Open Polytechnic graduates win library industry awards

Anna (left) secured the LIANZA Award for the student (ākonga) who has achieved the highest overall academic performance in either the Level 5 or Level 6 qualification. 

Her grades across all courses placed her at the top of the NZ3466 NZ Diploma in Library and Information Studies (Level 5).  

“I was very surprised as I had no idea where my grades sat in relation to those of other students,” Anna says. 

“It is a huge boost to my confidence, and it confirms to me that I have a place in the library and information sector.” 

Having started her studies with Open Polytechnic in 2023, Anna completed the qualification and graduated in 2025 at our Christchurch ceremony. 

Anna’s Open Polytechnic qualification was instrumental in her joining the team at Te Kahu o Waipuna - Marlborough Library as a Collections Support Librarian in 2025. 

“It gave me a solid grounding in libraries and librarianship and opened doors for me to advance my fledgling library career,” Anna says. 

“I draw on many aspects of my studies in my day-to-day work, but particularly the practical skills developed in the Collections Management (LIS506) and Navigating and Using Information (LIS502) papers.” 

For Anna, who lives in Marlborough, learning with New Zealand’s leading flexible, online provider Open Polytechnic, was an excellent way to study around her life and work commitments, without having to commute to the main centres. 

“Living in the regions and having work and family commitments, it was important that I could learn from home at a time that suited me,” Anna explains. 

“The flexibility of studying with Open Polytechnic meant that I could combine my studies with part-time work at the Marlborough Girls’ College Library. The combination of theory and practice worked really well for me." 

Open Polytechnic NZ Diploma in Library and Information Studies (Level 5) graduate Bella King (right in photo above) claimed the 2026 Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa - LIANZA David Wylie Prize recently for her work completed for course LIS503: Connecting with People and Communities. 

Her assessment was based on creating a persona and customer journey map template to help a Syrian former refugee navigate the Dunedin Public Library to access learning materials and improve her computer skills. 

“It feels pretty amazing, I was very shocked when I opened the email,” Bella exclaims. 

“When I began my diploma in 2024, I was quite nervous to be returning to studying full-time after a long break since university, and while working part-time, so this is an amazing result.” 

For Dunedin – Ōtepoti based Bella, her Open Polytechnic qualification is very practical in her current role as a Visitor Host at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum,  

“Completing this diploma taught me incredibly valuable time management skills and got the research muscles in my brain back into shape,” she says. 

“I really feel like I can confidently search for and analyse information much more effectively than I was before.” 

Studying through Open Polytechnic enabled Bella to balance her schedule. 

“I found it challenging in a good way, flexible around my work and other life commitments, and I always felt like the teaching staff were there to support us,” she says. 

For most of the time she was studying, Bella was working as a Library Assistant at the Port Chalmers Library. 

“It was great to be able to put the skills I was learning into practice every day in my role there,” Bella concedes. 

“It was a way to study that worked with my library job and other life commitments, and the range of papers offered for the diploma really appealed to me.” 

“This diploma has given me a much deeper understanding of the library and information sector, and taught me so many practical skills - research, cataloguing, and public program development just to name a few.” 

According to Eric Boamah, Principal Academic Staff Member, seeing hardworking students receive a learning achievement award from a respected professional body such as LIANZA is both a proud and deeply rewarding experience for Library and Information Studies (LIS) staff at Open Polytechnic.  

“It is one of the highlights of our academic careers to witness students' dedication and perseverance being recognised in this way,” Eric exclaims. 

“As an educator, I could not be prouder to see our learners achieve these significant milestones in their educational journeys.”