Victoria College was founded through an Act of Parliament in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, and named in her honour.

The University’s four pioneering Professors – Thomas Easterfield, Hugh MacKenzie, Richard Maclaurin and John Rankine Brown – arrived in the capital in 1899 to take up their duties.

For the first few years, lectures took place in rented accommodation in the city while a debate raged over where the new University’s home should be built. Eventually, the College Council decided to build on ‘six vertical acres’ in Kelburn, the site of the Kelburn Campus today.

In 1904, the first stage of what is today known as the Hunter Building was begun, and the building was opened in 1906 by the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Plunket.

A pattern of growth was quickly established. Student numbers rose from 254 in 1905 to over 700 in 1923, with three additions made to the building over this period. A reputation for fine teaching and research also grew, thanks to the efforts of early academics such as Professors ‘Tommy’ Hunter, J. C. Beaglehole and George von Zedlitz.

In 1961, the University of New Zealand system (degree candidates were presented to an independent body that assessed all candidates throughout the country) was dissolved, and from 1962 Victoria College became Victoria University of Wellington, an independent university.

Merger with Wellington College of Education

Wellington College of Education (WCE) and Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) have had a long history of working together to advance teacher education. In 2001 the Councils of WCE and VUW agreed to the establishment of a formal partnership (the "Strategic Alliance") between the two institutions. Both Councils noted that this would "bind the two organisations to a permanently closer relationship which will, in all likelihood, eventually lead to a merger".

During 2001-2004, several joint academic programmes were developed and delivered, some of the administrative functions of the institutions were combined, and collaboration in the sharing of facilities was progressively developed. In May 2004 the Councils of both WCE and VUW sought Ministerial approval to merge the institutions. As a result, Wellington College of Education was disestablished on 31 December 2004 and the Victoria University Faculty of Education came into being on 1 January 2005.

For more on the University's story, and its expansion into three additional campuses, see the Campuses and the Hunter Building.