University of Canterbury
Encyclopedia
The University of Canterbury ' onMouseout='HidePop("1827")' href="/topics/Cantuar">Cantuar
. or Cant. for Cantuariensis, the Latin name for Canterbury), New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb
of Ilam
in the city of Christchurch
, New Zealand
. It offers degrees in Arts
, Commerce
, Education
(physical education
), Engineering
, Fine Arts
, Forestry
, Law
, Music
, Social Work
, Speech and Language Therapy, Science
, Sports Coaching and Teaching.
, a suburb of Christchurch: about 5 km from the centre of the city. Adjacent to the main campus stands the University's College of Education, with its own sports-fields and grounds. The University maintains five libraries
, with the Central Library housed in the tallest building on campus, the 11-storey James Hight building.
The University's College of Education maintains additional small campuses in Nelson
, Tauranga
and Timaru
, and "teaching centres" in Greymouth
, New Plymouth
, Rotorua
and Timaru. The University has staff in regional information offices in Nelson, Timaru, and Auckland
.
Canterbury University has six halls of residence housing around 1800 students. The largest of these are Ilam Apartments and University Hall with 850 residents and 550 residents, respectively. Three of these halls (Ilam Apartments, University Hall and Sonoda Christchurch Campus) are managed by UC Accommodation, a subsidiary of Campus Living Villages, while the university maintains ownership of the property and buildings. Sonoda Christchurch Campus has a close relationship with Sonoda Womans university in Amagasaki, Japan
. Bishop Julius, College House and Rochester & Rutherford are run independently.
The six Halls of Residence are:
The Field Facilities Centre administers four field-stations:
The University and its project-partners also operate an additional field-station in the Nigerian Montane Forests Project - this field station stands on the Ngel Nyaki forest edge in Nigeria.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy runs its own field laboratories:
The Department of Physics and Astronomy also has involvement in the Southern African Large Telescope
.
In May 2008 he announced his imminent resignation from the position, following his acceptance of the chief executive position at the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which he took up on 4 August 2008.
The then current Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Town, assumed the role of acting Vice-Chancellor on 1 July 2008. On 15 October 2008 the University announced that Dr Rod Carr would begin a five-year appointment as Vice-Chancellor on 1 February 2009.
The Chancellor chairs the governing body of the University, the Council. Council member and former Pro-Chancellor, Mr Rex Williams, became chancellor in 2008. Council Member John Wood became the new Pro-Chancellor.
The Council includes representatives from the faculties, students and general staff, as well as local industry, employer and trade union representatives.
In 2004 the University underwent restructuring into four Colleges and a School of Law, administering a number of schools and departments (though a number of departments have involvement in cross-teaching in numerous academic faculties). 2007 saw the addition of a fifth College with the merging of the Christchurch College of Education into the University. The main constituents of the university include:
(PVC), who answers to the Vice-Chancellor for all activities of the College/School. College Offices support the PVCs, providing financial, administrative, academic, and human-resources advice to each PVC. Each College also has a College Manager, who acts as the day-to-day manager of the College.
In addition to the administrative structure, the University has seven faculties:
Each faculty consists of the teaching-staff of the departments and schools who offer courses that may form part of the particular degree from that faculty. Student representatives participate in governing the various faculties.
The University receives funding from student fees, the New Zealand government (in partial support of domestic students, and via various research funding mechanisms), non-government research funding agencies, bequests and so on.
Together with the New Zealand government, the University formed the NZi3
ICT Innovation Institute in 2006 to commercialize research and to encourage local high-tech industry
. The cluster of technology-companies around Christchurch has led to the name "Silicon Plains" for the area.
ranked the University of Canterbury 189th overall in the world, making it the third highest ranked university in New Zealand. Its individual global subject rankings were: 212th in Arts & Humanities, 110th in Engineering & IT, 242nd in Natural Sciences, and 152nd in Social Sciences. In 2011 the University of Canterbury slipped from 189th to 212th in these rankings. As the 2011 results were released, the University of Canterbury launched an advertising campaign in which the VIce Chancellor Dr Rod Carr claims that it ranks among the top 2% of universities in the world but without elaborating on what basis this was assessed. Further, the University has promoted itself as being the first university in New Zealand to have been granted five stars by QS Stars, a global university rating system. Unlike the QS World University rankings, QS Stars ratings are only given to universities that pay a fee; the programme is designed to give "...those institutions that are not highly ranked or do not appear in the rankings an opportunity to reach out to their prospect students, to stand out and to be recognised for their excellence.
(UCSA) operates on campus with its own radio station (RDU) and magazine (Canta
). The Association also runs two bars, the 430-seat Ngaio Marsh
Theatre, and several cafes around campus. The popular on-campus bar, "The Foundry", known as "The Common Room" from 2005, has reverted to its former name as promised by 2008 USCA president, Michael Goldstein.
