Matariki Network of Universities

The Matariki Network of Universities (MNU) member institutions promote excellence in research-led education, in which students receive education from researchers at the cutting edge of their field.  Each member institution conducts transformative research across a broad subject base in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.  Each promotes a combination of academic learning and personal growth through extracurricular activities in diverse scholarly communities so as to develop rounded citizens of the world and leaders of the future.

Matariki is the Māori name for the group of stars known as the Pleiades star cluster, and also known as the Seven Sisters.  Similarly, there are seven founding member institutions in the MNU.  Matariki is also the word for the Māori New Year, which marks the rise of Matariki and the sighting of the new moon.  The seven members of MNU are each distinguished by their historic traditions, but also by their approach to facing contemporary challenges.  For Māori, Matariki has come to mean a celebration of the unique place in which we reside and the giving of respect for the land on which we live.  The seven founding members of MNU are each significant contributors to the city or town in which they are based, and value the ‘town-gown’ relationship.