Open Polytechnic Celebrates Auckland Graduation

Friday, 9 May 2025, 11:01 am
Press Release: Open Polytechnic

One hundred and seventy-five diploma and degree graduates from the upper North Island graduated at the Due Drop Events Centre in Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau this week (Thursday 8 May 2025), to receive their qualifications from Open Polytechnic, New Zealand’s specialist provider of online learning.

Auckland’s Pasifika sisters Vanessa (28), Serena (26) and Alyssa Tatupu (25) had never planned to do any tertiary education, but when the option to earn a New Zealand Diploma in Funeral Directing (Level 5) at Open Polytechnic came up, “it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up”.

The trio, based in Manukau City, all work as funeral directors for Ese Tatupu Funeral Directors & Mortuary Embalmers under the guidance of their father Ese Tatupu, who is also a funeral director.

The family and business are not only known in the Samoan community, but also in the wider Pasifika community in the region.

“None of us had studied at a tertiary level before so when the qualification became available, we were in a position to study together,” Serena said.

“The idea of achieving the same qualification our father did, but together by each other's sides, what could be a greater feeling than that?”

Open Polytechnic is the only learning provider to offer the programme and is New Zealand’s leading online flexible learning provider, which made it easier for the sisters to juggle work, life and study commitments.

While the New Zealand Diploma in Funeral Directing (Level 5) isn’t compulsory to work in the funeral industry, it provided the sisters with an excellent opportunity to upskill.

“We’ve had the chance to deepen our understanding of funeral care and the industry practice through this qualification,” Vanessa said.

“It allows us to apply this knowledge directly to our work. It’s also enabled us to become registered funeral directors with the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand.”

According to Vanessa, the Open Polytechnic resources were easy to use and the support from staff was helpful.

“The iQualify online learning portal was easy to navigate, and the course content and assignments were easy to access,” she said.

The sisters would recommend that others take the plunge and study online with Open Polytechnic.

The sisters graduated from Open Polytechnic’s first ceremony of the year at the Due Drop Centre in Auckland on Thursday.

Auckland-based Bachelor of Social Work graduate Jasmine Bishop was the student speaker at the ceremony.

Jasmine commenced her speech talking about the last five years and how much has changed, noting that her child was eight months old when she started, and is now a six-year-old school student.

She paid tribute to her fellow graduates, who, like herself, have juggled their studies with caregiving, work and other commitments.

Her speech concluded with a Māori proverb.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini,” she said.

“My strength is not that of a single warrior, but of many.”

“We would not be here without the collective effort of our people — those who stood before us, and those who stand beside us.”

During his speech, Executive Director Open Polytechnic Alan Cadwallader congratulated the graduates for their commitment to completing their studies.

"Today, we recognise each graduate for their perseverance, accomplishments, and realisation of their educational goals,” he said.

“I know your study journey will not always have been easy, and I would like to thank those in the audience that have supported you.”

Alan also acknowledged and thanked Open Polytechnic’s kaimahi (staff) who have walked beside ākonga (learners) throughout their educational journey.

“I’m pleased to be able to say that in our most recent student satisfaction survey, 94% of our ākonga said they were satisfied with their overall experience with Open Polytechnic,” Alan said.

“This level of satisfaction can only be achieved by an all of organisation effort to ensure our ākonga have the teaching and facilitation, feedback, services and tools they need to succeed in their studies.”

The graduates at the Auckland ceremony graduated with a variety of diplomas and degrees, including Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary Education, Business, Applied Management, Social Work, Library and Information Studies, Engineering Technology, Information Technology, Construction, Architectural Technology, Legal Executive, the Applied Sciences and Psychology, Funeral Directing and Social Health and Wellbeing.

The Auckland ceremony was the first of three for Open Polytechnic, with the second ceremony to come in Christchurch on Tuesday 20 May and Wellington on Tuesday 27 May. Including those awarded in absentia, around 1150 graduates will receive their diploma or degree from Open Polytechnic this graduating year.

About Open Polytechnic

As New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning, Open Polytechnic enrols more than 35,000 mainly part-time students per year. The majority of students are adult learners, combining work and study.

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