Tauranga is a great place to live and the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (BOPP) is an ideal location for learning. BOPP has around 2000 students and 300 staff. There are two campuses in Tauranga and a small regional campus at Edgecumbe. Our main campus is located on the southern side of the city, set in 20 hectares of trees and gardens and providing an atmosphere of peaceful tranquillity. BOPP offers more than 160 different programmes from part-time courses through to National Diplomas and Bachelor Degrees, the latter in conjunction with other organisations.

The School of Business Studies is located in the Bongard Centre, a modern facility located in the heart of Tauranga City. This campus is home to our business studies, computing and information technology, tourism, travel and real estate programmes. The National Certificate in Computing and Diploma in Information and Communications Technology provide pathways to the Bachelor of Computing Systems, awarded jointly with Unitec.

Tauranga is in the heart of the Bay of Plenty region. Surrounded by glorious coastline, lush farmland and superb surf beaches, it offers plenty of excitement. Located 200 kilometres southeast of Auckland, Tauranga is a popular tourist destination with a warm sub-tropical climate and naturally beautiful coastline. It boasts superb shopping facilities both in the city itself and the recently expanded Bayfair Shopping Centre in Mount Maunganui. Bayfair is also the home of our latest Community Computing facility where we offer a wide range of modules and also the International Computer Driving Licence.

Tauranga’s population reached 100,000 in 2004. By 2021, Council estimates the population will reach 144,000 people. The SmartGrowth project has been set up to conduct research and plan for this increase. 16.1% of Tauranga's population identify with the Maori ethnic group, many affiliated to one of the three Iwi in the district; Ngaiterangi, Ngati Ranginui and Ngati Pukenga. The principal industry is the property and business services industry, which accounts for 29.9% of all businesses within the district. Approximately 17% are employed in the manufacturing industry, with a further 10% in the construction industry.