Graduation
Information for graduands
Congratulations on completing your qualification and preparing for your graduation! It's an honour to hold these special ceremonies for our graduands. Here you'll find everything you need to know, including our karakia and a mihi maiōhā.
Karakia and Mihi Maiōhā
Since March 2007, as an acknowledgement of this important relationship, Otago Polytechnic Graduation Ceremonies commence with karakia and a mihi maiōhā.
The purpose of the mihi maiōhā is to greet, in Māori, all visitors and all graduands to this place, while also acknowledging Kai Tahu’s place in the Otago Polytechnic Graduation Ceremony. A mihi maiōhā is not surrounded by the formality of powhiri and differs from mihi whakatau in that this ceremonial begins and ends with the woman’s or women’s voice through karaka (or karanga in Northern dialect).
The mihi maiōhīa will contain an element of the recitation of the landscape and our tūpuna (ancestral names within it). It will briefly welcome all those attending the graduation to the place of those ancestors and will acknowledge that it is an honour for Kai Tahu to have been invited to participate in the graduation ceremony.
Following the maiōhā there will be a waiata kī naki (song of support for the maiōhā), E tu Kahikatea sung by staff and it will end with the karaka once more to signal its closure.
Frequently asked questions
These will mainly be sent by email to your personal email address (not your student email address) so keep an eye out.
We'll send you a text once the first graduation email is sent to let you know that it should be in your inbox.
We also need to send you a text closer to the time with your unique check in number. It’s really important that you take note of this so maybe keep it on your phone. A reminder text will be sent with the same number the day before graduation.
Please make sure your phone number and address is up-to-date in the Student Hub / Kāpehu. This is really important so we can text you and also courier your certificate to you. If you can’t access the Student Hub / Kāpehu for some reason but need to update your details, please email graduation@op.ac.nz
Our website graduation pages are also a good source of information and we keep these up to date. You can also check our Facebook page for updates and info about things like how to find the Gown Room!
If you believe you are eligible for one of the upcoming graduations but have not received an invitation email with a registration link, please contact us at graduation@op.ac.nz so we can investigate this for you.
Yes, you should register even you haven't got your results yet. All graduation registrations are subject to your final results and the successful completion of your programme.
If you are unsure if you are eligible to graduate, please contact your Programme Leader or School/College Administrator before you register.
Until registrations close, you can use your registration link to revisit the form and update your answers, including updating 'attending' to 'not attending'.
If registrations are closed, you will need to email us at graduation@op.ac.nz to cancel your registration.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you're not able to come.
If you need to tell us on the day that you're not attending, please try to do this as early as possible.
To get a refund for your gown
When you let us know that you can't come to graduation, please also let us know whether you'll need to cancel a gown order. The processing of a gown refund into your bank account takes up to 10 working days. If you have to cancel your order quite close to graduation day/on graduation day, please be aware that your refund may take a little longer to process due to workload.
No problem. If anything changes about your mobility (e.g. you hurt your leg) or accessibility (e.g. you’re having eyesight issues), please just email graduation@op.ac.nz and let us know. This will help us to ensure we make the ceremony work best for you.
Certificates and transcripts for graduates are printed and distributed upon completion of the qualification.
This is to allow graduates to have their awards on hand to use for any applications for further study, jobs, or promotions which they may be relevant to.
Most graduates will receive their certificate via courier sent to their home address. Please make sure your home address in the Student Hub / Kāpehu is up-to-date.
You will receive an email with a courier tracking number when your award has been sent.
If you are unable to access the Student Hub / Kāpehu, but need to update your home address, email us at graduation@op.ac.nz with your current address and we will update this on your behalf.
Certificates are not presented on stage at graduation ceremonies.
Certificates are assigned a tracking number when we pack and address the courier parcel. The tracking goes live when the parcel has been received by NZ Post and scanned into their system.
If the tracking link in your email returns a 'No information available' notification, please be patient and try again later.
Yes - contact certificates@op.ac.nz to request a replacement. Charges may apply depending on the nature of the replacement requested.
No. You do not need to bring your certificate to any pre-grad events or the graduation ceremony.
You're welcome to bring it with you if you'd like to have photos taken in your regalia with it but please remember that you can't carry this into the Town Hall.
You'll need to leave this with whānau and friends or our security minders in the Glenroy Auditorium foyer.
These events are organised by individual Schools. We'll update details of pre-grad events higher up this page as they become available and your School may touch base with you too.
You can find a full list of costs on our regalia page.
This page also gives you info about how you pay for your regalia (which you need to do before you pick it up) and what to do if you need to cancel your regalia order.
We know it's tricky choosing the right size for your headwear (trencher) so we offer trencher "try-on" at our Customer Services desk in the lead up to graduation (The Hub, Dunedin Campus).
Check the email sent to you before graduation to see what date this is available from (it's usually about two weeks before graduation day).
Our Customer Services Desk is open from 8.30am-5.00pm, Monday - Friday.
Our gown hire page has a full list of pick up dates and times. It also has a list of drop off dates, times and locations.
Find out all you need to know here.
There is no prescribed dress code but your graduation ceremony is a formal celebration of your achievement, and we encourage you to dress appropriately.
It's also a good idea to wear some comfortable shoes as you'll be on your feet a lot during the day. Please also note that you have to walk up some wooden steps to cross the stage and then down another set of wooden steps to exit the stage.
The Gown Room is located in B Block at our Dunedin Campus. This is accessible from St David Street. There's also plenty of parking available on Harbour Terrace.
You must wear the regalia for the highest qualification you will receive on the day of graduation. If you're getting a double qualification, you may choose to wear one colour, not two. You can find a full guide to our academic regalia here (including what to wear per qualification type, and hood and sash colours).
As a general rule, if you're taking part in the parade, you need to be at the parade start location by 10.40am. This parade finishes at the Dunedin Town Hall (Glenroy Auditorium) where you will then complete the check in process.
If you're not taking part in the parade, you'll need to get to the Dunedin Town Hall (Glenroy Auditorium) by the time check in begins. If you don't check in, you can't cross the stage.
If you're travelling to Dunedin on the day of graduation, please make sure you leave plenty of time to get here and to find parking.
Yes. Academic regalia can be collected and returned on your behalf by friends or family members. However, it's your responsibility for the safe return of your academic regalia.
If you've organised for someone else to collect your gown, please send the person's name and contact details to graduation@op.ac.nz
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.
