University of Waikato
Encyclopedia
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
and 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...
, 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...
, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management. Its School of Māori and Pacific Development is acknowledged as the world centre for study in this subject area.
In 2007, over 12,000 students were enrolled at the University. More than a quarter of students were aged over 25, and over half were women. It has the highest proportion of Māori students on any campus in New Zealand. The Māori character of the campus is an important aspect of its overall identity.
In 2010, the QS World University Rankings
QS 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....
gave Waikato 316th place, slightly down from its ranking in 2009.
Out of 3,900 business schools in the world, University of Waikato is one of the 48 universities in the world to have Triple accreditation
Triple accreditation
Triple Accreditation is the accreditation awarded to 55 business schools worldwide by the three largest and most influential business school accreditation associations:...
. In New Zealand, it is one of the two universities to have Triple accreditation and one of the three universities in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand. The other universities are the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
in New Zealand and Brisbane Graduate School of Business
Brisbane Graduate School of Business
The QUT Business School is one of the five schools in the Faculty of Business at the Queensland University of Technology.The university was established in 1908 and QUT Business School was established in 1995. The school offers a Master of Business Administration program and a Graduate Certificate...
, Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
, in Australia.
The University of Waikato in Hamilton is spread over 0.67 square kilometres (165.6 acre) of landscaped park-like grounds, and includes extensive sporting and recreational areas surrounding three ornamental lakes. Many sporting and cultural groups are active on campus, including various international students' clubs. The University provides study facilities including modern lecture rooms and laboratories, a library of over 1,000,000 volumes, and an extensive computer network with over 800 terminals.
The University of Waikato at 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...
(formerly Tauranga University College) is smaller than the Hamilton campus. It offers 150 papers predominantly at undergraduate level.
Academic schools and divisions
The University consists of seven faculties and school of study:- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
- Faculty of LawUniversity of Waikato School of LawThe University of Waikato Faculty of Law was founded in 1990 and is one of seven faculties that make up the University of Waikato. The Faculty is located in the on the south east side of the Hillcrest Campus in Hamilton, which is accessible from Hillcrest Road...
- Waikato Management School.
- Faculty of Education.
- Faculty of Science and Engineering.
- Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Science.
- School of Māori and Pacific Development
These faculties and school of study offer undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees in their respective subject areas.
Waikato Pathways College specialises in preparing students, and in particular international students, for further study at Waikato.
Research
The University's research involvement is varied, and it is noted for research in the management disciplines of Accounting, Finance and Human Resource Management; Computer Science, Mathematics, Science, particularly in the Biological Sciences including both Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour and Cellular, Molecular and Whole Organism Biology, and Chemistry, Education and the Social Sciences.The University has many research facilities, including:
- Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research
- Stable Isotope Unit
- Management Research Centre
- Technology Management and Innovation Unit
- Centre for Labour and Trade Union Studies
- Carbon Dating Unit
- Honey Research Unit
- Thermophile Research Unit
- Antarctic Research Unit
- International Global Change Institute
- Mediarena Centre for Research
Research is further reinforced by close contact between the University and commercial or governmental research facilities located on or adjacent to the campus. Significant among them are the Ruakura
Ruakura
Ruakura is a semi-rural suburb of Hamilton City, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The University of Waikato is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway 1B .The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural-based economy, and...
Research Centre (the largest agricultural and horticultural research facility in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
), Landcare Research
Landcare Research New Zealand Limited
Landcare Research is one of New Zealand's Crown Research Institutes. The focus of the research at this company is the environment, biodiversity, and sustainability.-History:...
, National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA Ecosystems), and the Institute of Professional Legal Studies.
Cementing the University's role as a key New Zealand research institute is UNILink, the University's own consulting division, dedicated to national and international sourcing of commercial research contracts. As a result the University attracts the highest percentage of research income in proportion to its student population of any university in New Zealand.
