Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health - Otago Polytechnic

26/05/2026

Congratulations to Omea Fitzgerald, NZ Diploma in Wellness and Relaxation Massage student, on being part of the New Zealand Junior Women's Handball team that has just won the inaugural Trans-Tasman Junior Women's Cup. Great work, Omea! This is a huge achievement!

Congratulations to the NZ Junior Women’s team for winning the inaugural Trans-Tasman Junior Women’s Cup.

20/05/2026

Huge congratulations to Tessa Nicol, 2023 Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health Bachelor of Applied Science alumna, on becoming the first female in Oceania to complete the OFC/NZF Goalkeeper B licence. Ka rawe, Tessa, we are so proud of you!

Tessa Nicol has become the first ever female in Oceania to complete the OFC/NZF Goalkeeper B Licence 👏

Tessa is a familiar face in football in New Zealand, being a former New Zealand U-17 and U-20 Women’s Goalkeeper Coach.

"My hope is to see more women over the next few years come through the advanced goalkeeping development pathway and filtering into our academies, professional clubs, and national pathways."

The OFC/NZF Goalkeeper B Licence is designed for coaches working with senior and older youth goalkeepers. It aims to challenge and support aspiring GK coaches with the tools and knowledge needed to better support their players.

To find out more about our coaching pathway, head to https://ow.ly/YWJB50Z0ViQ

18/05/2026

Jem McIlroy (a Bachelor of Applied Sci student) is currently training to swim🏊‍♂️ Te Moana-o-Raukawa / Cook Strait between December 2026 and March 2027. Read more about her training https://www.odt.co.nz/the-star/young-dunedin-swimmer-sets-sights-strait

This is a massive endeavour both to train for and complete this 23 km swim and has significant financial and logistic requirements. Here is Jem's givealittle page https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/jems-cook-strait-attemptif if you want to support her directly toward making this crossing happen.

Once achieved, Jem would be in a group of just over 200 swimmers who have completed this swim. https://www.nzowsa.nz/cook-strait
We're cheering 🎉you on Jem and acknowledge your māhi in balancing this project with your study.

18/05/2026

For this year's second intensive (May) the 2026 Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate in Applied Science students commenced the week with a morning at Kaikorai Valley Bowl Line. It was great to get all the pathways (Performance Analysis, Physical Conditioning & Exercise Prescription) together to get the week underway

17/05/2026

OSTC Sport, Exercise & Health Level 3 learners, along with ISEH students and staff got their pink on for Pink Shirt Day 2026

06/05/2026

Earlier this week our Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health (ISEH) had a visit from a 2008 Graduand from our (then) Diploma in Physical Conditioning programme.

Benn McBrearty (left) shared his work experiences since graduating. He is currently the Director of Sport at Christs College in Christchurch 🙌

Fast forward to 2026, and the program is now a postgraduate Diploma in Applied Science with three different pathways - Physical Conditioning, Performance Analysis and Exercise Prescription.

Staff in the attached pic who were teaching back in 2008 include (from right) Gary Barclay, Matt Blair and Adain Summerfield.

It was wonderful to hear about Benn’s success in sport and all that he’s been up to since we last saw him. When a graduand drops by to say “thanks,” it really means a lot.

Ka pai Benn! 💪

12/04/2026

From learners to leaders 💪🎶

This term, our New Zealand Certificate in Freestyle Group Exercise students have been developing their skills in their first elective — choosing from circuits, spin, or pump.

To wrap up the term, our ‘Pump Squad’ stepped up and delivered a full class for their classmates, bringing together everything they’ve learned — from music selection and choreography to delivering safe, effective, and engaging movements.

The result? An awesome workout, great energy, and a glimpse into a very bright future for pump instructors in our local gyms! 🔥

Next up… Term 2, where students will take on their second elective and continue building their skills as versatile group exercise trainers.

More strings to their bow, and more energy to bring! 🙌

Level4

21/03/2026

Last week, our New Zealand Certificate in Freestyle Group Exercise (Level 4) students wrapped up their second and final round of group exercise experiences — and what a week it was!

They got stuck into a variety of high-energy classes, including:
🥊 Boxing at NRG Gym with Henry King
🔥 Boxerfit with Harry Escott
⚡ HIIT at The Yard
🏋️ Pump at Unipol with Liz Campbell

It’s been an awesome couple of weeks filled with new challenges, big energy, and plenty of fun — giving our students valuable insight into different coaching styles and class environments.

Now, the next step begins… our students have chosen their two elective pathways and are diving deeper into their craft, learning from our passionate and experienced group exercise lecturers — who love sharing what makes group fitness so special.

Exciting times ahead! 💪

14/03/2026

Coaching in action ⚽

Our OSTC Level 3 Sport, Exercise and Health students continued to build their coaching knowledge on Friday by completing their Level 1 Coaching Certification with Kris Ridley from Southern Football.

During the session, students had the opportunity to put their learning into practice by leading their peers through a variety of coaching activities — with plenty of natural competitiveness adding to the energy of the day!

A huge shout-out to Football Development Officer, Kris, who did a fantastic job building the students’ confidence and coaching knowledge. By the end of the session, our ākonga were running their own drills with impressive skill and confidence.

Awesome work, everyone! 👏

⚽

14/01/2026