The University has over 100 academic, sporting, recreational and cultural societies and clubs. The most prominent of these include the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC)
, the Law Society (LAWSOC), the Commerce Society (UCom), as well as the largest non-faculty clubs such as Motosoc (Motorsports Society), BYCSOC (Backyard Cricket Society), CUBA (Canterbury University Boardriders' Association), CurrySoc, The Gentlemen's Club, and KAOS
(Killing As Organised Sport). The University of Canterbury Drama Society
(Dramasoc) achieved fame for its 1942-1969 Shakespeare productions under Dame Ngaio Marsh
, but regularly performs as an active student- and alumni-run arts fixture in the small Christchurch theatre-scene. The Musical Society, MuSoc, engages in comparable activities.
One major student tradition, the Undie 500
, involves an annual car-rally from Christchurch to Dunedin
run by ENSOC
. The rules require only the use of a road-legal car costing under $
500 with a sober driver. The 2007 event gained international news coverage (including on CNN
and BBC World
) when it ended in rioting in the student quarter of Dunedin
and in North East Valley
. ENSOC cancelled the planned 2008 event: its future now seems murky.
The University originated in 1873 in the centre of Christchurch
as Canterbury College, the first constituent college
of the University of New Zealand
. It became the second institution in New Zealand
providing tertiary-level education
(following the University of Otago
, established in 1869), and the fourth in Australasia
.
The Canterbury Museum and Library and Christ's College
, dissatisfied with the state of higher education in Canterbury, had both worked towards setting up Canterbury College.
In 1933, the name changed from Canterbury College to Canterbury University College. In 1957 the name changed again to the present University of Canterbury.
Until 1961, the University formed part of the University of New Zealand
(UNZ), and issued degrees in its name. That year saw the dissolution of the federal system of tertiary education in New Zealand, and the University of Canterbury became an independent University awarding its own degrees. Upon the UNZ's demise, Canterbury Agricultural College became a constituent college of the University of Canterbury, as Lincoln College.
Lincoln College became independent in 1990 as a full university in its own right.
Over the period from 1961 to 1974, the university campus relocated from the centre of the city to its much larger current site in the suburb of Ilam. The neo-gothic buildings of the old campus became the site of the Christchurch Arts Centre
, a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch.
For many years the university worked closely with the Christchurch College of Education, leading to a full merger in 2007.
The James Hight building suffered extensive damage during the 2010 Canterbury earthquake
.
Other New Zealand universities, apparently defying an informal agreement, have launched billboard and print advertising campaigns in the earthquake-ravaged city to recruit University of Canterbury students who are finding it difficult to study there. As of October 2011, staff are being encouraged to take voluntary redundancies as the university scrambles to survive through a financial crisis. The Vice Chancellor Dr Carr warned "There was 'no doubt' staff who were teaching a smaller number of students, researchers whose outputs were smaller and researchers who were not attracting grants would be at high risk of redundancy". He described possible changes in university courses by stating “What we don't know, and we won't know, is where there are rationalisations of courses within programmes - where we may be able to, instead of having twelve flavours, have eight flavours. We may require staff to teach four courses instead of three courses. But the impact on the actual programmes we offer will be quite modest".
This replaced the arms formerly used by Canterbury College — an unofficial, simplified version of the Canterbury Province
coat of arms.
The fleece symbolises the pastoral
, and the plough at the base the agricultural background of the province of Canterbury
. The Bishop's Pall
and the cross flory represent Canterbury's ecclesiastical connections, and the open book denotes scholarship.
As it relates to an institution of learning, the University's coat of arms does not have a helmet, crest or mantling on its bearings.
A more detailed history of the arms, including their formal heraldic description, appears on the University website.
for the best cycle-friendly commitment by a public organisation in New Zealand.
College of Business and Economics
College of Education
College of Engineering
College of Science
Cantuar
Cantuar is a title that the Archbishop of Canterbury is legally permitted, in England, to use to sign his name as a substitute for the surname....
. or Cant. for Cantuariensis, the Latin name for Canterbury), New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Ilam
Ilam, New Zealand
Ilam is a leafy suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand about five kilometres west of the city centre. It is the location of the University of Canterbury....
in the city of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It offers degrees in Arts
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, Commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
(physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
), Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, Fine Arts
Ilam School of Fine Arts
The School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam site in 1957, in the Okeover Homestead...
, Forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, Speech and Language Therapy, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Sports Coaching and Teaching.
Campus
The University has a main campus of 76 hectares at IlamIlam, New Zealand
Ilam is a leafy suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand about five kilometres west of the city centre. It is the location of the University of Canterbury....
, a suburb of Christchurch: about 5 km from the centre of the city. Adjacent to the main campus stands the University's College of Education, with its own sports-fields and grounds. The University maintains five libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, with the Central Library housed in the tallest building on campus, the 11-storey James Hight building.
The University's College of Education maintains additional small campuses in Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
and Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
, and "teaching centres" in Greymouth
Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...
, New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
, Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
and Timaru. The University has staff in regional information offices in Nelson, Timaru, and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
Canterbury University has six halls of residence housing around 1800 students. The largest of these are Ilam Apartments and University Hall with 850 residents and 550 residents, respectively. Three of these halls (Ilam Apartments, University Hall and Sonoda Christchurch Campus) are managed by UC Accommodation, a subsidiary of Campus Living Villages, while the university maintains ownership of the property and buildings. Sonoda Christchurch Campus has a close relationship with Sonoda Womans university in Amagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Bishop Julius, College House and Rochester & Rutherford are run independently.
