History of the Christchurch campus
The University of Otago, Christchurch is part of the Division of Health Sciences, within the University of Otago. The history of the School reaches back to the 1850s when the Canterbury Association included the vision of a School of Medicine in plans for the new settlement.
The University of Otago, Christchurch was formally established in 1973 as part of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Otago, to provide training across all three clinical years of the undergraduate medical course.
Over the last 36 years our campus has developed a reputation for the quality of the undergraduate training, and is now offering a wide range of postgraduate programmes across a wide range of health disciplines.
Timeline 1850–2023
| 1850 | Canterbury Association proposes Medical school in Canterbury |
|---|---|
| 1875 | Dunedin Medical School opens |
| 1876 | Proclamation in Gazette declared null and void because of a technical point. |
| 1879 | Government declares inability to provide finance |
| 1923 | Otago lengthens its undergraduate course from 5 to 6 years. |
| 1924 | A trial class of students is sent to Christchurch Hospital |
| 1926 | Final year class formally sent to Christchurch |
| 1927 | Classes now sent to Wellington and Auckland |
| 1937 | Joint hospital/university committees appointed to the four centres. |
| 1960 | Dr Don Beaven appointed full-time teaching and research |
| 1966 | Auckland Medical School approved |
| 1968 | External review of Otago Medical School suggests a Christchurch School |
| 1968–1970 | Debate continues over size and composition of the school |
| 1970 | University agrees to build and equip "Medical Centre" |
| Architects provide design report | |
| 1971 | Excavation of foundations starts |
| Professor George Rolleston appointed first Dean | |
| Contract let to Fletcher construction | |
| 1972 | University of Otago, Christchurch established |
| 1973 | Construction complete, first 4th year intake arrives |
| Official opening | |
| 1981 | Professor George Rolleston retires as Dean |
| 1982 | Professor John Hunter appointed as Dean |
| 1986 | Professor Alan Clarke appointed Dean |
| 1988 | Number of postgraduate students exceeds medical students |
| 1994 | Professor Andrew Hornblow appointed Dean |
| 1997 | Problem-based learning succeeds 4th year Clinical Sciences course |
| 1998 | Final stage of building realised after 25 years. |
| 2000 | Number of postgraduate students now reaches 700 |
| 2002 | Professor Ian Town appointed as Dean |
| 2005 | Professor Peter Joyce appointed as Dean |
| 2007 | Name changed to University of Otago, Christchurch |
| 2016 | Professor David Murdoch appointed as Dean |
| 2021 | University of Otago council approves new campus development |
| 2022 | Professor Suzanne Pitama appointed as Dean |
| 2023 | University of Otago, Christchurch's 50th anniversary |