Healthy win for Student of the Year

A caring focus on the unique needs of individual clients helped Braedyn Arbuckle lift the Student of the Year title, at this year's Exercise New Zealand awards.

Braedyn studied part-time towards a Certificate in Exercise (Level 5) this year at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, while juggling a job in the hospitality industry.

He took a break from studies in 2023 (after completing a Bachelor of Education degree), going on his own fitness journey and becoming heavily involved in promoting the benefits of exercise to family and friends.

That encouraged Braedyn to sign up for the certificate course at Otago Polytechnic, which gave him a broad range of knowledge across anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, together with the hands-on experience of working with clients at Tapuae Gym.

One of those included former professional rugby player Brendon Timmins, currently Acting Head of Programmes at the Institute.

"I was privileged to experience Braedyn’s skills by being one of his clients for semester two," says Brendon.

"He had me doing numbers I haven’t done in years. His energy and desire for me to meet my goals was infectious."

Adain Summerfield has been leading the polytechnic's personal training programmes for more than 16 years, and says Braedyn was the first student he's put forward for the national Exercise NZ awards.

"The criteria they were looking for just described Braedyn really well.. his passion, expertise, success, and maturity." says Aidan.

Braedyn faced a judging panel during a Zoom interview and submitted videos showing him working with clients, securing a nomination as one of the national finalists.

He travelled to an awards dinner in Auckland last weekend with his mother Veronique Olin (who works in the People and Culture department at Otago Polytechnic), where he was "shocked" to claim the Student of the Year award.

"I didn't expect to win. I was at my table and I was talking to the other finalists, and they're all amazing people. I was just stoked to be recognised."

Braedyn believes his own personal experience of living with dairy and nut intolerances gives him a unique perspective on living with dietary needs from a nutrional standpoint, and how to achieve positive results for people just beginning their "exercise journey".

"For myself, I couldn't eat certain things and so I had to adjust. And how I lost weight and got through that. And kind of understanding how to get the same results by using different means."

Aidan says the department is very proud of Braedyn's success, and believes the award is a reflection of everything he did with his clients every day.

"The care, the curiosity to meet them with they're at. The joy in creating experiences that they look forward to showing up to. And then the success that they had."

Braedyn is now considering studying towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Strength and Conditioning at Otago Polytechnic, which would open up opportunities to work with high performance athletes and sports teams.