Ko Te Tangata - A History of the University of Waikato: The First Fifty Years

Published by Steele Roberts Aotearoa, Wellington, 2014, 334 pages.

A dream held by local enthusiasts in the 1950s turned a bare pasture and swamp in 1964 into the University of Waikato campus. From the outset it aimed to honour M?ori knowledge and ambitions, to value its students, and to make a difference in the community. The university has been a national pioneer in: creating an institution firmly based in its region and responsive to the diverse communities it serves; founding a Centre for Maori Studies and Research, and teaching in te reo; setting up New Zealands first women's studies courses; establishing a bicultural law school; and linking New Zealand to the world, as its first gateway to the internet. The University of Waikato has grown and developed in a dynamic political and economic context, including a major upheaval in tertiary governance and funding. Central to the story are the staff and students who have worked and studied within the university, and this book pays tribute to many who have shaped ideas, implemented changes and nurtured its distinctive culture.