Where New Zealand universities rank internationally
Photo:
RNZ
Four of New Zealand's eight universities have improved their standing in one of the major international university league tables.
The QS World University Ranking ranked more than 1500 institutions in 106 countries based on measures including a survey of academic reputation, staff to student ratios and citations of lecturers' research.
The University of Auckland was New Zealand's highest-ranked institution in 65th place, with the other seven universities ranked between 197 and 410.
Otago, Massey, Victoria and AUT improved their rankings with Otago returning to the top 200 for the first time since 2022.
Considered as a university system, New Zealand's universities performed well, the ranking said.
"Among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year's rankings, New Zealand's overall average score of 51 puts the country fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education," it said.
Only Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland had better-performing university systems.
The ranking placed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) first for the 14th consecutive year followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University.
Other ranking systems last year placed New Zealand universities lower in their league tables.
In the THE ranking they ranged from 152nd to a band of 501-600th place, while in the Academic Ranking of World Universities they ranged from a top placing in the 201-300 band to a bottom placing of 801-900.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
8 hours ago
- Scoop
NZDF And University Of Auckland Collaborate On Low-Cost Lifesaving Locator For People At Sea
Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force Small enough to fit in a small boat even below the seat of a canoe the device is popped open to float on the sea, reflecting electromagnetic energy back to satellites passing overhead. A low-cost floating reflector to enable space-based synthetic aperture radar to detect people lost at sea is being developed by University of Auckland scientists in collaboration with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The device could be a lifesaver in the Pacific and help New Zealand keep watch over its vast search and rescue region, covering 30 million square kilometres of water. Vice Chief Defence Force, Rear Admiral Mathew Williams, and senior University leaders observed the latest phase of the Synthetic Aperture Radar for Search and Rescue (SAR4SaR) research programme at Omaha, north of Auckland. 'Finding a raft or small boat in the open ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Tom Dowling, a University of Auckland scientist who is leading the project in conjunction with Defence Science & Technology (DST). 'But we aim to make the needle so shiny that it can't be missed,' Dr Dowling said. Small enough to fit in a small boat – even below the seat of a canoe – the device is popped open to float on the sea, reflecting electromagnetic energy back to satellites passing overhead. An artificial intelligence tool would be scanning radar data to detect the call for help. 'This innovation could be especially relevant for parts of the Pacific where many people rely on simple boats and lack access to high-end emergency gear,' said David Galligan, the director of DST, the Devonport-based scientific arm of the NZDF. 'The ocean is central to the lives of Pacific Island communities; it is an important source of food, and a means of transport,' Dr Galligan said. 'But fishers often go to sea with limited safety and communications equipment. When problems arise, they can find themselves adrift on the open ocean.' In experiments done earlier this year, reflectors were tested for their durability and detectability from the air and space. In tests staged from HMNZS Canterbury near the subantarctic Campbell Island, prototypes remained visible to satellites in stormy seas with gusts of 50-knot winds – more than 90 kilometres per hour. During the week-long experiment at Omaha, the reflectors were put through a series of trials that confirmed their detectability, durability and ease of deployment. The device's effectiveness is made possible because of the advent of low-orbiting satellites. Working in the University Space Institute's fabrication facility, Dr Dowling and University engineer Ella Fasciana created prototypes in a variety of shapes – square, diamond, wedge – from materials available at local home improvement stores: aluminium foil, plastic sheeting, gaffer tape and tarpaulins. The geometric configuration of adjoining aluminium surfaces focuses the energy of the radar signals and bounces it back to space, providing a distinctive signature for identification. Reflectors won't replace contemporary emergency alerting systems, such as Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons or Satellite Emergency Notification Devices. But they would be a boon for people who can't afford such devices and a back-up for those who can. The aim is for a low-cost device that requires no batteries or maintenance. When small vessels go missing in the Pacific, the responsibility for coordinating the search often falls to New Zealand because this country is responsible for a zone extending from the mid-Tasman Sea, halfway to Chile, and from the South Pole almost up to the Equator. In 2023/24 New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre conducted 489 search and rescue operations. In many cases, search and rescue involves deploying long-range maritime patrol aircraft, such as the Royal New Zealand Air Force's P-8A Poseidon, operated by No. 5 Squadron. While these aircraft are vital for conducting extensive search and rescue operations, their use comes with significant operational costs. Each mission places considerable demands on both resources and the aircraft themselves, contributing to increased maintenance needs and airframe fatigue.