The six Halls of Residence are:
- Bishop Julius Hall - 110 Residents
- Ilam Apartments - 850 Residents
- College House - 150 Residents
- Rochester and Rutherford HallRochester and Rutherford HallRochester and Rutherford is a Hall of Residence associated with the University of Canterbury. It is located in the suburb of Ilam near the University. Currently it provides accommodation and meals for 176 undergraduates and graduates, although a majority of students are first-year undergraduates...
175 Residents - Sonoda Christchurch Campus - 150 Residents
- University Hall - 550 Residents
- Cass Field Station - Provides a wide range of environments: montane grasslands, scrub, riverbed, scree, beech forest, swamp, bog, lake, stream and alpine habitats; all accessible by day-trips on foot
- Kaikoura Field Station - Provides a wide range of environments: diverse marine habitats, alpine habitats, kanuka forests, rivers, lakes
- Harihari Field Station - Access to native forests, streams
- Westport Field Station - for study of the West CoastWest Coast, New ZealandThe West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
of New Zealand, particularly mining
The University and its project-partners also operate an additional field-station in the Nigerian Montane Forests Project - this field station stands on the Ngel Nyaki forest edge in Nigeria.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy runs its own field laboratories:
- Mount John University ObservatoryMount John University ObservatoryMount John University Observatory , is New Zealand's premier astronomical research observatory. It is situated at ASL atop Mount John at the northern end of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island, and was established in 1965...
at Lake TekapoLake Tekapo (town)TekapoUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...
for optical astronomical research - Birdling's FlatBirdling's FlatBirdling's Flat, originally named Poranui, is a settlement in Canterbury, New Zealand, close to the shore of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora.Birdling's Flat also commonly refers to the nearby pebble beach that is part of Kaitorete Spit...
radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
facility - Scott BaseScott BaseScott Base is a research facility located in Antarctica and is operated by New Zealand. It was named after Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Navy, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica...
radar facility - Cracroft CavernsCracroft CavernsCracroft Caverns, also known as the Cashmere Caverns, are a series of large chambers in the hill of the Cashmere suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand....
ring laserLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
facility
The Department of Physics and Astronomy also has involvement in the Southern African Large Telescope
Southern African Large Telescope
The Southern African Large Telescope is a 66m2 area optical telescope with a nominally 9.2 meter aperture but up to about 11.1m x ~9.8 m diameter aperture, and designed mainly for spectroscopy. It is located close to the town of Sutherland in the semi-desert region of the Karoo, South Africa...
.
Organisation
Professor Roy Sharp assumed the position of Vice-Chancellor on 1 March 2003.In May 2008 he announced his imminent resignation from the position, following his acceptance of the chief executive position at the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which he took up on 4 August 2008.
The then current Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Town, assumed the role of acting Vice-Chancellor on 1 July 2008. On 15 October 2008 the University announced that Dr Rod Carr would begin a five-year appointment as Vice-Chancellor on 1 February 2009.
The Chancellor chairs the governing body of the University, the Council. Council member and former Pro-Chancellor, Mr Rex Williams, became chancellor in 2008. Council Member John Wood became the new Pro-Chancellor.
The Council includes representatives from the faculties, students and general staff, as well as local industry, employer and trade union representatives.
In 2004 the University underwent restructuring into four Colleges and a School of Law, administering a number of schools and departments (though a number of departments have involvement in cross-teaching in numerous academic faculties). 2007 saw the addition of a fifth College with the merging of the Christchurch College of Education into the University. The main constituents of the university include:
University structure
- The College of Arts, administering:
- the School of Humanities
- the School of Social and Political Sciences
- the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
- the Centre of Fine Arts, Music and Theatre at the Ilam School of Fine ArtsIlam School of Fine ArtsThe School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam site in 1957, in the Okeover Homestead...
- Aotahi: The School of Māori and Indigenous Studies
- the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies
- The College of Business and Economics, administering:
- Accounting and Information Systems
- Economics and Finance
- Management
- National Centre for Research on Europe
- The College of Engineering, administering:
- Civil and Natural Resources Engineering
- Chemical and Process Engineering
- Computer Science and Software Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- the School of Forestry
- The College of Science, administering:
- the School of Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Communication Disorders (formerly Speech and Language Therapy)
- Geography
- Geological Sciences
- Physics and Astronomy
- Psychology
- The College of Education, administering:
- the School of Educational Studies and Human Development
- the School of Māori, Social and Cultural Studies in Education
- the School of Literacies and Arts in Education
- the School of Sciences and Physical Education
- The School of Law
Structure administration
The units listed above constitute administrative groups. Each College and the School of Law has as its head a Pro-Vice-ChancellorPro-Vice-Chancellor
In a university, an assistant to a vice-chancellor is called a pro-vice-chancellor . These are sometimes teaching academics who take on additional responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities are in charge of Administration, Research and Development, Academic and Education affairs...
(PVC), who answers to the Vice-Chancellor for all activities of the College/School. College Offices support the PVCs, providing financial, administrative, academic, and human-resources advice to each PVC. Each College also has a College Manager, who acts as the day-to-day manager of the College.
