Information for guests
We're looking forward to welcoming you so you can share this special day with your loved one.
Information for guests
Getting here/parking
If you're planning to travel to Dunedin on the day of graduation, please make sure you leave plenty of time as the roads into the city can be busy.
The area around the Dunedin Town Hall can get very busy and there will be little to no car parking available here.
We would recommend that you park outside of the main centre of town (if possible). This Where you can park webpage on the Dunedin City Council website might be useful for planning.
Another option is parking a distance away and getting a bus into the centre of town.
Attending guests
Due to the capacity of the Town Hall, we ask graduates to enter the total number of guests they want to bring when they register.
If we have a large ceremony, we will need to ensure we are following the Town Hall Health and Safety regulations and only filling the venue to its maximum capacity.
We may need to issue guest tickets for a large ceremony.
In this instance, we will send a communication out to graduates to advise of this situation.
Graduates will then be able to collect their guest tickets when they collect their gown.
All guests can sit in any unreserved seating in the Town Hall. Reserved seating will be marked with a sign so it'll be clear where guests can sit.
Please let us know if any guests need assistance on graduation day. e.g. an elderly guest with limited mobility or anyone specifically requiring ground floor seating. Email graduation@op.ac.nz
Can't make it to the ceremony?
We provide a livestream of each ceremony on our website. You can find this on the main Graduation webpage. This usually begins about 15 minutes before the start of each ceremony.
Ceremony details
Check the schedule for the day here.
Parade route
The parade will begin from the Faculty of Dentistry on Great King Street and progress down George Street to the Dunedin Town Hall. Graduands need to gather in front of the Faculty of Dentistry.
Professional ceremony photography
McRobie Studios take a photograph of everyone who crosses the stage at the Graduation Ceremony. Photographs will be taken as degrees are conferred and awards are presented.
These photographs, along with frames and mattes with the Otago Polytechnic logo, are available to view and order online at McRobies. There are alternate ways to order, please enquire about this directly with McRobie Studios (details on their website).
Event photography
Just a heads-up, during the Graduation Parade through Dunedin City, and during the Graduation Ceremonies at Dunedin Town Hall, our Marketing team will be taking photographs and recording video for the Otago Polytechnic promotional channels.
Merchandise
Say congratulations with our official Otago Polytechnic merchandise.
Order through our online shop or buy in person from our Customer Services Desk (Dunedin Campus, Forth Street, Monday-Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm). Merchandise will also be available to buy at the Dunedin Town Hall on graduation day (Friday 13 March, 11.00am-5:30pm).
Contact us
If you need some guidance, we’re here to help. Feel free to chat to us directly about any questions you may have.