Otago Polytechnic’s Central campus has expanded its presence in Wanaka, adding its outdoor and adventure education programme to the courses already taught locally.

The polytechnic first started teaching in Wanaka in the mid 1990s with its mountain recreation, ski and snowboard instruction and avalanche risk management programmes. It now utilises a building on Cliff Wilson Street which is also one of six satellite centres for the Bachelor of Midwifery course.

The one-year New Zealand Certificate in Outdoor and Adventure Education programme was being taught from Dunedin until last year. However, with the Otago Polytechnic’s aim to continually seek more sustainable practices, it made sense in terms of the travel footprint to move this course to Wanaka in near proximity to mountains, rivers and lakes.

“That’s the classroom we need for our students,” senior lecturer and programmes coordinator for outdoor and adventure education Peter Eley said. “They are in the centre of all the adventure, in an immersive environment for learning. Wanaka now becomes our specialist area for adventure and snow sports programmes and as the town grows, we plan to grow our presence and programmes offered from this site.”

Otago Polytechnic recently spearheaded a campaign for the Otago region to become a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) for Sustainability. An RCE is a network of organisations that facilitate learning towards sustainable development.

In January this year Otago became one of 167 RCEs globally that promote education for sustainable development. 

Outdoor and adventure education lecturer Peter Eley. PHOTO: Peter Eley Otago Polytech

The polytechnic was supported in the campaign by Otago mayors, Kāi Tahu, University of Otago, Otago Regional Council, Otago Chamber of Commerce, and many others in its campaign. 

“Collectively, we are a group of people in a region facing potential climate change, water and tourism issues,” RCE-Otago director Dr Barry Law said. “Otago is a hub for education so it makes sense that Otago Polytechnic drove the RCE application process, providing leadership as we look to a sustainable future in Otago.”

RCE-Otago will tackle issues important to the region, such as high-quality learning experiences, water management, sustainable tourism, disaster management, energy efficient education, waste and the circular economy, youth leadership and citizen engagement. There’s also strong interest from the agriculture, horticulture and viticulture industries and the health sector, which will be another focus of RCE-Otago’s work in the future. 

“One of the great things about applying for an RCE is that it’s driven by local people deciding they want to work together for a sustainable future. We were able to demonstrate that we had collaborative partnerships and governance in place, and an ability to take action,” Barry said.

These partnerships are evident in the polytechnic’s links with local businesses, some of which participate in an industry reference group to give advice on skill development and work readiness of graduates.

“Industry links are very important as these are the businesses that could potentially offer employment and/or work experience,” Peter said. “We employ local expertise where needed. We have good working relationships with Paddle Wanaka and Go Orange. We also have a very strong relationship with Cardrona, who is an industry partner for the ski and snowboard instructors’ course. We hope to expand our relationship with Mount Aspiring College this year too.”

Learn more about Otago Polytechnic here.