In addition to the administrative structure, the University has seven faculties:
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Commerce
- Engineering and Forestry
- Education
- Science
- Visual and Performing Arts
- Law
Each faculty consists of the teaching-staff of the departments and schools who offer courses that may form part of the particular degree from that faculty. Student representatives participate in governing the various faculties.
The University receives funding from student fees, the New Zealand government (in partial support of domestic students, and via various research funding mechanisms), non-government research funding agencies, bequests and so on.
Together with the New Zealand government, the University formed the NZi3
NZi3
The NZi3 Innovation Institute is a partnership between the New Zealand government and the University of Canterbury. It was formed in 2006 to commercialise the University's IT research and to develop high-tech industry in Canterbury...
ICT Innovation Institute in 2006 to commercialize research and to encourage local high-tech industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. The cluster of technology-companies around Christchurch has led to the name "Silicon Plains" for the area.
Rankings
In 2010 QS World University RankingsQS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
ranked the University of Canterbury 189th overall in the world, making it the third highest ranked university in New Zealand. Its individual global subject rankings were: 212th in Arts & Humanities, 110th in Engineering & IT, 242nd in Natural Sciences, and 152nd in Social Sciences. In 2011 the University of Canterbury slipped from 189th to 212th in these rankings. As the 2011 results were released, the University of Canterbury launched an advertising campaign in which the VIce Chancellor Dr Rod Carr claims that it ranks among the top 2% of universities in the world but without elaborating on what basis this was assessed. Further, the University has promoted itself as being the first university in New Zealand to have been granted five stars by QS Stars, a global university rating system. Unlike the QS World University rankings, QS Stars ratings are only given to universities that pay a fee; the programme is designed to give "...those institutions that are not highly ranked or do not appear in the rankings an opportunity to reach out to their prospect students, to stand out and to be recognised for their excellence.
Personnel
, the University had a total of 22,403 students, 1,881 of them post-graduates and 2,168 international students (students apart from New Zealand citizens or residents). The University employed 603 academic staff and 1069 general staff. As the result of decreased student enrollments, attributable to the Christchurch earthquakes, the University announced in September 2011 that it might need to dismiss 350 or more of its staff. The University eliminated over 100 jobs even prior to the earthquakes, losing some prominent scholars. The suggestion has been made that staff eliminations are sometimes based on academic ideology rather than merit. Resignations have occurred by staff who complained about restrictions on academic freedom.Student Association and traditions
The University of Canterbury Students' AssociationUniversity of Canterbury Students' Association
The University of Canterbury Students' Association is a student organisation associated with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, established in 1894. All current students of the University have automatic membership. It is funded by students and is governed by a constitution through 12...
(UCSA) operates on campus with its own radio station (RDU) and magazine (Canta
Canta (magazine)
Established in 1930, Canta is the official magazine of the University of Canterbury Students' Association of the University of Canterbury. It is freely available around campus every Wednesday during term time...
). The Association also runs two bars, the 430-seat Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
Theatre, and several cafes around campus. The popular on-campus bar, "The Foundry", known as "The Common Room" from 2005, has reverted to its former name as promised by 2008 USCA president, Michael Goldstein.
The University has over 100 academic, sporting, recreational and cultural societies and clubs. The most prominent of these include the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC)
University of Canterbury Engineering Society Inc. (ENSOC)
ENSOC is a faculty based student society at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Society was established as a medium for scholars to discuss relevant engineering issues and to fraternize. Nowadays, ENSOC is the largest elective club at the University and welcomes members...
, the Law Society (LAWSOC), the Commerce Society (UCom), as well as the largest non-faculty clubs such as Motosoc (Motorsports Society), BYCSOC (Backyard Cricket Society), CUBA (Canterbury University Boardriders' Association), CurrySoc, The Gentlemen's Club, and KAOS
Assassin (game)
Assassin is a live-action game...
(Killing As Organised Sport). The University of Canterbury Drama Society
University of Canterbury Drama Society
The University of Canterbury Drama Society Inc is a student performing arts club at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand....
(Dramasoc) achieved fame for its 1942-1969 Shakespeare productions under Dame Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
, but regularly performs as an active student- and alumni-run arts fixture in the small Christchurch theatre-scene. The Musical Society, MuSoc, engages in comparable activities.
One major student tradition, the Undie 500
Undie 500 Car Rally
The Undie 500, originally named the Under 500, is an annual student-run car rally between Christchurch and Dunedin, New Zealand with multiple stops at drinking establishments along the way...
, involves an annual car-rally from Christchurch to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
run by ENSOC
University of Canterbury Engineering Society Inc. (ENSOC)
ENSOC is a faculty based student society at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Society was established as a medium for scholars to discuss relevant engineering issues and to fraternize. Nowadays, ENSOC is the largest elective club at the University and welcomes members...
. The rules require only the use of a road-legal car costing under $
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar is the currency of New Zealand. It also circulates in the Cook Islands , Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. It is divided into 100 cents....
500 with a sober driver. The 2007 event gained international news coverage (including on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
) when it ended in rioting in the student quarter of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and in North East Valley
North East Valley
North East Valley is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin.-Geography and demographics:...
. ENSOC cancelled the planned 2008 event: its future now seems murky.
