A record 789 people of all ages graduated yesterday, 447 in person and 342 in absentia.
Another graduation ceremony is held in March each year.
Dunedin accountant and former Otago Polytechnic council chairman Graham Crombie was presented with an honorary master of design enterprise degree for his contribution to the Otago business community and to the polytechnic.
It was not a requirement that people receiving honorary degrees met the graduate profile for the particular degree, polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said. But in this case, Mr Crombie did.
He had integrated design and entrepreneurship in many strategic management and governance roles, including chief executive of, and a partner in, Polson Higgs, his work as an auditor, and his involvement in organisations including the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
More importantly to the polytechnic, Mr Crombie was council chairman from 2002 to April this year and was being recognised for his "wise, exacting and humorous stewardship" during the most rapidly changing tertiary environment the institution had faced, Mr Ker said.
The degree was conferred by current council chairwoman Kathy Grant.
