Brand refresh

The University’s brand refresh will see an emphasis on the word ‘Wellington’ in its name, firmly linking the city and the University.

The brand refresh aims to emphasise the University’s close relationship with Wellington and to help resolve offshore confusion about our identity. This confusion has reduced the recognition of our name and has meant that the University’s international reputation is not in keeping with the very high quality of our teaching and research.

A capital city university

Wellington is a fantastic city in which to be a student. Our visual identity refresh will help us align the University and the city more closely and, through our close identification with our location in Wellington, help to ensure that we continue to build the commitment of residents to Wellington as a student city.

Te Herenga Waka

The University is adopting a new Māori name of Te Herenga Waka, which will replace the current name of Te Whare Wānanga o te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui.

You will see our new Māori name play a more prominent role in the University’s identity than our previous Māori name.

Our intention to rely more heavily on our Māori name than we have in the past reflects the growing recognition amongst New Zealanders of the importance of our Māori heritage and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Visual identity

Our visual identity is also changing with the introduction of a new shield, crest and logo that strongly emphasise our connection to Wellington.

We will also be changing some signage and some of our sub-brands that have ‘Victoria’ in them, choosing a URL that better reflects our location in Wellington, and altering the way we abbreviate the University’s name in formal communications.

You will notice these changes being introduced progressively over the coming months, with the new logo to be used from the beginning of 2020.

As much as possible, we will be changing signage, stationary and other such items as part of business as usual (for example, when current stocks run out or signs are due to be replaced) to minimise the costs.

Our student community

We know that there will be a lot of questions about the brand refresh.

The answers to some commonly asked questions include:

• Students will still graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, which remains our legal name.
• There is no requirement for any student group, club or society to change its name. However, if any decide they wish to do so, the University is happy to provide advice and support.
• There are no proposed colloquial terms used for the University—it is up to students, graduates and staff to decide on the nicknames or familiar terms they use for the University now and in the future.