Naming of Buildings

 To provide guidance regarding the naming of buildings at Otago Polytechnic Limited.

1. The naming of Otago Polytechnic Limited (Ltd) buildings will apply to buildings greater than 1,000 sq. m in size. Naming of leased premises will occur whereby the lease is greater than eight (8) years.

 2:      Decisions about naming buildings after a person or organisation will be made by the Otago Polytechnic Ltd Board on the recommendations received from the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) for buildings greater than 1000 sq. m (substantial).  Proposals to name a learner-managed area or a learner-affiliated club, association, and activity must be approved by ELT.

 3:      Recommendations relating to the naming of Otago Polytechnic Ltd buildings may be made by any individual or organisation and will be submitted in the first instance to the Director: Campus Environment, for collation and presentation to the ELT.

 4:      Names for Otago Polytechnic Ltd buildings should be selected using the following naming conventions. It is preferred that building names reflect the history or geographic locations.  Generally, a building will not be named after a living person.  A proposal to name after a person will be accompanied by a comprehensive citation. Other considerations:

 Geographic or Abstract Name

A geographic or abstract name may be used with agreement from the ELT.

 Functional Names

• The use of functional names for major buildings should be avoided as functions can change over time.
• Common facilities can retain functional names but should be supported by a location reference to avoid confusion across campuses.
• Smaller buildings, spaces or out-buildings (i.e., Cromwell) housing general functions may be referred to by functional names.

 Māori Names

• A new building may be given a Māori name as its primary name.  Naming will be done in conjunction with the Kaitohutohu Office to ensure accuracy and in keeping with Otago Polytechnic Limited’s translation process: https://www.op.ac.nz/hub/teams/maori-development-and-kaitohutohu-office/how-we-can-help/process-for-maori-translation/

5:      The names of buildings will be retained for the life of the building, to retain continuity of history, documents, and information databases.  In particular, where a building is named after a person the name of that building will not generally change in the event that there is a change in the College or Service Area occupying the building.

Campus Services – How Can We Help? Naming of Buildings

Approved BY:

Dr. Megan Gibbons

Chief Executive

Dated: 28 July 2022

Policy Version: V2: Previously Coded: N/a.