The Learning Quarter
Introduction |
Benefits |
Location |
The plan |
Projects |
Features
Benefits
Auckland's Learning Quarter is an extraordinary place of learning, knowledge and energy. The Learning Quarter is:
The Learning Quarter has:
Open for business
Institutions in The Learning Quarter have large and comprehensive ongoing relationships with industrial and commercial enterprise. Research collaborations are numerous. Examples include:
- the Institute of Biomedical Technologies at AUT University has conducted research for more than 20 companies including Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Pulsecore Ltd
- research on light allows and product design and simulation at AUT University is assisting Ford China, Tata Motors (India), Alloy Super Yachts and Harley Davidson
- since the establishment of the
ICEHOUSE (The University of Auckland business incubator) and AUT University's
Business Innovation Centre, the universities have worked with over 1,100 businesses and raised over $70 million in funding
- the Liggins Institute based at The University of Auckland , conducts
world-class research in collaboration with commercial pharmaceutical and
medical instrumental companies
- sail design research and new concepts of fuelling and engine design are
regularly tested for their commercial viability at The University of
Auckland's Faculty of Engineering.
Actively commercialising research
The cross-pollination between industry and education is huge with university researchers currently attracting nearly $175 million each year from external nationally and internationally competitive funding sources.
The University of Auckland's
UniServices is the largest organisation commercialising university
research in Australasia. Through UniServices, ideas and processes originated by members of staff and the student body are tested, registered or copyrighted and marketed. UniServices has successfully incubated 22 new companies which now have an estimated market capitalisation of more than $650 million.
AUT University focuses on the joint commercialisation of its research collaboration
with commercial partners. AUT University is also part of a four-university consortium working with the
Foundation for Research Science & Technology to enhance research commercialisation.
Part of the wider innovation ecosystem
An engineer at work
Networked with other hubs like the
Tamaki Innovation
Precinct, and AUT University's
Business Innovation Centre in Manukau, The Learning Quarter is vital to Auckland and
New Zealand's wider innovation system.
Through their commitment to the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN), a next generation telecommunications link, the universities are producing faster, better and different types of research and education.
Advantaged by its CBD location
The Learning Quarter's location within Auckland's CBD is an opportunity to engage with the economic heart of New Zealand. Its position between the commercial and retail heart of the Queen Street valley and the CBD
commercial fringe of Parnell, Newmarket , Grafton and Mt Eden, places it ideally for knowledge exchange between the universities and businesses.
This proximity is a resource for researchers and businesses seeking to turn ideas into successful products and services.
Attracting investment
The Learning Quarter (foreground) within Auckland CBD
Capital investment by The Learning Quarter partners will significantly shape the future look and function of the CBD.
The universities have significant capital development plans delivering the best of architecture, design and technology to
support world-class teaching, learning andresearch.
The University of Auckland has approximately $1 billion of capital expenditure forecast over the next 10 years in The Learning Quarter. AUT University plans major capital
expenditure on its City Campus of $150-$200 million.
The council has made significant investment in The Learning Quarter including
the Central Connector, Albert Park upgrade and Auckland Art Gallery
redevelopment.
Expanding its network globally
The virtual community of The Learning Quarter is growing around the alumni of AUT University
and The University of Auckland.
Collectively the universities' 160,000 strong alumni network
reflects the strength of learning experiences for graduates, and provides an ongoing forum
for interaction between the universities and business and communities around the world.
Students and staff are regularly travelling around New Zealand and overseas for research,
teaching and study, sharing their expertise with other places and bringing a wealth of learning
experiences back to Auckland.
The country's largest academic community
Together, the two universities cater for nearly 62,000 students.
The University
of Auckland is New Zealand's largest university and has a student roll of around 38,500, while AUT University's regional roll is around 23,400 with approximately 17,300 students on the city
campus.
Most of the students are from New Zealand but there is also a significant number
of international students (12 per cent of all students in The Learning Quarter).
There are 6,200 academic and other university staff in The Quarter, who hold to international
standards of scholarship.
Both universities cater for students studying degrees up to and including the postgraduate level.
Developing skilled people
Graduation
Education providers in the Learning Quarter have a critical role in the economy's future through training Auckland's current and future workforce, keeping pace with industry and government demands, and ensuring pathways from schools through to university education.
There are approximately 15,600 students obtaining qualifications every year, with around 4,300 at postgraduate level. Increasing numbers of postgraduate students are predicted in The Learning Quarter meaning more research and more opportunities for innovation.
Rich in learning resources
The libraries and art galleries in The Learning Quarter have a wealth of resources that support
research in the wider community. Special collections are highlights of The
Learning Quarter and information and cultural resources, in print, digital and
other formats, are vast.
- The University of Auckland Library is the largest tertiary library system in New Zealand
- the AUT University Library has extensive electronic collections
- the Central City Library has high standing among New Zealand's public libraries
- Auckland Art Gallery is the largest art institution in New Zealand.