History
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
as Canterbury College, the first constituent college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
of the University of New Zealand
University of New Zealand
The University of New Zealand was the New Zealand university from 1870 to 1961. It was the sole New Zealand university, having a federal structure embracing several constituent colleges at various locations around New Zealand...
. It became the second institution in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
providing tertiary-level education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
(following the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, established in 1869), and the fourth in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
The Canterbury Museum and Library and Christ's College
Christ's College, Canterbury
Christ's College, Christchurch is an independent, Anglican, secondary, day and boarding school for boys, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand....
, dissatisfied with the state of higher education in Canterbury, had both worked towards setting up Canterbury College.
In 1933, the name changed from Canterbury College to Canterbury University College. In 1957 the name changed again to the present University of Canterbury.
Until 1961, the University formed part of the University of New Zealand
University of New Zealand
The University of New Zealand was the New Zealand university from 1870 to 1961. It was the sole New Zealand university, having a federal structure embracing several constituent colleges at various locations around New Zealand...
(UNZ), and issued degrees in its name. That year saw the dissolution of the federal system of tertiary education in New Zealand, and the University of Canterbury became an independent University awarding its own degrees. Upon the UNZ's demise, Canterbury Agricultural College became a constituent college of the University of Canterbury, as Lincoln College.
Lincoln College became independent in 1990 as a full university in its own right.
Over the period from 1961 to 1974, the university campus relocated from the centre of the city to its much larger current site in the suburb of Ilam. The neo-gothic buildings of the old campus became the site of the Christchurch Arts Centre
Christchurch Arts Centre
The Christchurch Arts Centre is a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the neo-gothic former University of Canterbury buildings, the majority of which were designed by Benjamin Mountfort...
, a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch.
For many years the university worked closely with the Christchurch College of Education, leading to a full merger in 2007.
The James Hight building suffered extensive damage during the 2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
.
2011 Christchurch earthquake
Following a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on 22 February 2011, the university was temporarily closed to allow a full safety inspection of all its buildings. A progressive re-start of the University began on 14 March with lectures delivered online, off-site, and in tents set up on campus. In September 2011, plans were announced to demolish some University buildings. Student numbers at the University of Canterbury have dropped at least 13 percent since the earthquakes began. The university has lost 25 percent of its first-year students and 8 per cent of continuing students. The number of international students, who pay much higher fees and are a major source of revenue, has dropped by 30 percent.Other New Zealand universities, apparently defying an informal agreement, have launched billboard and print advertising campaigns in the earthquake-ravaged city to recruit University of Canterbury students who are finding it difficult to study there. As of October 2011, staff are being encouraged to take voluntary redundancies as the university scrambles to survive through a financial crisis. The Vice Chancellor Dr Carr warned "There was 'no doubt' staff who were teaching a smaller number of students, researchers whose outputs were smaller and researchers who were not attracting grants would be at high risk of redundancy". He described possible changes in university courses by stating “What we don't know, and we won't know, is where there are rationalisations of courses within programmes - where we may be able to, instead of having twelve flavours, have eight flavours. We may require staff to teach four courses instead of three courses. But the impact on the actual programmes we offer will be quite modest".
Coat of arms
With the dissolution of the University of New Zealand, the newly independent University of Canterbury devised its own coat of arms, blazoned:- "murrey a fleece argent, in base a plough or, and on a chief wavy or an open book proper bound murrey, edged and clasped or between a pall azure charged with four crosses formy fitchy or and a cross flory azure."
This replaced the arms formerly used by Canterbury College — an unofficial, simplified version of the Canterbury Province
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
coat of arms.
The fleece symbolises the pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
, and the plough at the base the agricultural background of the province of Canterbury
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
. The Bishop's Pall
Pall (heraldry)
A pall is a Y-shaped heraldic charge. An example of a pall placed horizontally is the green portion of the Flag of South Africa....
and the cross flory represent Canterbury's ecclesiastical connections, and the open book denotes scholarship.
As it relates to an institution of learning, the University's coat of arms does not have a helmet, crest or mantling on its bearings.
A more detailed history of the arms, including their formal heraldic description, appears on the University website.
Awards
The University was awarded the 2006 Cycle Friendly AwardCycle Friendly Awards
The New Zealand Cycle Friendly Awards were devised by the Cycling Advocates' Network in 2003. The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge and celebrate some of the most notable achievements in the country that are helping to promote cycling and to create a cycle-friendly environment.- History and...
for the best cycle-friendly commitment by a public organisation in New Zealand.
Notable alumni and staff
- Rita AngusRita AngusRita Angus was a New Zealand painter born in Hastings. Along with Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston, she is credited as one of the leading figures in twentieth century New Zealand art...
- painter - Rosemary BanksRosemary BanksRosemary Banks is a New Zealand diplomat, currently New Zealand's Ambassador to France. She was formerly New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from June 2005 to June 2009...
- Ambassador to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... - Alexander Bickerton - 1st Professor of Chemistry, teacher of Ernest Rutherford
- Don BrashDon BrashDonald "Don" Thomas Brash , a New Zealand politician, was Leader of the Opposition, parliamentary leader of the National Party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006 and the leader of the ACT Party for 28th April 2011 - 26 November 2011...
