Massey University

Massey University (Māori: Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington, as well as a branch campus in Singapore which was opened in 2024.

Massey is home to New Zealand’s only veterinary school which is ranked 19^th in the world and first in Australasia and Asia. It also specialises in animal science and agriculture, aviation, and creative arts.

Massey has been delivering distance learning for over 60 years.

Data from Universities New Zealand shows that in 2024 the university had approximately 26,505 students enrolled, making it the country's second-largest university. Research is undertaken on all three campuses and people from over 130 countries study at the university.

According to the university's annual report, in 2024, around 16.2% of equivalent full-time students were based at the Auckland campus, 17.7% at the Manawatū (Palmerston North) campus, and 13.3% at the Wellington campus. Distance learning accounted for 47.7% of the student body, while the remaining 5.1% studied at other locations.

Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas announced her resignation in April 2025, giving a year’s notice period to allow for the recruitment of her successor.

The idea of establishing an agricultural college in New Zealand’s North Island gained momentum as early as 1879, championed by figures like Sir George Grey, and late by Inspector-General George Hogben.  In 1912, newly elected Prime Minister William Ferguson Massey made the project his priority, leading to the formation of agriculture chairs at Victoria University College (Wellington, 1923) and Auckland University College (1924). In 1926, both institutions transferred their agricultural schools under the New Zealand Agricultural College Act to form the New Zealand Agricultural College. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made to establish the college at the Batchelar property near Palmerston North.

The first College Council meeting took place in Wellington on 1 February 1927. In September 1927 the Massey Agricultural College Act was passed, renaming the college Massey Agricultural College after former New Zealand Prime Minister William Fergusson Massey, who died in 1925 and had been vigorous in land reform efforts. The college opened on its doors to students on 2 March 1928, under the leadership of Principal Geoffrey Peren and Vice-Principal William Riddet. Initial enrolment featured eight students on Day One, swelling to 85 by the end of the first year, and 175 in the second.