Waikato University owes its existence to two brave men who fought loudly for eight years, on behalf of the people of Waikato, to establish their own university. Since then we've never been afraid to do things differently.

In 1956 a handful of Hamiltonian locals decided they wanted their own university. It seemed reasonable. New Zealand had four universities that had been established in the main centres since the end of last century. Why not the Waikato?