Established 1976 Students 10,340 EFTS (2012) [1] Phone +64 9-815 4321 | President Dr. Richard Ede Location Auckland, New Zealand Founded 1976 | |
Address 139 Carrington Rd, Mount Albert, Auckland 1025, New Zealand Notable alumni Rajeev Verma, Malika Sharma, Ria Vandervis, Sara Wiseman, Jake Heenan Similar Auckland University of Techno, University of Auckland, Massey University, University of Waikato, Victoria University of Welling Profiles | ||
Unitec Institute of Technology (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand with over 16,000 students in 2012 (10,340 EFTS) [2].
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The main campus is situated in Mt Albert, Auckland, while a secondary campus is situated in Henderson, Waitakere, Auckland.
Unitec offers degree programs in arts, business, and technical subjects at the bachelors, masters and doctoral level. Applied technology (Trade) training is offered at certificate, diploma and degree level. Unitec is a member of the International Association of Universities.
History
Unitec was founded as "Carrington Technical Institute" in 1976 on the Mt Albert site on Carrington Rd, which has 55 hectares of grounds. The area on which Unitec's main campus is located was formerly home to the Whau Lunatic Asylum, later known as Carrington Hospital. The hospital building, an imposing brick Italianate-Romanesque structure, is located at the northern end of the Unitec campus. The hospital building was the largest building in New Zealand when it was built in the 1860s. The hospital was decommissioned during the early 1990s, and the building is now part of Unitec.
The name changed to "Carrington Polytechnic" in 1987 and then to "Unitec Institute of Technology" in 1994. Unitec applied for university status in 1999, but the Government ruled in 2005 that Unitec did not meet the academic criteria of a university and would remain an institute of technology.
In 2006, Unitec opened its new Waitakere campus in the centre of Henderson. The campus has recently been extended to include a new state-of-the art learning centre and library. The campus is a joint development with the former Waitakere City Council and includes the new Waitakere Central Library. Unitec's Waitakere campus offers mainly business, language, and health and community studies programs.
In August 2011, Unitec opened a new campus at 10 Rothwell Avenue, Albany, on Auckland's North Shore. The new campus was located in a high growth area where there is unmet demand for vocational and trade training. The Albany campus offered a range of courses including automotive and mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, building and construction, information technology, animal care, health care, business services and retail, language and foundation courses. This campus closed in December 2016.
There are three libraries across the two campuses:
- Mt Albert, Hub Library
- Mt Albert, Building 1 Library
- Waitakere Campus Library
Qualifications
Unitec is the largest trade training provider in New Zealand and also provides the only New Zealand-based programme that enables graduates to register with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand, and to enter practice as an osteopath.
The Institute is also one of the largest nursing training providers in New Zealand. Unitec has strong links with industry and 85% of undergraduate degrees have elements of industry based learning. For example, the Introduction to Policing course is delivered in partnership with the New Zealand Police.