All students must graduate within 18 months of completing their qualification.

If you're not sure which ceremony you should attend, check the Graduation Ceremony dates information below. 

When do I need to register? 

We will email you when you are eligible. You will also see an alert to register when you log into the Student Hub. 

Where do I register? 

Register online via Student Hub. You should register even if:

• you are not planning to attend a ceremony (e.g. graduate in absentia)
• you don’t know your results yet
• you’d like to defer your graduation to the next available graduation 
• you only wish to attend your school Pre-graduation Functions
• your graduation will be held next year March.   

How do I register? 

Log in with your Otago Polytechnic username and password at Student Hub. There will be a registration form available when the registration is open. It is important that all your contact information is up to date so you do not miss important graduation messages we may send. 

When registering for graduation we will ask you: 

• whether you will be graduating in person or in absentia
• about any special seating arrangements required for yourself or your guests
• your academic regalia hire details, e.g. height and head size
• how many guest seats you require. 

Cancellations

You must notify the Graduation Team graduation@op.ac.nz  at least five days prior to graduation if you are cancelling your order. Cancelled orders will be fully refunded into your bank account (please provide proof of account details). The processing of refunds takes up to 10 working days.

To graduate either in person or in absentia at one of the ceremonies listed below, you must register via the Student Hub. 

The venue for all ceremonies is the Dunedin Town Hall. 

Friday 11 December 2020 at 12:30pm (Ceremony 1) 

• Auckland International Campus
• Capable NZ
• Central Campus
• College of Community Development & Personal Wellbeing - Bachelor of Social Services, Childhood Studies, English Language Centre, Foundation Learning, Hairdressing, Health and Wellbeing, Health Bridging, Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education
• College of Engineering, Construction and Living Sciences - Bachelor and Certificate IT, Carpentry, Engineering  

Friday 11 December 2020 at 3:30pm (Ceremony 2) 

• College of Art, Design & Architecture including Business, Design, TANZ eCampus.
• College of Health - Institute of Sport Exercise & Health, and School of Nursing only 

Friday 12 March 2021 at 3:00pm 

• Capable NZ
• Central Campus
• College of Art, Design and Architecture - Food Design Institute only
• College of Community Development and Personal Well-being - GDTE & Whanau Ora
• College of Engineering, Construction and Living Sciences includes Vet Nursing
• College of Health - Midwifery and Occupational Therapy only

Most Schools/Colleges hold their own individual Pre-Graduation Ceremonies to celebrate the success of their students together as a School. These ceremonies are held either earlier than the formal Graduation Ceremony at the Dunedin Town Hall or the same day, either in the morning before the ceremony or straight after. 

At the Pre-Graduation Ceremonies special student awards are presented, class photographs are taken, and food and drink is usually available. In some School/College functions, there is an opportunity for the graduands and/or their families to speak. We welcome your family and friends to our Pre-Graduation functions. Numbers attending are required, but this is for catering purposes only. You can order your Pre-graduation tickets from your school. 

December 2020 Pre-Graduation event details

March 2021Pre-Graduation event details

Friday 11 December 2020 

Morning for all graduands

Ceremony One

Ceremony Two

Graduation at Alert Level 1

There is no limit on the number of people who can attend a social event or enter a public facility at Alert Level 1. It's perfectly safe to do so. To keep everyone comfortable on the day, we'll be following best practice, government advice on track and trace, and public safety. 

When to stay home 

Do not come to graduation (or attend gatherings or public events) if you are:

• unwell
• a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19 
• waiting for a Covid-19 test result 
• self-isolating. 

If you feel unwell before graduation day, please email graduation@op.ac.nz and let them know you won't be coming. 

If you feel unwell on graduation day, please freephone 0800 762 786 and let them know you won't be coming. 

What will happen during the ceremony?

• We will not be shaking hands during the ceremony and will instead present awards to recipients.
• Mask wearing is optional for anyone who wants to wear one. 
• Mask wearing is also optional for Otago Polytechnic staff. Dunedin Venue staff will be wearing masks. 

