University of Otago

Founded in 1869 with an endowment of "100,000 acres of pastoral land ... and authorised to grant degrees in Arts, Medicine, Law and Music" the University of Otago opened to students in 1871 making it the oldest university in Aotearoa. A second endowment in 1872 provided for a wider syllabus and new lectureships in Law (1873), Medicine (1875) and Mining (1872). A School of Mines was established in 1878.

"The University was originally housed in a building (later the Stock Exchange) on the site of John Wickliffe House in Princes Street but it moved to its present site with the completion of the northern parts of the Clocktower and Geology buildings in 1878 and 1879."

When the University of New Zealand "was disestablished, and the power to confer degrees was restored to the University of Otago by the University of Otago Amendment Act 1961...

Although the University’s main campus is in Dunedin, it also has Health Sciences campuses in Christchurch (University of Otago, Christchurch) and Wellington (University of Otago, Wellington) (established in 1972 and 1977 respectively), an information and teaching centre in central Auckland (1996), and an information office in Wellington (2001).

The Dunedin College of Education merged with the University on 1 January 2007, and this added a further campus in Invercargill." (About)

University art collections are administered by the Hocken Library Pictorial Collection and by an Artwork Collections Committee.

See also:

• The University of Otago Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtāgo | About
• Hocken Library