Topical FAQs

This page holds the most up to date information about a range of current topics.

The topics are presented A-Z. 

We will continue to update the Q+As after any further communications are sent to kaimahi 

 

Which programmes are being discontinued due to these evaluations?

We have made the decision to discontinue:

  • New Zealand Certificate in Brewing (Level 4), and
  • New Zealand Certificate in Stonemasonry (Level 4).

Our Brewing programme will not run at all from 2025. Our Stonemasonry programme will teach out its second year in 2025 and then cease all teaching from 2026.  

This also means we will no longer offer our Brew Weekend short course or our Drystone walling short course.

Why are these programmes ending?

Stonemasonry and Brewing do not have the enrolments to support their sustainability. 

This has been a very difficult choice for us, but we believe it gives us the best possible chance to be a sustainable organisation into the future and for us to be a standalone institution. We are committed to trying to find a path that will best serve the Cromwell community and wider region, and to play our part in achieving a sustainable model for New Zealand’s tertiary education sector.  

What will happen to the Brew School? 

We’re currently working through what this means for our on-campus brewery and our Brew School products and will provide a further update when we can.  

What’s been done to support impacted kaimahi? 

Our priority focus is on the wellbeing of kaimahi who have been affected by this decision. We are working closely with them on potential redeployment opportunities. 

TKM want to thank the kaimahi who established and taught on these programmes over the last few years – thank you for your dedication to our ākonga and for the passion you have for your subject. Thank you also to all Cromwell and Wānaka-based kaimahi for engaging in the reviews and for taking the time to submit such considered feedback.  

Have stakeholders been told? 

Yes, we have liaised with prospective ākonga key contacts such as Career Advisors. We have also sent out emails to community stakeholders and programme partners and socialised this on our Facebook and Linkedin channels. The Otago Polytechnic website has been updated to reflect all changes and new pathways. 

We are holding a kaimahi engagement event and a community engagement event in Cromwell on 27 January 2025. At these events, TKM will meet with kaimahi and key stakeholders to gather thoughts and ideas around ensuring the Central Otago campus is sustainable in the long run. 

Why did this appear in the media? 

The public statements in the media are not something we actively pursued but they are also not something we can escape. We try and front foot these as best we can, when and where possible. Unfortunately, we cannot control the narrative that sometimes appears in the media or the timings of when things become public knowledge. 

Key changes

Ākonga

Kaimahi

  • If kaimahi* wish to have a dog in an office space, they will need to get written consent from all kaimahi who work in the area. This includes individual offices and shared spaces. The Formal Leader will advise the kaimahi dog owner of the outcome (refer to Appendix 1 in the policy). 
  • If a new kaimahi* starts in the work area, consent also needs to be gained from them, and this may result in a change of conditions for the dog being permitted on campus.
  • Any dog events/dog visits to an Otago Polytechnic campus will require an application to the Animals@OP committee to ensure all aspects of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Animal Welfare Act are considered, including identifying animal and human risk mitigation strategies (refer to Appendix 2 in the policy).
  • If kaimahi wish to take their dog to a dog event/visit or for the dog to be part of an Otago Polytechnic- sanctioned event i.e. Tertiary Open Day, even if they have consent to have their dog on campus they will need to apply to Animals@OP committee to have their dog present.
  • Any incidents around dogs on campus need to be lodged in VAULT (our Wellbeing and Safety Reporting tool).

*This includes all contractors. 

Public / visitors

  • The public and visitors are not allowed to have dogs anywhere on campus. The exception again being Service Dogs. 

FAQs

Q: Who were the key stakeholders involved in making this decision?

TKM, PCW, Wellbeing and Safety, HOC ECL, Acting HOP School Animal Health, Animals@OP Committee, and the Policies Committee which included ākonga representation.

Q: Who will advise ākonga that currently bring dog/s on to campus that this is no longer allowed?

We will be adding a message to the student intranet, Kāpehu, for ākonga about this change to the policy. We will also make sure that OPSA and Programme Reps spread the word.

