Zoe Morehu, who is preparing for her second year of study at Otago Polytechnic, describes her growth in confidence as “100% and then some” since she enrolled in our Bachelor of Design (Product) programme. 

“I have achieved all of my goals and done more than I could have ever imagined in my first year. I now have a solid foundation to take on the rest of my degree and beyond.”

Zoe, who has always been interested in design, enjoys the wide-ranging nature of Product Design.

“It offers so much freedom in that I can learn skills from other disciplines, including fashion, architecture and graphic design.

“It is a very versatile and malleable programme. As well as learning the fundamental elements of Product Design I can also choose and design my own path as I go.”

Zoe has enjoyed the style of teaching at Otago Polytechnic, too.

“It has made all of the difference to my learning. The teachers are friendly mentors who really want to see us succeed.

Everyone in my class is different. We have different levels of creativity and education. We work well together and learn off each other a lot. It is a real community and a very fruitful, safe environment.

In the space of one year, Zoe has covered graphic design, design drawing, a range of software programs, 3D printing and, laser cutting. She has also been involved in public speaking and presentations, helped organise a pop-up shop and worked with student start-up programme Audacious. 

Originally from Waikato, Zoe has enjoyed being able to include her Maori heritage into her learning.

“I have learned so much about Maori culture and heritage alongside learning the fundamentals of Product Design.

“It was something we were given the opportunity to explore and I really made the most of it. I had a lot of great support and encouragement from my tutors.”