What it does: Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand’s first university.
Mission: Research excellence underpins academic activity at Otago.
Size and presence: Nationwide presence: from Invercargill to Auckland. 20,721 students by headcount (18,722 EFTS).
Best known for: Placed 194th in the QS world rankings and within the top 1% of universities internationally.
The good bits: Very healthy and friendly working environment.
The not-so-good bits: Low pay per hour when calculated.
The University of Otago, founded in 1869 by an ordinance of the Otago Provincial Council, is New Zealand’s oldest university. The new University was given 100,000 acres of pastoral land as an endowment and authorized to grant degrees in Arts, Medicine, Law, and Music.
The University opened in July 1871 with a staff of just three Professors, one to teach Classics and English Language and Literature, another having responsibility for Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, and the third to cover Mental and Moral Philosophy and Political Economy. The following year a Professor of Natural Science joined the staff. With a further endowment provided in 1872, the syllabus was widened and new lectureships established: lectures in Law started in 1873, and in 1875 courses began in Medicine. Lectures in Mining were given from 1872, and in 1878 a School of Mines was established.
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.
The School of Dentistry was founded in 1907 and the School of Home Science (later Consumer and Applied Sciences) in 1911. Teaching in Accountancy and Commerce subjects began in 1912. Various new chairs and lectureships were established in the years between the two world wars, and in 1946 teaching began in the Faculty of Theology. The School of Physical Education was opened in 1947.
A federal University of New Zealand was established by statute in 1870 and became the examining and degree-granting body for all New Zealand university institutions until 1961. The University of Otago had conferred just one Bachelor of Arts degree, on Mr. Alexander Watt Williamson, when in 1874 it became an affiliated college of the University of New Zealand.
In 1961 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.
Since 1961, when its role was about 3,000, the University has expanded considerably (in 2016 there were over 20,000 students enrolled) and has broadened its range of qualifications to include undergraduate programs in Surveying, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science, Teacher Education, Physiotherapy, Applied Science, Dental Technology, Radiation Therapy, Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy (now combined in an Oral Health program), Biomedical Sciences, Social Work, and Performing Arts, as well as specialized postgraduate programs in a variety of disciplines.
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 c inenter 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.
| WHAT WE WANT TO SEE | WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO SEE |
|---|---|
| Inclusive, treats people as individuals, celebrates differences | Challenges, denies or ignores people’s cultural or personal identity |
| Develops cultural competence and respects cultural needs | Displays racism, sexism or other forms of discrimination |
| Develops empathy, shows interest in and consideration for others | Dismissive, belittling, judging, talks down, patronizing, stereotyping |
| Respects and acknowledges others’ views, beliefs, choices and feelings | Doesn’t consider the impact of their actions or decisions on others |
| Helpful, kind, willing, supportive of others, goes out of their way | Rude, aggressive, abrupt, undermining, bullying or harassing |
| Compassionate and looking out for each other | Behavior that harms other people’s health or well-being |
| Clear and transparent about their actions, decisions and reasons | Makes decisions without consulting or talking with those affected |
| Believes in other people, gets to know people and their strengths | Micro-manages, blames, displays favoritism, gossips about people |
| Accountable for their own actions, takes initiative, professional | Puts own interests first, displays a “not my job” attitude, unhelpful |
| Clear about roles and responsibilities, sets reasonable goals | Undermines or sets people up to fail |
| Inquisitive, questioning, learning, open to new ideas or approaches | Imposes own ideas or biases, makes unfounded assumptions |
| Approachable, welcomes people, their strengths and experience | Closed, inflexible, arrogant, dismissive, unavailable |
| Brings a positive, enthusiastic attitude to work, smiles, laughter | Unnecessarily grumpy, moaning or negative |
| High aspirations, embraces change, tries to improve, finds solutions | Accepts status quo, apathy, ambivalence, “good enough” attitude |
| Actively seeks out feedback as a chance to learn and improve | Rejects feedback, argues, criticises, blames |
| Gives feedback fairly where needed, even if it is difficult to give | Fails to give feedback so others can improve, “walks by” issues |
At Otago, we embrace, support, and celebrate the diversity of sexual and gender identities of our staff and students. Being inclusive and accepting is part of who we are.
We are recognized as a Rainbow Tick certified employer and we always strive to provide an environment in which all students and staff can be themselves and achieve their full potential.
Providing support and opportunities for connection, raising awareness, and educating our staff about working with the rainbow community are some of the ways we show our commitment to this cause.
All University of Otago campuses are completely smoke-free since 2014.
Offering our students and staff a healthy, smoke-free environment to study and work is just one of the many ways we achieve our mission statement.
Our smoke-free policy is strictly enforced across our Dunedin, Wellington, and Christchurch campuses and our team at Otago Student Health is fully committed to supporting students who wish to quit smoking.
Being a smoke-free campus also significantly helps reduce our environmental impact and contributes to our wider sustainability goals.
Otago’s Social Impact Studio provides a hub for students, staff, and the community to team up on projects that benefit our society and environment.
Our volunteering programs allow students to use their creativity, passion, and initiative for the good of the community. Students can be part of positive social change and, at the same time, improve their leadership skills, boost their employability and discover valuable networking opportunities.
Staff also play an important role by encouraging students to volunteer and by supporting initiatives with their own experiences, expertise, and enthusiasm.
The Social Impact Studio currently works with over 200 community partners across Dunedin. We actively promote volunteer opportunities and help our student volunteers to connect with their community.