The merger of two Canterbury polytechnics has cost more than $1 million in rebranding.

Aoraki Polytechnic and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, which joined forces last year, are now known as the Ara Institute of Canterbury. The new organisation plans to grow student numbers and boost courses at fivecampuses across the South Island.

It will target mostly Canterbury students, but chief executive Kay Giles said the aim would be to grow its international reputation.

The organisation has spent about $1.9m on marketing in the last financial year. About two thirds of that was spent on rebranding.

New advertising would start on Wednesday.

Job losses were signalled prior to the merger being confirmed last year. Giles said she has no plans for mass redundancies but couldn't rule out future cuts.

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Since the merger was announced, about four staff have been made redundant and a further 14 have resigned.

Giles said the future involved "lots of little restructurings", but she was confident there wouldn't be any major changes.

Enrolment numbers are up 10 per cent on last year's figures for same time, with 5574 students registered so far for 2016.

More than 600 are international students.

Last year, 7544 students enrolled. Giles expected to top that this year.

"Ara" translates to "pathway" and "arise".

Giles said the name reflected the organisation's desire to help create good employment opportunities for students.

New focuses include primary industries, with growth also expected in hospitality, ICT and engineering.

Giles said new courses would be introduced to cater to that demand.

"I think in some ways the rebuild of Christchurch has created a new focus on the trades, and people are starting to see there are good livings to be made in construction and related fields".

Ara was considering offering degrees in some trades courses, as well as diplomas.

"After the rebuild we don't want to just be left with construction workers, we want to be left with a really skilled workforce," Giles said.

A hospitality management programme was also on its way, she said, specialising in international tourism.​

The organisation's new logo is made up of a palette of green and blue, with triangles grouped together in the shape of a mountain.

The design is called Niho Taniwha, which means teeth of a taniwha. It is sometimes used to represent family houses within a tribe.

An official dawn ceremony was planned for staff and students on Wednesday, followed by lunchtime concerts.