If an ākonga brings a dog on to campus after 1 January 2025, please refer them to the policy and advise them that dogs are no longer allowed. Please ask them to remove their dog from campus. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, please ask the relevant Head of College/Head of Programme; a Wellbeing and Safety Team member or OPSA to discuss the situation with the ākonga (preferably in that order).

Q: If I currently bring my dog to work, do I need to get consent from all kaimahi within my work area?  

Yes.

Q: How long will I have to gain consent from all kaimahi in my work area?  

You will have until 1st January 2025 to complete this mahi. 

Q: If I work in the School of Animal Health, am I required to get consent from all kaimahi with my work area to bring my dog to work?

Yes, this policy applies to all kaimahi, including contractors.

Q: Are external contractors coming onto an Otago Polytechnic campus permitted to bring dogs?

No, not without an application to Animals@OP approval (refer to Appendix 2).

Q: As a kaimahi dog owner, do I need to talk to my Formal Leader about bringing my dog to work before I send the consent form to all kaimahi in my work area?

Yes, to ensure your Formal Leader is aware of this process being undertaken.

Q: If I am asked by a kaimahi dog owner to complete a consent form and do not want a dog in my work area will my information be confidential?  

Yes, your consent will be submitted once you complete it to your Formal Leader only.  They are required to ensure this information is stored confidentially, and no information is disclosed to the kaimahi dog owner relating to your feedback.

Q: If I am allowed to have my dog in my workspace, will I be required to put signage up within the area to warn others of its presence?  

Yes, particularly on internal doors. You can download this here or from the policy.  

Q: Will Campus Services be putting up signage warning of the potential presence of dogs on campus?  

Yes, these will be located at each main entranceways to all buildings.

Q: What areas on Otago Polytechnic campuses am I permitted to have my dog if I have permission for it to be on campus?

Your dog can be in your work area, public walkways, in The Hub (or equivalent), Otago Polytechnic grounds and car parks. It must be on a lead and under control at all times. It also needs to be kept well away from food preparation areas. If you’re in a shared space such as The Hub, you need to check with those around you that they are comfortable with your dog being there. 

Q: Where is my dog not allowed?

Any Otago Polytechnic learning and teaching spaces/activities, including work-placement/clinical placement or equivalents (except the School of Animal Health as per the currently approved animal use protocol) such as laboratories, workshops, building sites, art studios, design workshops, classrooms, field trips, outdoor activities, toilet facilities, hospitality kitchens and cafes, and accommodation i.e. Te Pa Tauira.

Q: What happens if ākonga brings a dog to class or onto campus?  

Please ask them to remove the dog away from campus, preferably by having someone come and collect it or take it home. Please also log an incident on VAULT.

Q: What happens if I see a dog behaving aggressively, or inappropriately, showing signs of distress and do not feel comfortable to talk to the dog owner?

Please refer this to your Formal Leader and log a job on VAULT for the incident to be investigated.

Q: Who do I contact if I have any questions?

Please connect with Francesca.Brown@op.ac.nz (Veterinarian, and Acting Head of College; College of Engineering, Construction and Living Sciences). 

Q: What is being proposed? 

We are proposing to close and sell the Cromwell Town Campus and on-site accommodation.   

Q: Why are you doing this?  

These are currently under-utilised assets.  

Town Campus: The EFTS for the Town Campus don’t support the physical footprint and we’ll be reviewing where future delivery sits best for any affected programme.  

On-site accommodation: The occupancy over the last few years have not been optimal. In addition, the ever-increasing pastoral care code requirements mean that the kind of support we will be needing to offer has vastly changed since we first started providing accommodation. The elements that would need to be put in place at Cromwell to guarantee our obligations to the pastoral care code are impractical against the cost to run the accommodation. TKM feel the risk is therefore too high to continue operating the Cromwell accommodation.  

Q: What’s going to happen to students who are already living there or who were going to be living there next year? 

We expect the impact on ākonga currently living in our accommodation to be minimal. We will either honour any agreement already in place or work with them to find alternative accommodation if they wish.  