How to track and trace 

Businesses must legally display Covid Tracer QR code posters in prominent places to help you keep track of where you've been. Dunedin Town Hall will be displaying these QR code posters - we recommend you use the Government Covid Tracer App to scan this QR code when you arrive at the Town Hall. Guests will be provided with a flyer which includes a printed QR code that they can scan. 

Please remember that you can't take any bags, flowers, other items into the Town Hall as you will change seats during the ceremony and can't carry items across the stage. 

We have a desk at the front door where you can check your items in before the ceremony and collect them again at the end. We have staff minders who look after these items to ensure they are secure. 

Hygiene practices 

• We encourage everyone to keep using good hygiene practices to keep each other safe. 
• There are plenty of hand washing facilities at the Town Hall (with soap, water, hand dryers/paper towels).  
• Organisers have said they will be providing alcohol-based hand sanitiser. 
• If you cough and sneeze, please do so into your elbow. 

Anything else?

To help prevent further spread of Covid-19 and other viruses (e.g. the common cold or flu), you may want to practice physical distancing where possible. While the risk of exposure to Covid-19 is low, it may re-emerge and you should always follow basic hygiene to prevent spreading the virus. 

People at higher risk of Covid-19 infection are encouraged to take extra precautions when leaving home to protect your own health. Use your judgement. You may personally want to avoid large gatherings or choose to wear a mask.  

All Otago Polytechnic graduands must appear at its public ceremonies in their prescribed dress. For graduation you must hire, or buy the appropriate academic regalia.

You can hire your academic regalia through the Graduation Registration form via your Student Hub when the form is open. If you have not registered by the closing date, you will not be able to hire an academic dress for the ceremony and will not be able to attend the ceremony.

Please check the registration date

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Payment for Regalia

Once you have registered for graduation, a link to Eventbrite will appear on your student hub to pay for your academic dress, alternatively cash, cheque or eftpos payments will be available at Customer Services or by ringing 0800 762 786 to make a credit card/debit card payment.

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Regalia Hire Cost 

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Collection dates for December 2020 and March 2021 

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Return dates 

All items of hired academic dress must be returned to the Gown Room at one of the above opening times. 

You will be charged replacement costs for any lost, damaged or soiled items of academic dress.  The replacement value can be up to $1000.

Academic dress can be collected and returned on your behalf by friends or family members. However, the responsibility for safe return of academic dress is still yours.

PLEASE NOTE: If your regalia is not returned at the times as stated above, you will be invoiced up to $1000 for the cost to replace the regalia.

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Gown Room location

Click here for a map to the Graduation Gown Room.

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Looking After Your Academic Regalia

You are responsible for each piece of academic dress you hire, we recommend you hang out regalia as soon as possible to ensure it remains crease free.  Please do not pin anything to your regalia.

If you need to press any pieces, please note that always use a dry iron on low heat (i.e. no steam), with a cloth to protect the fabric.

Please note that the following can cause severe damage to regalia: 

• Throwing trenchers into the air, and careless use of trenchers. Please ensure that the mortar board of your trencher is flat when stored.
• Makeup, tanning products, food and drink mark the regalia easily. Please be aware of this and be careful when using any products.
• Cigarette burns, car door marks and foot prints are often found on returned regalia. Please be careful to avoid these.

If any damage occurs to the regalia while in your hire you are likely to incur repair, cleaning and/or replacement costs.

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Cancellations

You must notify the Graduation Team (graduation@op.ac.nz) at least five days prior to graduation if you are cancelling your order. Cancelled orders will be fully refunded into your bank account (please provide proof of account details). The processing of refunds takes up to 10 working days.

There is no prescribed dress code, but your graduation ceremony is a formal celebration of your achievement, and we encourage you to dress appropriately.

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Academic Regalia Breakdown

Graduating with a Certificate

If you are graduating with a certificate, you only need a blue gown.

Graduating with a Diploma

If you are graduating with a diploma, you need a gown and sash .

Graduating with a Degree

If you are graduating with a degree, you need a gown, sash, hood and trencher.

Graduating with a Honours Degree  

If you are graduating with a honours degree you need a gown, sash, hood edged with dark blue and trencher.

