Victoria University of Wellington (originally known as
Victoria College or
Victoria University College) was founded in 1897, named after
Queen Victoria, on the 60th anniversary of her
coronation. Following the dissolution of the
University of New Zealand in 1961, it became Victoria University of Wellington and began conferring its own degrees.
Early history and colonial politics In 1868, the colonial government of New Zealand passed the University Endowment Act 1868, which established scholarship programmes for study in Great Britain, in addition to setting aside a land endowment in the burgeoning colony. The following year, with wealth generated from the
Otago gold rush in addition to a strong foundation of the
Scottish Enlightenment, the provincial government of Otago laid the groundwork to establish the
University of Otago. This was followed by the creation of
Canterbury College, associated with the newly formed
University of New Zealand. In 1878, a
royal commission was appointed to review the state of higher education in the country. It recommended the establishment of a federal system of four university colleges: two to be established in
Auckland and
Wellington, as well as the integration of the
University of Otago and
Canterbury College. The colonial government moved to provide sites, statutory grants and land endowments. This was somewhat delayed after the state of recession caused by the collapse of the
City of Glasgow Bank in the same year, leading to a contraction in credit from
Great Britain, and specifically
London, the centre of global finance at the time. Nevertheless, in 1882,
parliament passed the Auckland University College Act in 1882. The growth of the population of
Wellington and gradual improvement of the economy in the late 1880s were key factors in the final establishment of Victoria University College. A prominent advocate of its creation was
Robert Stout,
Premier of New Zealand and later
Chief Justice, and a member of the university senate. In June 1886, as Minister of Education, Stout signalled the government's intention to introduce a bill to establish a centre for higher learning in Wellington, which was the centre of the colonial government. Stout cited the opportunity for the college to be able to particularly specialise in
law,
political science, and
history. Stout further suggested that the staff of the New Zealand Colonial Museum could provide services in the fields of geology and natural history. This was indicated in the Wellington University College Bill of 1887, which meant the effective annexation of the museum.
Colonial Museum director
James Hector, however, voiced considerable opposition to this bill. After a lengthy debate in parliament, this bill was defeated.
Establishment In 1897, the premier, Richard Seddon, who had previously been unsupportive of the university project, returned from
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in
Great Britain with an
honorary law degree from the
University of Cambridge. Seddon decided that the establishment of a college in Wellington would be a suitable way to mark the Queen's jubilee year. When introducing the Victoria College Bill in December 1897, Seddon stated: "I do not think there will be any question as to the necessity for the establishment of a University College here in Wellington...". The college was to be governed by a 16-man council, with its inaugural meeting taking place on 23 May 1898.
Founding professors The founding professors of Victoria College were: • John Rankine Brown – Professor of Classics • Hugh Mackenzie – Professor of English language and Literature •
Thomas Easterfield – Professor of Chemistry and Physics •
Richard Cockburn Maclaurin – Professor of Mathematics
Early days While Victoria College had been legally founded with a grant, a council and a number of students, it had no physical property for the first decade of its existence. Early courses were held at
Wellington Girls' High School and the Technical School building on Victoria Street.
Kelburn campus The newly appointed council in 1889 had considered the use of the 13-acre Alexandra Barracks site for a permanent campus. The site was widely supported in Wellington, but release of the land for academic purposes was stalled by the
Seddon Government. In February 1901, an offer was made by a wealthy
Wairarapa sheep farmer named Charles Pharazyn. Pharazyn offered to donate £1000 if the college was built on a 6-acre plot of hilly land in
Kelburn. Coincidentally, Pharazyn held a major financial interest in the Kelburn – Karori Tramway (now known as the
Wellington Cable Car) then being constructed. The tramway was completed the following year, and to this day transports students from the central business area of
Lambton Quay to the university via Salamanca Station. Construction began in 1902 with the regrading of the hillside. Construction of a main building followed shortly after, designed by local architects F. Penty and E.M. Blake in the
Gothic Revival style. At the request of Richard Seddon, the building was made more imposing with the addition of a third level. The then-
governor of New Zealand,
Lord Plunket, laid the foundation stone on 27 August 1904. Although it opened on 30 March 1906, the building was not completed to its original design, but was progressively added to as the college grew. In the meantime, students had built tennis courts, and a wooden gymnasium and social hall were constructed. The main building was named after
Thomas Hunter, a professor of mental science and political economy. Following the end of World War I, north and south wings were added to the building, providing new teaching areas, recreational spaces, and a new library.
Development An extramural branch was founded at
Palmerston North in 1960. It merged with Massey College on 1 January 1963. Having become a branch of Victoria upon the University of New Zealand's 1961 demise, the merged college became
Massey University on 1 January 1964. Victoria University has expanded beyond its original campus in Kelburn, with campuses in
Te Aro (Faculty of Architecture and Design), and
Pipitea (opposite
Parliament, housing the Faculty of Law and Victoria Business School). Victoria also hosts the Ferrier Research Institute and the Robinson Research Institute in Lower Hutt, the Coastal Ecology Laboratory in Island Bay and the Miramar Creative Centre, in Park Rd, Miramar. In 2015, Victoria opened a new campus in Auckland to service growing demand for its courses and expertise.
Name-change proposal In May 2018 it was reported that Victoria was exploring options to simplify its name to the University of Wellington. Vice-chancellor Grant Guillford said the university was pursuing a name change in order to reduce confusion overseas, as several other universities also carried the "Victoria" name. On 27 July 2018, the Victoria University of Wellington Council agreed in principle to the name change, as well as replacing the former Māori name
Te Whare Wānanga o Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui with
Te Herenga Waka, the name of the university's
marae. Of 2,000 public submissions on the name-change proposal, 75% strongly opposed it. Alumni and students strongly opposed the name change, staff gave mixed feedback, while Wellington's regional mayors and members of the university's advisory board favoured the name change. On 24 September 2018 Victoria University's council voted by a majority of nine to two to change the university's name to the University of Wellington. The council also voted to adopt the new
Māori name Te Herenga Waka. The university's vice-chancellor Grant Guilford abstained from the vote, citing a conflict of interest. Critics such as Victoria University law professor Geoff McLay criticised the name change for erasing 120 years of history. In contrast, Chancellor Neil Paviour-Smith defended the outcome of the vote as "one decision in a much broader strategy to try and help the university really achieve its potential". On 6 May 2019 Victoria University's council announced that it would not contest the Education Minister's decision to reject its name-change proposal. The name change had received exceptionally strong opposition from faculty, alumni, students, and
Wellington City Council. The university has, in recent years, distanced itself from the word 'Victoria', with many promotional materials referring solely to 'Wellington's University'. Many departments and initiatives have also been rebranded, for example
Victoria Professional and Executive Development becoming
Wellington Uni-Professional. In January 2021, the university spent $69,000 on a new sign highlighting the word 'Wellington', which drew criticism from students and staff who said the funds could have been better spent elsewhere.
2023 financial crisis In May 2023, vice-chancellor
Nic Smith confirmed that Victoria University was facing a NZ$33 million deficit due to declining student enrolments and a shortfall in government funding. The number of enrolments in 2023 dropped by 12.1% compared to 2022, accounting for 2,600 fewer students. In addition, the number of fulltime students declined from 17,000 in 2022 to 14,700 in 2023. To address this deficit, Smith proposed laying off between 230 and 260 staff members including 100 academics and 150 professional staff. In October 2023 Victoria University issued a request for proposal to sell 24 properties, worth about $16 million, to recover its deficit. Of these properties, 11 were student flats, three of which were unoccupied. == Campuses and facilities ==