- former Leader of the OppositionLeader of the Opposition (New Zealand)The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
(2003–2006) and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New ZealandReserve Bank of New ZealandThe Reserve Bank of New Zealand is the central bank of New Zealand and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The Governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for New Zealand's currency and operating monetary policy. The Bank's current Governor is Dr. Alan Bollard...
(1988–2002) - John Burrows QCQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
- member of New Zealand's Law CommissionNew Zealand Law CommissionNew Zealand's Law Commission was established in 1986 by the Law Commission Act 1985. The Commission is a Crown Entity under the Crown Entities Act 2004.... - Neil CherryNeil CherryNeil Cherry ONZM was a New Zealand environmental scientist.Cherry specialised most recently in the effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health, following his earlier work in meteorology and wind energy...
- environmental scientist - Mark ChignellMark ChignellMark Chignell is a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, Canada and the Director of its Interactive Media Lab. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies. He joined the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor of...
- human interface researcher and professor at the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada... - Michael P. CollinsMichael P. CollinsMichael P. Collins is an structural engineer whose research is concerned with the design and evaluation of reinforced and prestressed concrete buildings, bridges, nuclear containment structures and offshore oil platforms....
- structural engineer and professor at the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada... - Jack CopelandJack CopelandBrian Jack Copeland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.Copeland received a BPhil and DPhil from the University of Oxford in philosophy, where he undertook research on modal and non-classical logic.He is the Director of the Turing Archive for the...
- philosopher - Michael Cullen - Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (2002–2008), Leader of the House of Representatives, Minister of Finance (1999–2008), Minister of Tertiary Education (2005–2007)
- Rhys DarbyRhys DarbyRhys Montague Darby is an actor and stand-up comedian from New Zealand, known for his energetic physical comedy routines, telling stories accompanied with mime and sound effects of things such as machinery and animals...
- comedian - G. F. J. DartG. F. J. DartGerald Francis John "Jack" Dart OBE was a teacher, educational philosopher and playwright who was Headmaster of Ballarat Grammar School in Victoria, Australia from 1942 until 1970. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1971 for services to education and was a founding...
- Headmaster of Ballarat Grammar SchoolBallarat Grammar SchoolBallarat and Queens Anglican Grammar School is an independent, Anglican Church school located at Wendouree , Victoria, 123 km west of Melbourne.-History:...
1942-1970 - Denis DuttonDenis DuttonDenis Dutton was an academic, web entrepreneur and libertarian media commentator/activist. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand...
- philosopher - Robert H. GrubbsRobert H. GrubbsRobert Howard Grubbs is an American chemist and Nobel laureate.As he noted in his official Nobel Prize autobiography, "In some places, my birthplace is listed as Calvert City and in others Possum Trot [NB: both in Marshall County]...
- Visiting Distinguished Professor in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2005 - Clive GrangerClive GrangerSir Clive William John Granger was a British economist, who taught in Britain at the University of Nottingham and in the U.S.A. at the University of California, San Diego. In 2003, Granger was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, in recognition that he and his co-winner, Robert F...
- Visiting Distinguished Professor in Economics, Nobel Prize in Economics 2003 - Brian EastonBrian EastonBrian Easton is an economist from New Zealand. He has been economics columnist for the New Zealand Listener magazine for more than 20 years, giving him a high public profile. He has held a number of university teaching posts but currently works as an independent scholar...
- economist - Michael EndresMichael EndresMichael Endres is a German pianist.He was professor for piano from 1993 to 2004 at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Cologne, until 2009 at the Hochschule Hanns Eisler in Berlin—and since autumn 2009 has been professor for piano at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.-Early...
- pianist - Stevan Eldred-GriggStevan Eldred-GriggStevan Treleaven Eldred-Grigg is the New Zealand author of nine novels, eight history books and various essays and short stories.Born in the Grey Valley, New Zealand, he was one of nine children of Valerie 'Darkie' Forbes, a former factory worker, and her mining official husband Gilbert...
- historian and novelist - Ian FosterIan FosterIan Foster is a Distinguished Fellow and the Associate Division Director in the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, where he leads the Distributed Systems Laboratory, and he is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago...
- computer scientist - Rob FyfeRob FyfeRobert Ian "Rob" Fyfe is a New Zealand businessman and the current Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand national airline Air New Zealand....
- CEO of Air New ZealandAir New ZealandAir New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is... - Joel HaywardJoel HaywardJoel S.A. Hayward , is a New Zealand-born "noted scholar of war and strategy" who has worked in the United Kingdom since 2004.He is best known for his published books and articles on military matters, including the use of air power, his 2003 biography of Horatio Lord Nelson, and his writing and...
- Dean of the Royal Air Force College, UK - Rhona HaszardRhona HaszardRhona Haszard was a New Zealand artist.She was born in Thames, New Zealand, one of five children of a devoted mother, Alice, and a father who worked for the Lands and Survey Department, becoming a Commissioner of Crown Lands in 1910....
- artist - Ken HenryKen Henry (Australian public servant)Dr. Kenneth Ross "Ken" Henry AC is an Australian economist and public servant. He served as the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury from 2001 to 2011. On 1 June 2011, he was appointed as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister...
