Legacies and traditions

The University of Canterbury began its formal life as Canterbury College in 1873, one of four colleges throughout Aotearoa New Zealand which joined together to make up the University of New Zealand. Initially drawing on a European model of higher learning exemplified by universities such as Cambridge and Oxford, the College slowly matured into an independent university in its own right, one with a strong sense of its place in Ōtautahi Christchurch. A rich culture of traditions and ceremonies, which are at the heart of the formal life of the University, have evolved over the last 150 years, linking together each generation of alumni who have passed through these halls.