Visit the partner websites to see other cultural facilities in the area.
Full of heritage features
Marae
The Learning Quarter is in the heart of the city today as it was in the original plan for Auckland
drawn up in the 1840s by Felton Matthew, New Zealand's first acting Surveyor General.
The Quarter's layers of heritage include:
- protected buildings and objects dating from the 19th century to the 1970s
- protected notable trees of historical significance in Albert Park, on the Old Government House lawn,
in Symonds Street and Alfred Street
- Mãori settlement - three pa (Te Reuroa pa in the vicinity of the High Court, Te Horotiu in the north-western end of Albert Park and Tangihanga Pukeaa pa on the north-south orientated ridge that runs down to the former Point Britomart
headland)
- natural spring - Te Wai Ariki (chiefly waters) located in The University of Auckland Faculty of Law
grounds
- one of the few visible remnants of the original harbour shoreline at the base of Constitution Hill
- seat of early Colonial governance - the first parliament established in 1854 in Parliament Square, Old Government House originally residence of the Governor General and 19th century merchant houses on Princes Street
- Victorian landscape design - Albert Park with its military barracks and tunnels underneath
- the heritage collections of the Central City Library, begun with a bequest by Governor Sir George Grey in the 19th century, are highly valued and have a well-deserved reputation. The University of Auckland Library holds the Western Pacific Archive among other important archives and manuscripts, and both hold historical material about New Zealand. These heritage collections contribute to our national culture, identity and knowledge
- High Court - a nationally significant example of a public building in gothic revival style.
A strong history of achievements
The Learning Quarter offers a wealth of stories on prominent and interesting alumni, members
of staff and students past and present who have contributed to society and the economy.
In all intellectual, artistic, scientific and industrial endeavours, in sporting awards won
by students and in honorary degrees conferred, the universities have a vast range of stories
that give Auckland's Learning Quarter a distinct people focus.
A large and growing community
Students
There are approximately 71,400 students and workers based in The Learning Quarter.
During the day around
40,000 staff and students are on the universities' campuses. In addition to education workers, there are
around 3,300 other workers in the area.
During the evening, the population consists mainly of residents, employees of a few
businesses, and a smaller proportion of students and staff at lectures and using
facilities such as the libraries, a recreation centre, bars and some cafes.
The number of people in The Quarter will grow as the universities become more successful and
as people are attracted to the area for other cultural and recreation purposes.
A mixture of student and long-term residents
There were 2,740 residents living in The Learning Quarter in 2006. Most of the resident population was aged between 15 and 24
years (62 per
cent) and just under half (44 per
cent) were in full-time and a further 3 per cent in part-time study.
Many of the residents in The Quarter are students, although some are also long-term residents.
Of those living in The Quarter, 53 per
cent have lived there for less than a year, and 14 per cent between one and four years (compared with 26 per
cent and 31 per cent respectively for other areas in Auckland city).
As at 2006, most of The Quarter's residents (63 per
cent) had lived elsewhere in New Zealand five years previously, and nearly a third (31 per
cent) lived overseas in 2001.
Albert Park in the heart of The Quarter
Covering 7.5 hectares, Albert Park was designed in 1881 and remains one of the most intact
examples of a Victorian park.
The park is adjacent to the remains of a volcanic landform which has been quarried away.
Albert Park and The University of Auckland are situated on a pre-volcanic ridge mantled
with thick tuff and scoria from an eruption approximately 100,000 years ago at the park's
Victoria Street edge.
The park site was originally used by Mãori for cultivation and settlement (Rangipuke – sky
hill). From 1847-1870 it was the site of the Albert Barracks, the largest early military
establishment in New Zealand. A small proportion of the wall remains in The University
of Auckland grounds.
During the Second World War public shelters for civil defence were
constructed and a vast network of tunnels formed below its surface to provide air raid
shelters for the residents and workers of the inner city (they are around 3.4kms long).
Today, Albert Park provides a cool green oasis in the inner city with its
mantle of large historic trees. It is a place where people can meet, relax, have
fun and be active.
The park is a popular venue for events, most notably the
Auckland Lantern Festival.
A distinctive geography and character
Albert Park
There are areas of distinct character within The Learning Quarter. The two universities are in the core of The Quarter, both adjoining Albert Park, with predominantly commercial uses along Symonds Street, a mix of residential and business activities in the Eden Crescent/Anzac Avenue area, and a largely residential focus in Whitaker Place and Mount Street.
The campuses are quite different in size and nature. AUT University covers
3.3 hectares and has a dense, urban campus dominated by buildings.
The University of Auckland's campus is 18.5 hectares and can be separated into areas of different character
and densities often for heritage reasons.
The Quarter's topography is an important factor in its character, rising from the Queen Street valley to its ridge on Symonds
Street and dropping again to the Grafton Gully.
Published November 2009
