Posted on 2 April 2026
Our LearnersOpen Polytechnic ākonga (learner) Hannah Hall has always enjoyed the design aspect of architecture, but it wasn’t until January 2024 that she decided to turn it into a career.
Hannah, 21, had been working at her family’s coffee shop in Auckland before enrolling in the New Zealand Diploma in Architectural Technology (Level 6) with Open Polytechnic.
“I have always loved houses whether it be designing layouts or wandering through half-completed job sites with my tradesman dad,” Hannah says.
“I never thought I’d necessarily attend university, but I wanted to find a career more enjoyable and meaningful to me than one in hospitality or retail.”
Flexible online learning with Open Polytechnic, New Zealand’s leading distance and online learning provider, seemed like the perfect fit for Hannah.
Being homeschooled throughout her education to date, she was familiar with organising and completing her studies at home, while she lives in northern Auckland, quite a distance from the nearest university.
“Distance learning suits me, and the diploma provided by Open Polytechnic looked exciting,” she says.
Hannah appreciates how flexible the programme is and that she can establish her own timetable.
“This has benefited me greatly as I can work around special days or set studies aside to be with family and friends,” Hannah says.
While Hannah loves the arts, it was Open Polytechnic’s NZ Diploma in Architectural Technology (Level 6) that piqued her interest.
“The course description outlined the traits of a person suitable for this career, and I aligned with most of them,” Hannah says.
“This excited and encouraged me that I could achieve it.”
While Hannah is still studying full-time with Open Polytechnic, she has organised some work experience in a local firm.
Once she graduates, Hannah would like to be an architectural technician specialising in residential housing.
“After gaining experience, I hope to become a licensed building practitioner and thus an architectural designer so I can create simple, practical, and elegant houses, especially for first home buyers / builders,” Hannah says.
To read Hannah’s full story, go to the learner stories section of our website.