Consultation is now underway for two changes proposed for Cromwell’s Central Campus as part of an ongoing review of programmes and operations by Otago Polytechnic (OP).

The review has proposed to discontinue the New Zealand Certificate in Outdoor and Adventure Education (Multi-skilled) (Level 4) from December 2025. 

A spokesperson said despite efforts to grow student enrolments, the programme has a small cohort and is not financially sustainable.

OP is proposing to disestablish one full-time staff member for the remainder of the academic year, and to disestablish the second FTE in December once current students have completed the programme.

A second programme which may be discontinued - from October this year - is the Otago Secondary Tertiary College (OSTC) Certificate in Cookery (Level 3).   

This would result in two positions being disestablished (a lecturer and a technician, up to 0.61 FTE).

OP expects to sell the Cromwell town campus in the near future, and will be unable to use the cookery teaching facilities after 2025.

“We are considering leasing out the commercial kitchen while a sale is finalised, and we’ve been unable to identify suitable alternative premises for delivering this programme in the future,” a spokesperson said.   

In Dunedin, the New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying (Level 3) will not be offered in semester two, and one role will be disestablished from 2026. 

Consultation processes are underway to collect feedback on these proposals.

Otago Polytechnic needs to ensure its financial viability to be able to stand alone, in order to contribute to a sustainable vocational education system, a media statement said.

“We are expecting government announcements in July with more details on the future of the sector, including funding, and which [Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics] can be established independently from next year.” 

In January 35 people attended a stakeholder meeting in Cromwell to give input into the long term future of the Cromwell and Wānaka sites.

Low enrolments have resulted in the Central Campus award winning brewing and stonemasonry courses being discontinued. 

The final second year of stonemasonry is being taught this year and all teaching will cease from 2026. 

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