Studying at Open Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga
On 14 July 2025, the Government announced that Open Polytechnic will become a stand-alone institution from 1 January 2026.
This follows the Government's decision to disestablish Te Pūkenga | New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, which all institutes of technology and polytechnics are currently part of.
Be assured that your programme of study at Open Polytechnic will continue as planned and there will be no impact to the delivery of our programmes or for our learners while this change is implemented.
Open Polytechnic tutor support and all other learner services are available and we remain committed to providing learners with an exceptional learning experience.
If you need access to learner success services, or have any concerns, please contact us.
Learner Leader Henry Geary Representing Open Polytechnic Learners at Te Pūkenga
Kia ora koutou
Ko Henry tōku ingoa, ko Taranaki tōku maunga, ko Taranaki me Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa ngā iwi, Nō Wyndham ahau, Ko Heretaunga te tūrangawaewae.
I am currently studying towards a Diploma in Architectural Technology, having completed a Bachelor of Business with Open Polytechnic (OP) in 2020.
I am a student member of the OP academic committee, OP student advisory group and recently appointed to the interim learner advisory committee (ILAC) for Te Pūkenga (NZIST).
The Student Advisory Group plays an important role within Open Polytechnic, giving the Executives and Learning Delivery a student perspective, to help evolve distance learning.
The ILAC plays the same role for Te Pūkenga, but on a much larger scale as it covers all 16 Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics as well as workplace training activities of the former Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) that have transitioned this ITO function to Te Pūkenga.
As part of the Te Pūkenga Interim Learner Advisory Committee, I meet regularly with representatives from the Ministry of Education, NZQA, Tertiary Education, StudyLink/MSD and other students from across the country.
If you have any questions/queries/problems related to your learning journey, that you'd like to me to put forward, please use the feedback form below to get in touch.
Your feedback
We love to hear your feedback so that we know what we are doing well, and what we might be able to improve on.
Please use this form to send us your thoughts on your experiences in online or distance learning, on Open Polytechnic's services, our responsiveness to your learning needs, or any general comments related to the Reform of Vocational Education.
Notice of meetings
Click here for information about Te Pūkenga council meetings - Te Pūkenga website