Develop your skills and knowledge to work in the building and construction industry. Whether you want to work on commercial or residential building projects, our qualifications will help you advance your built environment and trades career.
Study with Limited-Time Zero- Fees Offer
Take the next step towards your qualification with up to two zero-fees courses *
For a limited time, Open Polytechnic is offering up to two zero-fee courses to learners who submit a new enrolment application for courses within our Construction or Architectural Technology programmes starting in August, September, or October 2026.
What is the offer?
Up to two zero fees courses
Available for courses starting in August, September or October 2026
Available to learners who submit a new enrolment application during the offer period. Closing dates for applications are published on the webpages linked below.
Eligibility, and terms and conditions apply.
Study and completing your qualification:
You can study these programmes full or part –time and over the next 6 years and you must complete all the required courses to graduate with your diploma.
Whether you're starting your qualification or continuing your studies, there's never been a better time to get moving towards your career goals.
How to apply for a new enrolment with this limited time 2026 zero fees offer
Choose the programme below that you are interested in studying, and apply to enrol in one or two courses that start in August, September, or October 2026.
Complete the online application, and on the ‘payment method’ page, enter the following information.
Contract ID: 2026 zero fees offer
Contract Name: 2026 zero fees offer
Our teams will review your application and ensure you meet the Entry requirements for this programme and the eligibility criteria for this offer. If you are, the 100% fee waiver will be applied.
By using the offer code to enrol, you agree to the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions of this offer Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.
* Eligibility Criteria, Terms and Conditions specific to this limited-time 2026 Zero Fees offer for NZ2416/NZ2420 here
Availability
Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:
Cost
- Course costs can be found on all course pages. The fees may increase annually.
- Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.
Credits
Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.
Delivery method
- Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
- Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
- Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.
Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.
EFTS
EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time.
One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.
Level
You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:
- Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
- Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.
Prerequisites
- Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
- Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.
If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.
Student loans
Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.
Information about student loans and eligibility
Teaching weeks
Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.
For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.
Workload
The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:
Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.
Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.