Estate Development History
From humble beginnings at its inception in 1883, the University’s estate has developed significantly in size, distribution, and complexity through to the present day. In 1883 a disused courthouse and jail served as premises for 95 students and four teaching staff. The early 1900s saw the addition of Old Choral Hall, the ClockTower, and the Biology Building. By 1949 the Tāmaki site had been acquired, igniting a debate to relocate the University there. In 1960 a decision was finally reached to set aside the Princes Street area for the University. This decision was a turning point for future development and opened the door for an ambitious planning and building programme through the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969 Old Government House was transferred to the University. The University’s footprint then began to spread and rise as multi- storey buildings were built for Science, Engineering, Human Sciences, Architecture, and the Library at the City Campus. In recent times the progressive transfer of titles from the Crown to the University supported the ability to effectively manage the estate. The Grafton Campus was established with the development of the Medical School. The Tāmaki Campus provided sports grounds and associated facilities and the City Campus Recreation Centre opened. The University progressively acquired and incorporated neighbouring properties into its portfolio to provide for future developments. The Department of Māori Studies complex was constructed in modest buildings on Wynyard Street with its wharenui and whare kai establishing Waipapa Marae which opened in 1988.
Development and expansion continued across the portfolio through the 1980s, 1990s, and on into the 2000s with the addition of the Epsom and Tai Tokerau Campuses for the newly-formed Faculty of Education (2004), the acquisition of the Newmarket Campus (2013), expansion of student accommodation and the opening of the Tai Tonga Campus in South Auckland (2020). A strategy of campus consolidation has seen the relocation of the School of Population Health from Tāmaki to Grafton Campus (2019) followed by the divestment of Tāmaki campus and the exit from Mercy Hospital and Auckland District Health Board leases. The campus consolidation strategy also underpinned the 2020 decision to relocate the Faculty of Education and Social Work (EdSW) from the Epsom Campus to the Auckland City Campus in 2024.
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