and some even flying in from the North Island).

Hannah's a good spark

Our Allied Trades team celebrated their 50th Electrical apprenticeship, with Hannah Drew completing the requirements for the New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Level 4).

Pruning for the future

A crew of Arboriculture students spent a few days in Balclutha, pruning and shaping some of the town's distinctive horizontal elm trees for the Clutha District Council.

Milestone 50 Years for Graham Burgess

Carpentry programme stalwart Graham Burgess celebrated 50 years of service with Otago Polytechnic - our first kaimahi to reach that milestone.

June

OP staff deliver practical EV training in Illinois

Kevin O'Neill and Tim Wallace headed over to Illinois to carry out Electric Vehicle Training for Community Colleges across the US state of Illinois.

NZRAB accreditation for Master of Architecture

Our Master of Architecture (Professional) programme received full accreditation from the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB).

Having an accredited qualification is a requirement for the primary pathway to becoming a registered architect in New Zealand.

High schoolers building the future in Central

Nine Central Otago OSTC high school students have been getting out of the classroom and picking up the tools, as they build a house in Cromwell through a partnership between Otago Polytechnic and Breen Construction.

July

Government Stand Alone Decision

Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmonds announced that Otago Polytechnic can be re-established as a standalone organisation from 1 January 2026, returning decision-making and accountability to the regions. The institution was included in a federation model with UCOL and the Open Polytechnic.

Otago Polytechnic Game Jam

The fifth annual high schools Game Jam was held at Otago Polytechnic from July 2nd-4th. This year, we had 33 students participate, coming from as far north as Oamaru and as far south as Balclutha, with most from Dunedin. Eleven IT and Design student volunteers, along with staff, supported the students throughout the three days.

Living Campus a Green Gown Awards finalist

We were honoured to have our Living Campus recognised as a finalist at the Green Gown Awards Australasia. Our entry (championed by Professor Samuel Mann and Living Campus Lead Kim Thomas) was shortlisted in the Benefitting Society category.

OP fashion students shine in Hokonui

Four of our School of Fashion students were recognised at the 37th Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore. Third year student Emily Mason won the Gore RSA Young Designer Award for her winning collection.

August

New collaboration between Otago Polytechnic & SIT

Otago Polytechnic and the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) agreed to collaborate to support construction training in the lower South Island, signing a latest Memorandum of Understanding in the Trades area.

New marketing campaign goes live!

We launched our new marketing campaign based on our new brand repositioning ‘Straight Up Down Here’. With a catchy play on words and some bold and bright visuals, the Semester One campaign reflected our new brand repositioning.

Wooden picnic tables provide refuge

A picnic bench project by our He Toki Carpentry ākonga is giving families escaping domestic violence a place to sit down and relax. The team built two solid outdoor picnic tables for people to use while staying at the Ōtepoti-Dunedin Whānau Refuge safe house.

Culinary Arts student creates Spudtacular ice cream

From waste to wow! This was our viral story of the year, as Culinary Arts student Emily Gilbert launched New Zealand’s first-ever potato ice cream, in collaboration with Dunedin ice cream business Patti’s and Cream. The dark Chocolate "Chip" Crunch ice cream used chips and waste potatoes from the Heartland Potato Chip factory in Timaru.

September

OP at the SISS Netball Tournament

Otago Polytechnic students and kaimahi put their skills to work at the South Island Secondary School Netball Tournament at the Edgar Centre.  22 ākonga assisted the smooth running of the tournament in the areas of Massage, Photography, and Event management.

Bright sparks! 

Our Dunedin campus hosted the 2025 Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge, which saw 35 trades apprentices from Otago & Southland battle it out.  OP apprentices won the top 3 spots in the Industrial category (Philip Anderson – who went on to the national finals - Scott Fleck, and Casey Henry), while Dan Napier won 2nd place in the Commercial/Domestic category.

David Rozado recognised as an AI Research Pioneer

Associate Professor David Rozado was recognised as an AI Research Pioneer at the inaugural Aotearoa AI Awards.

National recognition at Tree Climbing Champs

Senior lecturer Ben Fentiman received the New Zealand Arboriculture Association Services & Innovation to New Zealand Arboriculture Award for 2025 at the National Tree Climbing Champs in Auckland. 19 year old Horticulture ākonga Cooper Waghorn represented OP in the New Arborist of the Year competition.

October

Culinary Arts team receive Tertiary Educator award

A measured approach to high pressure kitchen situations earned senior Food Design Institute kaimahi Juliane Tautz and Chloe Humphreys recognition at the prestigious Te Whatu Kairangi Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards.

Kids clothes & Mud ice cream top Startup pitches

Master of Design (Fashion) graduate Yasomali Sandaruwani (Sanda) claimed the top Best Emerging Startup Award at this year’s Startup Dunedin Student Pitch Competition, for her colourful and practical, eco-conscious clothing line for young children. And BCA student Emily Gilbert won the Best Momentum award for her potato-milk based ice cream brand, Mud.

Big night at the Best Design Awards

Otago Polytechnic celebrated a big night at the 2025 Best Design Awards, across our Architecture, Product, Communication, and Fashion Design programmes.

Architecture claimed 5 medals including 2 golds, Product Design won an impressive 4 golds and 2 silver awards for their innovative projects, and Communication Design claimed two bronze awards.

Central Campus hosts blooming great plant sale

The team at the Central Campus in Bannockburn celebrated a very successful Spring Plant Sale over Labour weekend, with large crowds stopping by over the long weekend for the plants grown by our ākonga.

November

Evening market celebrates ‘rescued’ food

Rescued ingredients were the heroes in an evening market menu of food and drink prepared by Bachelor of Culinary arts ākonga. as their end of year showcase event.

Technology joint venture leads China partnerships

Otago Polytechnic announced a joint venture with the Hunan Institute of Engineering to teach up to 1,200 Chinese students a year. The deal was signed at the 2025 China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Shenzhen Polytechnic University to explore collaboration in the fast-growing New Energy Vehicle sector.

19 years of Charity House community support

We marked the final chapter (for now) of our long-running Charity House project, which has helped more than 95 Otago community charities through the Catalytic Foundation. It’s also benefitted the Otago Polytechnic Education Foundation Trust in supporting Otago Polytechnic students and staff in projects that enrich learning and benefit the wider community.

Successful Student Showcase season

Whanau, friends, and stakeholders visited our Dunedin campus to celebrate the creativity, talent, and successes of our talented ākonga in a series of Student Showcase events, including Debrief, detail, SITE, and the Collections fashion show.

December

Cooking up a new suite of programmes in Central

Otago Polytechnic announced the launch of a Level 4 Cookery programme in Central Otago via Work Integrated Learning early in 2026, alongside plans to offer the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy through a similar work augmented learning pathway later in the year.

Architecture student named top in the country 

Otago Polytechnic School of Architecture student Mila Makasini was crowned the best in the country, after winning top prize at the 2025 Resene Student Design Awards. Mila’s Pasifika-inspired project ‘Lalava’i Fonua’ was one of three OP finalists (alongside Erica Morris and Hunter Dale) in our first year competing at the awards.

Otago Polytechnic hosts international delegations

While the academic year wound down, we took the opportunity to host a series of Chinese guests at our Dunedin campus. The visits by three delegations strengthened our partnerships across the areas of Art & Design, Information Technology & Business, and Electric Vehicles.