Graduating with a Postgraduate Degree / Diploma

If you are graduating with a postgraduate degree / diploma, you need a gown, sash, hood and trencher.

Graduating with a Masters 

If you are graduating with a master, you need a gown, single colour hood and trencher with gold tassel. 

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Wearing Your Academic Dress

Facing - Buttoned onto the gown by shoulder buttons and lies flat down either side of opening of gown.

Hood -  Buttoned onto the gown by shoulder buttons over the top of a facing.

Trencher - Worn with the shorter peak to the front, the longer to the back, top parallel to the ground and the tassel over the left eye. 

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Please note we will Not be issuing tickets for your guests. 

Due to the limited capacity at the Town Hall we appreciate you advising the total number of guest seats you require in the registration form. 

Please let us know if any of your guests need assistance on graduation day. e.g. an elderly guest with limited mobility or anyone specifically requiring ground floor seating. 

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Celebrate all your hard work with your friends and family by participating in the graduation parade from the OPSA Graduation Parade along George Street to the Dunedin Town Hall.

2020
December Ceremony

Date: Friday 11 December 2020
Assembly time: 10:40am
Parade starts: 11:00am 
Meet: Otago University Dental School, Great King Street

2021
March Ceremony

Date: Friday 12 March 2021
Assembly time: 1:10pm
Parade starts: 1:30pm 
Meet: Otago University Dental School, Great King Street

Please ensure that you arrive at the designated time for your allocated graduation ceremony in appropriate academic dress. Please note: You may not be allowed to take part in the ceremony if you are late.

We have arranged for McRobie Studios to 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*, will be available to view and order online at McRobies.

Alternatively, you may write, email or phone McRobie Studios. Please state the date of the ceremony, the graduate’s name and the page number they are listed on in the Graduation Booklet. It also helps to add some descriptive details, such as male/female, hair colour and length, any distinctive clothing from the waist up, such as suit or dress colour, tie, jewellery,  etc.

Contact details:

McRobie Studios, PO Box 11019,

Musselburgh 9049, DUNEDIN

Phone/fax: 03 477 5801,

email: studio@mcrobie.co.nz

In 2013, Otago Polytechnic re-signed the 10 year old Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Papatipu R¯unaka ki Arai-Te-¯uru (Moeraki, Puketeraki, ¯Ot¯akou and Hokonui). Much progress has been made in strengthening the relationship between the Papatipu R¯unaka and the Polytechnic with the implementation and monitoring of the M¯aori Strategic Framework, which was developed from the MOU. Since March 2007, as an acknowledgement of this important relationship, Otago Polytechnic Graduation Ceremonies commence with karaka and a mihi mai¯oh¯a.

The purpose of the mihi mai¯oh¯a is to greet, in M¯aori, all visitors and all graduands to this place, while also acknowledging Kai Tahu’s place in the Otago Polytechnic Graduation Ceremony. A mihi mai¯oh¯a 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 mai¯oh¯a will contain an element of the recitation of the landscape and our t¯upuna (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 mai¯oh¯a there will be a waiata k¯i naki (song of support for the mai¯oh¯a), E tu Kahikatea sung by staff and it will end with the karaka once more to signal its closure.

To get a replacement certificate, you need to complete the Replacement Form, then email it to certificate@op.ac.nz 

Cost and timeframe

Damaged certificate 

I think I’m eligible but the registration message doesn’t appear when I log in to the Student Hub?

Don’t panic. If you feel that you are eligible to graduate but a registration message isn’t appearing when you log in to the Student Hub, please email graduation@op.ac.nz  

I don’t know my results yet - should I register for graduation?

Yes, you should register even you haven't had 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.

Can I purchase extra tickets and do I pay for extra tickets?

Please note we will Not be issuing tickets for your guests. 

All guests may sit in any unreserved seating, however if your guests do require special seating requirements they will be issued separate tickets.

How can I cancel my registration?

You must notify the Graduation Team (graduation@op.ac.nz) at least five days prior to graduation if you are cancelling your order. Cancelled orders will be fully refunded into your bank account (please provide proof of account details). The processing of refunds takes up to 10 working days.