The split celebrations help accommodate the large numbers, with 305 graduates at the 12:30pm ceremony, and 350 graduates at the 3:30pm event. (Another 54 students will graduate in absentia).

Otago Polytechnic is delighted to be hosting two high quality guest speakers to address graduates and their families on their day of celebration.

Former professional Tongan rugby player Uili Kolo'ofa'i now leads Talanoa Ola, a Pacific Cultural resource at the Ministry of Social Development, and will speak at the first ceremony.

Fashion graduate and Dunedin-based designer Tara Viggo is the guest speaker at our second ceremony, and will share the guiding pillars that have been central to her journey.

"Graduation is a wonderful time to celebrate hard work and success,” says Dr Megan Pōtiki, Executive Director Otago Polytechnic. “And we love the feeling of pride that's in the air.”

"It’s an honour to be a part of it, but it’s also a humbling experience," she says.

"As the vocational sector undergoes ongoing change and pressure, this graduation week is a welcome reminder of why and what we’re all here for."

Graduates from both ceremonies will march through central Dunedin as part of a traditional street parade on Friday morning, starting from outside the University of Otago Dental School.

The first ceremony includes programmes in Beauty Therapy, Bicultural Competency, English Language, Foundation Studies, Hairdressing, Health Bridging, Massage Therapy, Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social Services, Sport, Study and Career Preparation, and Teaching.

The second ceremony includes programmes in Applied Management, Automotive, Arboriculture, Architecture, Art, Business, Carpentry, Cookery, Construction Management, Culinary Arts, Design, Digital Media and Design, Electrical Trades, Engineering Technology, Game Design, Game Development, Hospitality, Information Technology, Mechanical Trades, Photography, Plumbing, Vet Nursing & Animal Healthcare, and Work-Based Learning.

Several schools have been holding their own pre-graduation events, to celebrate with their successful students in a smaller and less formal environment. (The School of Nursing's event is pictured above). Pre-grad events this week include Pasifika, Māori, Nursing, Animal Health, Midwifery, and Occupational Therapy.

The two Town Hall graduation ceremonies will be livestreamed via Otago Polytechnic’s YouTube channel, to allow friends and whānau who can't make it to the events in person to view proceedings online.

Otago Polytechnic is proud to have five Doctors of Professional Practice graduating. (Three will be taking part in person on Friday, and two will be in absentia):

•    Teresa Bradfield’s qualitative descriptive analysis, Navigating the Nexus: Enhancing Engagement in New Zealand's Clinical Governance Landscape provides new insight as to why trust-based engagement matters in the governance healthcare environment. (*In absentia)

•    Dave Hursthouse’s doctoral research, Becoming Tangata Tiriti, addresses the role of non-Māori in the decolonisation of Aotearoa.

•    Michael Mullens’ professional practice-based doctoral research, Anticipatory Thinking and Sensemaking for Educational Design in an Era of Disruption, explores how Global Service Learning programmes can adapt to volatile and uncertain environments.

•    Vicki Murray’s thesis, Ko Ngāti Awa te Toki - Unravelling the Adze, is a groundbreaking in-depth study on Ngāti Awa tribal governance, using the Maihi methodology and other innovative approaches rooted in Ngāti Awa traditions. (*In absentia)

•    Stuart Terry’s thesis, The Making of a Professional: Insights from Four Decades Within Vocational Education, is a groundbreaking exploration of professional identity construction among professional administrative staff in New Zealand’s vocational education sector. (Stuart works as an Organisational Researcher within Otago Polytechnic's People and Culture team).