Particular strengths
The Mathematics department was rated first in New Zealand on the PBRF rankings in both 2004 and 2007.The Department of Biological Sciences earned first place rankings in both panels of PBRF: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour and Cellular, Molecular and Whole Organism Biology. Within EEB, the department has long-term FRST funding in the areas of restoration ecology in both terrestrial and freshwater systems, reaching from urban to natural ecosystems, and from molecular ecology to environmental biology.
The School of Māori and Pacific Development is almost certainly the leading centre of academic study of things Māori; Russell Bishop
Russell Bishop (academic)
Russell Bishop is the Chair Professor of Māori Education at the University of Waikato and the director of Te Kotahitanga, a research program. He coauthored Culture Counts: Changing Power Relations in Education with Ted Glynn, another University of Waikato professor.-References:...
is the Chair Professor. Similarly, the law school is a leading centre for research into the Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....
. Because of the relative youth of the University, the library's holdings are relatively undeveloped, but there are significantly holdings of Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
taonga.
The Computer Science department is particularly strong, with research groups in networking
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, machine learning
Machine learning
Machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and development of algorithms that allow computers to evolve behaviors based on empirical data, such as from sensor data or databases...
(Weka
Weka (machine learning)
Weka is a popular suite of machine learning software written in Java, developed at the University of Waikato, New Zealand...
), digital libraries
Digital library
A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
(Greenstone), Formal methods for Software Engineering
Formal methods
In computer science and software engineering, formal methods are a particular kind of mathematically-based techniques for the specification, development and verification of software and hardware systems...
and usability
Usability
Usability is the ease of use and learnability of a human-made object. The object of use can be a software application, website, book, tool, machine, process, or anything a human interacts with. A usability study may be conducted as a primary job function by a usability analyst or as a secondary job...
.
The School of Law was founded in 1990 and follows the principles of professionalism, biculturalism and the study of law in context. The School of Law focuses on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as opposed to a more adversarial approach. As well as offering graduates their Bachelor of Laws (LLB), if students elect to take Commercial Transactions as well as Mediation: Laws, Principles and Practice, they may also apply for Associate status with the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ). This gives them professional status when conducting these activities and is globally recognised.
The University is co-located with Ruakura
Ruakura
Ruakura is a semi-rural suburb of Hamilton City, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The University of Waikato is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway 1B .The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural-based economy, and...
, a centre for research in the primary industries.
Due to the proximity of the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
and Lake Karapiro
Lake Karapiro
Lake Karapiro is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. The lake, near Cambridge and some south-east of the city of Hamilton, was created in 1947 to store water for the Karapiro Power Station, the last of the eight hydroelectric power stations on the...
the University has excellent rowing teams and competes against University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in alternating years on the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
in The Great Race
The Great Race (rowing)
The Great Race is an annual rowing race between the men's eight from the University of Waikato, New Zealand and a prominent university team from outside New Zealand...
.
Performance Based Research Fund Rankings
Performance Based Research Fund rankings are used to help rate different Universities in New Zealand.In 2007, the University of Waikato was ranked fifth in New Zealand.
They also achieved top rankings in ten subjects areas:
- Accounting and finance
- Chemistry
- Communications, journalism and media studies
- Computer science, information technology, information sciences
- Ecology, evolution and behaviour
- Education
- Management, human resources, industrial relations, international and other business
- Molecular, cellular and whole organism biology
- Music, literary arts and other arts
- Pure and applied mathematics.
(Only 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...
received more first placings with 14 places.)
The School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Management School and Combined School of Education were also ranked top in New Zealand.
In 2006, the University of Waikato was ranked first in nine subject areas:
- Biology Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour, score 5.9
- Biology Molecular, Cellular and Whole Organism Biology, score 5.4
- Chemistry, score 5.8
- Computer Science, Information Technology and Information Sciences, score 4.9
- Communications, Journalism and Media Studies, score 4.1
- Management, Human Resources, Industrial Relations, International Business and Other Business, score 4.4
- Accounting and Finance, score 3.5
- Pure and Applied Mathematics, score 6.0
- Music, Literary Arts and Other Arts, score 5.3
In 2004, the University came first in:
- Pure and Applied Mathematics, score 5.7
- Chemistry, 5.1
- Computer Science, Information Technology and Information Sciences, 4.7
- Molecular, Cellular and Whole Organism Biology, 4.2
- Communications, Journalism and Media Studies, 3.8
- Management, Human Resources, Industrial Relations, International Business and Other Business, 3.4
- Accounting and Finance. 2.8
The 2003 evaluation rated Waikato to be fifth out of New Zealand's eight universities.