- Secretary to the Treasury (Australia) - Rodney HideRodney HideRodney Hide is a New Zealand politician who was leader of the political party ACT New Zealand from 2004 to 2011. From 2005 to 2011 he represented the electorate of Epsom as its Member of Parliament. Rodney Hide was Minister of Local Government, Associate Minister of Commerce and Minister of...
- leader of the ACT Party - Jock HobbsJock HobbsMichael James "Jock" Bowie Hobbs, CNZM is a former New Zealand rugby union player who was an All Blacks flanker who played in 21 tests between 1983 and 1986, with four tests as captain. In recent years he has been prominent in rugby administration...
- New Zealand Rugby Union Chair and former All Black Captain - Marian HobbsMarian HobbsMarian Leslie Hobbs , a New Zealand politician, was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then represented the Wellington Central electorate...
- Minister for the Environment (1999–2005) - Alexander IvashkinAlexander IvashkinAlexander Ivashkin , born in Blagoveshchensk, Russia is a cellist, writer and conductor residing in the UK.- Biography :...
- cellist, writer, conductor - Bruce JessonBruce JessonBruce Edward Jesson was a left wing journalist, author and political figure in New Zealand.-Early life:Bruce Edward Jesson was the son of Victor John and Edna Cavell Jesson and the great-grandson of an immigrant from Leicestershire,UKHe was educated at Christchurch Boys' High School Bruce Edward...
- political writer (graduated Bachelor of LawsBachelor of LawsThe Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
, but refused to swear allegiance to the Queen and thus never gained admittance to the BarBar (law)Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
) - Catherine JuddCatherine JuddCatherine Isaac, formerly Catherine Judd , is a past president of the New Zealand political party ACT, and managing director of Awaroa Partners. She was formerly director of JM Communications...
- former president of the ACT Party - Roy KerrRoy KerrRoy Patrick Kerr CNZM is a New Zealand mathematician who is best known for discovering the Kerr vacuum, an exact solution to the Einstein field equation of general relativity...
- MathematicianMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, solved EinsteinAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's equations for a rotating black holeBlack holeA black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that... - Roger KerrRoger KerrRoger Lawrence Kerr, CNZM , a public policy and business leader, was the executive director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable, a free-market think-tank based in Wellington, New Zealand.-Career:...
- executive director of the New Zealand Business RoundtableNew Zealand Business RoundtableThe New Zealand Business Roundtable , a market-oriented thinktank, operates from Wellington, New Zealand. Businessman Robert McLeod chairs the organisation, with Bill Gallagher MBE, Nick Calavrias and Bill Day as Vice-Chairs. Members, who pay a five-figure subscription fee, represent most of the... - John KeyJohn KeyJohn Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
- Leader of the National PartyNew Zealand National PartyThe New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
(2006- ), Leader of the OppositionLeader of the Opposition (New Zealand)The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
(2006–2008), Member of Parliament for the electorate of HelensvilleHelensville (New Zealand electorate)Helensville is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Helensville is John Key, leader of the National Party and Prime Minister of New Zealand. He has held this electorate since 2002...
(2002- ), Prime Minister of New ZealandPrime Minister of New ZealandThe Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
(2008- ) - Sir Howard KippenbergerHoward KippenbergerMajor-General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, KBE, CB, DSO, ED, , known as Kip, served as a New Zealand soldier in both World Wars.-Personal life:Howard Kippenberger married Ruth Isobel Flynn, of Lyttelton in 1922...
, military leader - Jordan LuckJordan LuckJordan Luck was the lead singer and songwriter for the New Zealand rock band The Exponents. He was born in Vanderhoof in the province of British Columbia, Canada, but his family moved to Tokarahi and later moved to Geraldine where he grew up. He attended University of Canterbury and College House...
- musician - Euan MacLeodEuan MacLeodEuan MacLeod , New Zealand artist who won the Archibald Prize in 1999. He was born in Christchurch in New Zealand and moved to Sydney in 1981. He has a Diploma of Fine Arts from Canterbury University in Christchurch...
- painter - Margaret MahyMargaret MahyMargaret Mahy ONZ is a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural...
- children's author - Ngaio MarshNgaio MarshDame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
- author and thespian - Julie MaxtonJulie Maxton-Biography:Born in Scotland, she studied at University College London, Canterbury University, and the University of Auckland. At Auckland her career was both academic and administrative, with periods as the Dean of Graduate Studies and as an Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Most recently, she was...
- Registrar at Oxford University - John McMillanJohn McMillan (economist)John McMillan was the Jonathan B. Lovelace professor of economics in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and one of the world's leading economic theorists and applied microeconomists. His career was initially marked by important contributions to auction theory and mechanism design...
- economist - Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
- actor - Alan MacDiarmidAlan MacDiarmidAlan Graham MacDiarmid ONZ was a chemist, and one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000.-Early life:He was born in Masterton, New Zealand as one of five children - three brothers and two sisters...
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2000 - Craig Nevill-ManningCraig Nevill-ManningCraig Nevill-Manning is a New Zealand computer scientist who founded Google's first remote engineering center, located in midtown Manhattan, where he is an Engineering Director...
