The University of Waikato

University of Waikato

Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Coat of Arms of the University of Waikato
Motto	Māori: Ko te tangata
Motto in English	For The People
Type	Public
Established	1964
Chancellor	Jim Bolger, ONZ
Vice-Chancellor	Neil Quigley
Administrative staff	1,483 (FTS, 2014)
Students	9,904 (EFTS, 2016)
Location	Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	ACU, ASAIHL, AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS
Website	www.waikato.ac.nz

Coordinates: 37°47′13″S 175°18′50″E / 37.78694°S 175.31389°E / -37.78694; 175.31389

The University of Waikato (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), informally Waikato University, is a comprehensive university in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a satellite campus located in Tauranga. Established in 1964, it was the first university in New Zealand to be designed from a blank canvas.

The University of Waikato owes its existence to a determined group of Hamilton locals, who in 1956 launched a petition for a university to serve the needs of the South Auckland region. The group was led by Douglas Seymour, a barrister, and subsequently Anthony "Rufus" Rogers, a Hamilton GP and brother to long-time Mayor of Hamilton, Denis Rogers.

Their campaign coincided with a shortage of teachers in the 1950s that prompted the New Zealand government to consider plans for a teachers’ college in the region. Where there was a teachers’ college, there needed to be a university to give students access to undergraduate courses.

In 1960, the newly established Hamilton Teachers’ College opened its doors, and combined forces with the fledgling university (then a branch of Auckland University) to plan a new joint campus on farmland at Hillcrest, on the city's outskirts.

In 1964, the two institutions moved to their new home, and the following year the University of Waikato was officially opened by then Governor-General Sir Bernard Fergusson.