Academic year
The academic year runs from March to November. It is divided into two semesters by a two-week study break in June/July. Most schools within the University offer a mid-year intake so it is possible to enrol in the March–June or the July–November semesters, as well as in the year-long program. Summer School is available for many courses and allows students to accelerate the completion of their degree. The International MBA is taught over one year and begins in July.The summer school semester runs from the beginning of January to the end of February.
International students
Waikato has a strong commitment to attracting international students. In 2002, the University had over 1,500 international students from more than 60 different countries, particularly from the Pacific RimPacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
regions. There are also a growing number of students from diverse places such as Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and various Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries. Many international students start at the University of Waikato by enrolling in a one-year Certificate of Attainment in Foundation Studies. This prepares students from a non-English background for university study in New Zealand. Courses in English for students from non-English speaking backgrounds are also offered through the University of Waikato Language Institute.
The University has approximately 1,000 places in accommodation available for students, a number of which are set aside specifically for international students. Many students choose to stay in the University Halls of Residence
during their first year, and then move into a student flat (private rental accommodation) in subsequent years. Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
is an inexpensive city to live in for students on a limited budget.
Post Graduate Student Association
The Waikato Post Graduate Student Association was a development that come about as a need in the performance Based Research Funding (PBRF) environment. The group of students looked after the Masters and PhD students interest and had Dr Peter Hodder as a contact person appointed by Professor Richard Bedford at the time Pro Vice Chancellor Academic. PGSA organizes a number of activities.Student Centre development
In November 2008, work began on one of the largest construction projects in the University's lifetime, this involved the upgrade and total rebuilding of the main library at the Hamilton campus.The library which will transform into the "Student Centre" (yet to be officially named) is costing an estimated $33.4 million and is expected to take around four years to complete. The student centre will be the first library 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...
to fully generate its own power, earning it a 5 star green building award.
Once finished, the Student Centre will include six levels, two new cafes, a new bookshop, and various other amenities. The Law Library will be situated on the 5th floor.
The Student Center and recent rebuilding of the Village Green (formerly the university shops) have been two developments which reflect the University's aim to provide the most modern facilities possible.
University restructuring
In August 2009, the University magazine Nexus gained information that the University was preparing to restructure its faculty and schools of study in response to a high increase in student numbers.The proposed restructuring will create four new faculties of study:
- Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Law and Management
- Faculty of Human Development and Education
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
The faculties will contain "Schools" which were previously departments within the old school of study system.
The University of Waikato has also stated it is intending on further restricting student numbers into its programs from 2010 onwards.
Waikato University alumni
The Waikato University alumni is made up of past students at Waikato University and staff. The numbers of alumni have steadily built from 1964 to number around 100,000.Other notable features
The University rowing team is particularly strong. In 2002, the University started challenging a rowing team from another university to compete against it in the Great RaceThe Great Race (rowing)
The Great Race is an annual rowing race between the men's eight from the University of Waikato, New Zealand and a prominent university team from outside New Zealand...
for the Harry Mahon
Harry Mahon
Harry Mahon, OBE was a rowing coach. He coached international crews from New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa and Great Britain to success at World Championships and Olympic Games...
