Otago Polytechnic is set to transition to Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology tomorrow, Tuesday 1 November 2022.

The transition will mean that Otago Polytechnic will cease to exist as a legal entity and all roles and structures will move into Te Pūkenga.

As a result, Otago Polytechnic Ltd’s Board is holding its final meeting today, Monday 31 October.

Adam La Hood, Otago Polytechnic Ltd Board Chairperson: "This meeting will give me the chance to thank Dr Megan Gibbons, her Executive Leadership Team as well as the Board for their contributions in preparing Otago Polytechnic for the transition."

All Otago Polytechnic kaimahi whose current employment extends beyond 31 October 2022, recently received a formal letter offering them employment with Te Pūkenga in the same capacity, location and terms and conditions as their current roles.

Otago Polytechnic held a staff function last Friday, 28 October, to mark the transition.

The decision to move on 1 November enables Otago Polytechnic to complete the transition process before our busy end-of-year processes and activities, and the Christmas closedown period.

The roles of Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive Dr Megan Gibbons and those of Deputy Chief Executives within Te Kāhui Manukura (our Executive Leadership Team) will be "lifted and shifted", although Dr Gibbons’ title will alter slightly to "Executive Director".

Otago Polytechnic’s transition to Te Pūkenga includes replacing signage and branding previously related solely to Otago Polytechnic. This will be a phased process that continues into 2023.

For example, on 21 September, Otago Polytechnic’s branding at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, was replaced by Te Pūkenga brand.

This is part of an extensive branding process continuing across New Zealand.

"Te Pūkenga brand has been created by some of the most talented design agencies in the country and, significantly, in close collaboration with subsidiaries and stakeholders," says Dr Gibbons.

In conjunction with this ongoing rebranding process, Te Pūkenga has also recently launched a national advertising campaign to help New Zealanders understand who the organisation is and how it can support learners and employers across the country.

The campaign - and rebranding - follows the launch of a significantly revamped Te Pūkenga website, which features intelligent navigation that draws on data from the entire Te Pūkenga network, rather than learners and employers having to navigate 25 different websites.

"There are regionally targeted advertisements explaining the relationship between all of us in the network and Te Pūkenga, highlighting how a national network will be combined with an ongoing, strong regional and local presence," Dr Gibbons says.

"This time of year is typically an important phase of Otago Polytechnic’s marketing, a time when we seek to recruit learners for our 2023 programmes.

"The difference this year is that, as a network, we have developed a coordinated approach aimed at reducing competitive elements of advertising.

"Just like Te Pūkenga branding at Forsyth Barr Stadium, all of this activity reflects the move towards a cohesive, integrated national network."

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