Q: Won’t the lack of on-site accommodation impact ākonga numbers in Cromwell?  

We know that the provision of accommodation reduces barriers to enter our programmes in Cromwell. Unfortunately, the uptake of our Cromwell accommodation over the last three years has not been near capacity, and, due to this, we are better placed to instead support potential students into other accommodation options.  

Q: What’s the long-term thinking around the whole Cromwell Campus?    

No decisions have been pre-determined regarding Central Otago/Cromwell. We are committed to being transparent and we have shared everything we know at this stage. As soon as we have any more information, we’ll share it with you all.  

Which programmes are being discontinued due to these evaluations? 

We have made the decision to discontinue the following programmes from 2025: 

Beauty Therapy 

  • New Zealand Certificate in Study and Employment Pathways (Level 3) with a focus on beauty 

Note: Learners can use the New Zealand Certificate in Study and Employment Pathways (Level 3) to pathway into our New Zealand Certificate in Beauty Therapy (Level 4). 

Design

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Design  
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Design  
  • Master of Design  
  • Master of Design Enterprise   

Note: We will continue to offer the Bachelor of Design (Honours) and all undergraduate design programmes. Our Master of Design will teach out its final year in 2025 and then cease all teaching from 2026. 

Digital Media and Design 

  • New Zealand Diploma in Digital Media and Design (Level 5)   

Note: We will continue to offer the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design (Level 4). This can be used as a negotiated pathway into our New Zealand Diploma in Photography (Level 6). 

Early Childhood Education 

  • New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 3) and (Level 4)  

English Language 

  • New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Level 2) 

Note: We are continuing to offer our other English Language programmes based in Dunedin. 

Health and Wellbeing 

  • New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services) (Level 4) 

Note: Learners can use the Health Bridging Certificate – New Zealand Certificate in Study and Employment Pathways (Level 3) and (Level 4) – to pathway into the Bachelor of Social Services 

Horticulture 

  • New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (General) (Level 3)
  • New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Amenity) (Level 3)
  • New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services (Amenity) (Level 4) 

Note: We are continuing to offer horticulture at our Central Otago campus. 

Occupational Therapy 

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice in Health and Wellbeing (Specialty) 
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Occupational Therapy Practice 
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Therapy Practice 
  • Master of Occupational Therapy  

Note: We will continue to offer the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours), and our Bachelor of Occupational Therapy degree. We will teach out all of our postgraduate programmes so that current ākonga can complete their qualifications and then teaching will cease. 

Why are these programmes ending? 

All of the discontinued programmes did not have the enrolments to support their sustainability. 

Whilst this has been a difficult decision to make, we believe it gives us the best possible chance to be sustainable into the future and for us to be a standalone institution. We are committed to finding a path that will best serve the Dunedin community and wider region, and to play our part in achieving a sustainable model for New Zealand’s tertiary education sector. 

What’s been done to support impacted kaimahi? 

Our priority focus is on the wellbeing of kaimahi who have been affected by this decision. We are working closely with them on potential redeployment opportunities. 

TKM want to thank the kaimahi who established and taught on these programmes – thank you for your dedication to our ākonga and for the passion you have for your subject. Thank you also to all kaimahi who engaged in the reviews and took time to submit such considered feedback.

What’s been done to support affected learners or applicants? 

All current learners will be able to complete their programme of study. 

We have reached out to all applicants/enrolled applicants for 2025 intakes to offer them alternative options. Each person was offered an appointment with our Careers Team to discuss their path and our Pasifika and Te Punaka Ōwheo reached out to Pasifika and Māori applicants. 

We have also given a full refund to any applicant or enrolled student who had a place in our student village if they now do not wish to keep it. 

Have stakeholders been told? 

Yes, we have liaised with prospective ākonga key contacts such as Career Advisors. We have also sent out emails to community stakeholders and programme partners and socialised this on our Facebook and Linkedin channels. The Otago Polytechnic website has been updated to reflect all changes and new pathways. 

Why did this appear in the media? 