Memorial Trophy. This has become an important annual event in Hamilton.
| 2002 | Waikato vs Cambridge University | Won by Waikato |
| 2003 | Waikato vs Oxford University | Won by Waikato |
| 2004 | Waikato vs Cambridge University | Won by Cambridge |
| 2005 | Waikato vs University of Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University... |
Won by Waikato |
| 2006 | Waikato vs Cambridge University | Won by Waikato |
| 2007 | Waikato vs Harvard University Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... |
Won by Waikato |
| 2008 | Waikato vs Cambridge University (Males) | Won by Cambridge |
| 2008 | Waikato vs Sydney University (Females) | Won by Waikato |
| 2009 | Waikato vs Oxford University (Males) | Won by Waikato |
| 2009 | Waikato vs Sydney University (Females) | Won by Sydney |
| 2010 | Waikato vs Cambridge University (Males) | Won by Cambridge |
| 2010 | Waikato vs Sydney University (Females) | Won by Waikato |
Sport
The University of Waikato has a variety of different sport clubs. University Netball, Team Waikato, Rowing Club, Unicol Soccer, Hockey Club and Rugby Club.The University also have a wide variety of partner clubs and sports.
The Don Llewellyn Sports Pavilion is the home of the University’s sport teams. It provides changing rooms for home and away teams. The Pavilion is located next to the University fields for rugby, cricket and soccer and the tennis and netball courts.
The University campus swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s are open for public from 1 December to 31 March. The pools include a 50-meter aquatic leisure pool and a diving pool. They are unheated.
There are a number of leisure sports activities close to the University of Waikato for students.
The Unirec Centre provides a cardio studio with different cardio equipment, weight room, REV indoor cycling, squash courts and a sports hall. The Unirec centre also offers a wide variety of exercise programmes, and is able to offer a personalised exercise programme for individuals.
ASB Social Sport provides a variety of social indoor and outdoor sport. The indoor social sports start in March and have six leagues that continue until the beginning of November. The indoor sports offered are netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, soccer, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The leagues take place at the Unirec Centre. The outdoor sports offered are touch and soccer.
University sites
The University of Waikato is located on a number of different sites:- Main Hamilton Campus, on Knighton Road
- TaurangaTaurangaTauranga 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...
Campus, on Durham Street - RuakuraRuakuraRuakura is a semi-rural suburb of Hamilton City, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The University of Waikato is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway 1B .The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural-based economy, and...
Satellite Campus, off Ruakura Road
Scientific instrumentation
The University has a large number of instruments available to assist research. These include:- A 300 MHz and a 400 MHz NMRNMR spectroscopyNuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy, is a research technique that exploits the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei to determine physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained...
- A MALDI
- ESMS
- GCMSGas chromatography-mass spectrometryGas chromatography–mass spectrometry is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Applications of GC-MS include drug detection, fire investigation, environmental analysis, explosives investigation,...
- LC-MSLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometryLiquid chromatography–mass spectrometry is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry. LC-MS is a powerful technique used for many applications which has very high...
- Malvern Mastersizer and Zetasizer
- Waters HPLCHigh-performance liquid chromatographyHigh-performance liquid chromatography , HPLC, is a chromatographic technique that can separate a mixture of compounds and is used in biochemistry and analytical chemistry to identify, quantify and purify the individual components of the mixture.HPLC typically utilizes different types of stationary...
- Tensile testers
- Viscometers
- ICP-OES
- AA
- X-ray diffraction equipment
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEMScanning electron microscopeA scanning electron microscope is a type of electron microscope that images a sample by scanning it with a high-energy beam of electrons in a raster scan pattern...
) with EDAX and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEMTransmission electron microscopyTransmission electron microscopy is a microscopy technique whereby a beam of electrons is transmitted through an ultra thin specimen, interacting with the specimen as it passes through...
) - Liquid nitrogen, for University use only
- IR and UV/Vis Spectrometers
- FTIR Microscopy
- Stopped-flow spectrometer
- Raman spectroscopy
- Polarimetry
- Luminescence spectrometer
- Electron spin resonance
Some instruments are available for hire to external users include:
- Chemical Services Unit
- Biological Services
- Earth Science Commercial Services
- Physics and Electronic Engineering Services
- Materials and Process Engineering Equipment