- Engineering Director at GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and founder of Google's New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
development centre - Sir Apirana NgataApirana NgataSir Apirana Turupa Ngata was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have ever served in Parliament, and is also known for his work in promoting and protecting Māori culture and language.-Early life:One of 15 children, Ngata...
- Māori politician - Graham PanckhurstGraham PanckhurstGraham Panckhurst QC is a New Zealand High Court Judge. Panckhurst is a graduate of Canterbury University. In 1985 he was appointed as Crown Solicitor for Canterbury and the West Coast...
- High CourtHigh Court of New ZealandThe High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....
Judge and head of the Royal CommissionRoyal CommissionIn Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the Pike River Mine disasterPike River Mine disasterThe Pike River Mine disaster was a coal mining accident that began on 19 November 2010 in the Pike River Mine, northeast of Greymouth, in the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. A first explosion occurred in the mine at approximately 3:44 pm . At the time of the explosion 31... - Sir William PickeringWilliam Hayward PickeringWilliam Hayward Pickering ONZ KBE was a New Zealand born rocket scientist who headed Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 22 years, retiring in 1976...
- Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion LaboratoryJet Propulsion LaboratoryJet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
for 22 years - J. G. A. Pocock-historian of ideas
- Sir Karl PopperKarl PopperSir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
- philosopher of sciencePhilosophy of scienceThe philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, who lectured at Canterbury University College from 1937 to 1946 - Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of NelsonErnest RutherfordErnest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
- Nuclear physicist, winner of the Nobel Prize in ChemistryNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
. (The basement laboratory where Rutherford worked, under the Great Hall of the Arts CentreChristchurch Arts CentreThe Christchurch Arts Centre is a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the neo-gothic former University of Canterbury buildings, the majority of which were designed by Benjamin Mountfort...
, has a display devoted to him.) - Feleti Vakaʻuta SeveleFeleti SeveleFeleti Vakaʻuta Sevele , styled Lord Sevele of Vailahi was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga from 30 March 2006 to 22 December 2010.-Early life:Sevele was born in Ma’ufanga, Nuku’alofa...
-14th Prime Minister of TongaPrime Minister of TongaThis is a list of Prime Ministers of Tonga from the establishment of that office in 1876 until the present day.-List of Premiers/Prime Ministers of Tonga :-External links:*... - Nick SmithNick Smith (New Zealand)Nicolas Rex "Nick" Smith is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand Parliament as a National Party MP...
- Minister for the Environment and Climate Change (2008- ) - Kevin Smith - actor
- Peter Spiller - Principal Disputes Referee of the New Zealand Disputes Tribunals; Law Professor at Waikato University and at Victoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
- Beatrice TinsleyBeatrice TinsleyBeatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley was a New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist whose research made fundamental contributions to the astronomical understanding of how galaxies evolve with time.-Life:...
- astronomer who conducted significant research on galaxiesGalaxyA galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a... - Andrew Tipping - Judge of the Supreme Court of New ZealandSupreme Court of New ZealandThe Supreme Court of New Zealand is the highest court and the court of last resort in New Zealand, having formally come into existence on 1 January 2004. The court sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It replaced the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, based in London...
- Anote TongAnote TongAnote Tong is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage. He is the current President of Kiribati. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast against his brother, Dr. Harry Tong and the private lawyer Banuera Berina...
- President of KiribatiKiribatiKiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
(2003 - ) - Vincent WardVincent WardVincent Ward, ONZM is a film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Vincent Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making. He was born in Greytown, New Zealand. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream and trained as an artist at the...
- film director, screen writer - Ada WellsAda WellsAda Wells née Pike was a feminist and social worker in New Zealand.-Biography:Ada Pike was born near Henley-on-Thames, South Oxfordshire, England. Her parents emigrated to New Zealand with their four girls and one boy in 1873, arriving on the Merope in Lyttelton on 31 October of that year...
- founding member of National Council of Women of New ZealandNational Council of Women of New ZealandThe National Council of Women of New Zealand is a lobbying group for women's rights. The Council was established in 1896.-Establishment of the Council:... - Cal WilsonCal WilsonCal Wilson is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and radio and television personality. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is well known in Australia through her appearances on television and radio.-Biography:...
- comedian, television personality - Glenn WilsonGlenn Wilson (psychologist)Glenn Daniel Wilson is a psychologist best known for his work on attitude and personality measurement, sexual attraction, deviation and dysfunction, partner compatibility, and psychology applied to performing arts.In 2001, Wilson was ranked among the 10 most frequently cited British psychologists...
- psychologist - William Young - Judge of the Supreme Court of New ZealandSupreme Court of New ZealandThe Supreme Court of New Zealand is the highest court and the court of last resort in New Zealand, having formally come into existence on 1 January 2004. The court sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It replaced the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, based in London...
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
College of Arts- Professor Ed Adelson (2010 - )
College of Business and Economics
- Professor Adrian Sawyer (acting)
College of Education
- Professor Gail Gillon (2007- )
College of Engineering
- Professor Jan Evans-Freeman (2009 - )
College of Science
- Professor Paul Fleming (2009 - )