The public statements in the media are not something we actively pursued but they are also not something we can escape. We try and front foot these as best we can, when and where possible. Unfortunately, we cannot control the narrative that sometimes appears in the media or the timings of when things become public knowledge. 

Q: Why are the Programme Sustainability Evaluations happening? 

To align with our organisational push for evidence-based decision making, we have reintroduced the Annual Programme Sustainability Evaluations. Many of you will be familiar with these as we used to complete them when we were a stand-alone organisation.  

We need to understand which programmes are under resourced or over resourced to allow for optimal performance of the organisation so we can: 

  • ensure workloads remain at manageable levels, and 
  • operate in a financially sustainable way. 

Workload pressure was a major concern in our Wellbeing Pulse Check and a review and realignment of resources is one way to achieve this 

We also need to ensure we are offering a mix of provision that meets and responds to the changing needs of the regional community we serve.

Q: Why is it just the academic areas that are under review?  

Since April this year, TKM have been asking Professional Staff leaders to produce a monthly report so they can make data-driven decisions in our operational areas too.  

We need to ensure that we are striving towards our commitment to be financially sustainable. This means we are looking at all areas of our organisation and how they contribute to the whole. 

Q: What data was considered when deciding if a programme was viable or not?  

Along with current application and enrolment data viewed against the budget forecast, we also reviewed data such as community need, pathway programmes, financial contributions and student to lecturer ratios.  

Q: I’ve been told my programme does not appear to be sustainable, what will consultation look like?  

Staff from each of the programmes which do not appear to be sustainable will be invited to take part in a four-week consultation process relating to the proposal to stop delivering the programme (either at the end of 2024 or once the programme is taught out).   

You will be invited to a meeting where we will talk you through the consultation process and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.  

To ensure we give each consultation process the time and energy it deserves, these will be rolled out in a staggered way from the last week in September 2024.  

Consultation meetings will be led by your Head of College and will be attended by a member of the People and Culture Team. You are welcome to bring a support person (such as a family member or friend) or representative (such as a union representative) with you to the meetings. 

Q: What opportunity will I have to feed back during the consultation process?  

During the consultation period, we genuinely want to work with you to make sure all elements have been considered, and to seek your views and input on the proposal.   

We’ll be able to discuss any ideas you have for increasing the viability of the programme.   

You may have thoughts around how we can attract more learners, how we could make changes to the current delivery models, how we could reduce costs, or potential new sources of revenue for your programme.  

Q: What support is available? 

We know this is a really challenging time and that people will be feeling a wide range of emotions. The Heads of College and TKM are here to support you. Please reach out to us if you want to talk.  

We also have our range of other support options available including talking to a member of the People and Culture Team, reaching out to our chaplain service and/or using our Employee Assistance Programme. More information about the support services can be found here on Tūhono.  

Please look after each other during this time. People react to situations differently and we need to acknowledge that and be empathetic towards it. As these are internal proposals that do affect multiple staff, we need to be sensitive and respect the process and colleagues’ privacy.    

Q: Where can I find a copy of the consultation document?  

You can find a copy of the consultation document here.

Q: Where can I find the Ministry of Education information about the reforms?  

Head to this webpage for the MoE info.  

Q: Where can I find a high-level summary of the reforms and what is being proposed?  

We created a VET section on Tūhono which holds links to useful information and resources. You can find it here.

Q: What are the timeframes and next steps?  

The below timeframes were communicated by the Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Education:  

  • 1 August – 12 September 2024: Consultation period
  • October – December 2024: Decisions to be taken and confirmed (recommendations to Cabinet by the end of November)
  • January – June 2025: Legislative process will occur, some entities that are deemed to be able to stand-alone will begin to be given more autonomy 
  • 1 January 2026: New system comes into effect  

Q: What might happen over the next year?  

On 20 September, Gus Gilmore ran an online hui for all kaimahi.  

This hui covered:

  • a summary of Te Pūkenga Council's consultation submission 
  • an update on the Regional Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Viability Project (RIV)
  • the next steps for business divisions as Te Pūkenga continues to be disestablished.