Coming changes have ruffled some institutions and industry players, but the Otago Polytechnic Students' Association is unconcerned by the Government's recently announced plan to reform vocational education.
OPSA president Nathan Laurie (22) said after April 2020 there was ''a bit of ambiguity'', for instance when it came to the location of the head office.
However, he had been in touch with other polytechnic students' associations in Nelson and Hawke's Bay and said the mood was ''completely positive''.
Students had no reason to worry about the quality of their degrees being affected yet, as everyone who was in study would still graduate with a polytechnic qualification.
''I'd say the knowledge that we have as students is quite limited.
''[We'll hopefully] see more clearly in the coming months. There are some elements that the Government themselves have not quite nailed down.''
There are 7629 students at the polytechnic this year, equating to 5137 full-time equivalent students.
Under the plan released by Education Minister Chris Hipkins, by 2022 New Zealand's polytechnics will have a parent-subsidiary structure, with one overarching national institution - to be established in 2020 - to act as the parent company.
Polytechnics will become regional campuses of the larger institution, although some could retain their subsidiary status.
Mr Laurie said he understood the reforms were necessary, and believed they would ''change people's lives for the better''.
''It's my job to step out of my own shoes and try to see it from a larger perspective,'' he said.
Nationally, the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations president James Ranstead has said the plan was a step in the right direction.
''It is great to see that the minister has heeded calls to retain regional autonomy within the new institute ...
''Having this community buy-in is vital to regional success and the new institute needs to be established with this in mind.''
