From 1897 to 2022

It was three days before Christmas 1897. Under the watch of Premier Richard Seddon, the Victoria College Bill passed into law and the foundations of university education in Wellington were laid.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing getting to this point.

Seddon had previously been unsupportive of the bill, only changing his mind after returning from celebrating Queen Victoria’s 60th Jubilee in London. Almost on a whim, he decided establishing a university college in Wellington would be a fitting way to mark the jubilee year.

With the bill passed, there was now just the small matter of where to teach. When lectures began some 16 months later in April 1899, students attended classes in rented rooms at Wellington Girls’ High School in Thorndon and the Technical School building in Victoria Street.

In the first year of teaching, 115 students were enrolled in the college. Exam papers were sent by sea to England for marking, a practice that continued until one year when the boat sank, taking with it the precious cargo of student hope, sweat, and fears.

Fast-forward to 2022 and there are 22,000 students at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and more than 3,000 staff (and not one exam paper has been lost at sea).

No longer crammed into borrowed rooms at other schools, students attend classes at the University’s three campuses—Kelburn, Pipitea, and Te Aro—as well as at sites such as Te Toka Tū Moana—Wellington University Coastal Ecology Laboratory in Island Bay and Te Iho ki Motukairangi—Miramar Creative Centre.

Throughout 2022, we’ve been celebrating the people and events that have contributed to making the University what it is today. We hope you enjoy reading more about them in the timeline we've created for you.