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
NZDF And University Of Auckland Collaborate On Low-Cost Lifesaving Locator For People At Sea
A low-cost floating reflector to enable space-based synthetic aperture radar to detect people lost at sea is being developed by University of Auckland scientists in collaboration with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The device could be a lifesaver in the Pacific and help New Zealand keep watch over its vast search and rescue region, covering 30 million square kilometres of water. Vice Chief Defence Force, Rear Admiral Mathew Williams, and senior University leaders observed the latest phase of the Synthetic Aperture Radar for Search and Rescue (SAR4SaR) research programme at Omaha, north of Auckland. 'Finding a raft or small boat in the open ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Tom Dowling, a University of Auckland scientist who is leading the project in conjunction with Defence Science & Technology (DST). 'But we aim to make the needle so shiny that it can't be missed,' Dr Dowling said. Small enough to fit in a small boat – even below the seat of a canoe – the device is popped open to float on the sea, reflecting electromagnetic energy back to satellites passing overhead. An artificial intelligence tool would be scanning radar data to detect the call for help. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'This innovation could be especially relevant for parts of the Pacific where many people rely on simple boats and lack access to high-end emergency gear,' said David Galligan, the director of DST, the Devonport-based scientific arm of the NZDF. 'The ocean is central to the lives of Pacific Island communities; it is an important source of food, and a means of transport,' Dr Galligan said. 'But fishers often go to sea with limited safety and communications equipment. When problems arise, they can find themselves adrift on the open ocean.' In experiments done earlier this year, reflectors were tested for their durability and detectability from the air and space. In tests staged from HMNZS Canterbury near the subantarctic Campbell Island, prototypes remained visible to satellites in stormy seas with gusts of 50-knot winds - more than 90 kilometres per hour. During the week-long experiment at Omaha, the reflectors were put through a series of trials that confirmed their detectability, durability and ease of deployment. The device's effectiveness is made possible because of the advent of low-orbiting satellites. Working in the University Space Institute's fabrication facility, Dr Dowling and University engineer Ella Fasciana created prototypes in a variety of shapes – square, diamond, wedge – from materials available at local home improvement stores: aluminium foil, plastic sheeting, gaffer tape and tarpaulins. The geometric configuration of adjoining aluminium surfaces focuses the energy of the radar signals and bounces it back to space, providing a distinctive signature for identification. Reflectors won't replace contemporary emergency alerting systems, such as Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons or Satellite Emergency Notification Devices. But they would be a boon for people who can't afford such devices and a back-up for those who can. The aim is for a low-cost device that requires no batteries or maintenance. When small vessels go missing in the Pacific, the responsibility for coordinating the search often falls to New Zealand because this country is responsible for a zone extending from the mid-Tasman Sea, halfway to Chile, and from the South Pole almost up to the Equator. In 2023/24 New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre conducted 489 search and rescue operations. In many cases, search and rescue involves deploying long-range maritime patrol aircraft, such as the Royal New Zealand Air Force's P-8A Poseidon, operated by No. 5 Squadron. While these aircraft are vital for conducting extensive search and rescue operations, their use comes with significant operational costs. Each mission places considerable demands on both resources and the aircraft themselves, contributing to increased maintenance needs and airframe fatigue.
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Chatham Islands building materials rusting 22 times faster than inland rural NZ
BRANZ senior scientist Zhengwei Li. Photo: Supplied The headline and topline of this story have been corrected to show the rusting rate is 22 times faster, not 50. Building materials on the Chatham Islands are rusting up to 22 times faster than inland rural NZ, according to research by locals and the Building Research Association. Surrounded by sea and exposed to the elements 800 kilometres out in the South Pacific, the working theory is that salt-laden winds are to blame. Denis Prendeville, a sixth-generation Chatham Islander, had spent 23 years building fences for the Department of Conservation - so he knew well the island's rugged environment . "A hundred years ago, it was forested," he said. "Well, through clearing bush for grazing, the wind has actually finished off a lot of the remaining bush on the Chathams, so it's quite bleak in places." Now, reforestation work was underway, and pests needed to be kept out. "You haven't got anything if you haven't got a fence," Prendeville said. But using all the normal materials, a fence on the coast could rust through in seven years. Prendeville had learned ways around it - using thicker wire, and plastic inserts to keep metal from touching metal, which were the areas which tended to rust first. In the swamps, he usually skipped the bottom two lines of wires, as they tended to rust through in a year. But across the board, things needed replacing more often . "The expense on the Chathams, well you just double it to the New Zealand standards," Prendeville said. Building Research Association (BRANZ) team leader Dr Anna de Raadt said the working theory was that the salt-laden winds could be to blame, with gales picking up the sea spray and throwing it onto fences and roofs, speeding up that rusting process. She said their research has been a collaboration with the community. "Talking to the people living there, it's amazing to hear stories," she said. "One of them really brought it home for me. They were saying, 'Oh we buy a car, bring it over from the mainland to the island, and within three years it's rusted out.'" Scientists set up four racks of metal squares around the island, and left them out in the elements for a year. The metal testing samples. Photo: Supplied De Raadt explained one set was set up at a local school. "And it was really fantastic to see their eyes light up and actually hold the samples and look at them, because they'd see something like a beautiful, shiny metal coupon, and they'd compare it to one looking like a swiss cheese." The results showed corrosion levels were off the charts. An unprotected carbon steel plate, a millimetre thick, was completely gone within a year, despite lasting more than 50 in rural inland areas. BRANZ established more sites, and confirmed the results - the corrosion rates were among the highest defined by international standards. Carbon steel, used in common building products like beams, framing, and nuts and bolts, corroded at a rate more than 22 times faster than inland New Zealand, and more than three times the rate at our harshest coastal sites, like Oteranga Bay in Wellington, and nearly double the highest corrosion rate recorded at marine sites in Europe. "We are testing other materials to see how they will perform on the Chatham Islands environment," de Raadt said. "This then can help inform people's choices about what material to use where." "I guess the main point for us is: the right material in the right place." The current rating system fell short. BRANZ senior scientist Zhengwei Li said materials approved for Zone D - the classification long-held by the Chathams - just didn't hold up. "If you use materials approved for Zone D corrosivity in the Chatham Islands, you will have early material failure." The Chatham Islands Photo: RNZ/ Matthew Theunissen Building company owner Leith Weitzel moved to the Chathams from Wellington just over a decade ago, and said it was definitely an eye-opener. "So up in the eaves of sheds or houses, where you would have some sort of mild steel product or galvanised steel product, if it's not getting rain washing on it, it will start to show corrosion in a few years." It changed the materials they used. "We always opt to use stainless steel externally as much as we can, and we find that's made a huge difference." But even using marine-grade stainless, tea staining - that is, those patchy orange streaks that appeared on metal like water from a tea bag - still occurred. Weitzel said people were often tripped up. "They might buy a flatpack shed or they'll buy a tiny home, something that's of a kit-set nature, and they express that it is quite corrosive and windy and wild over here, and these manufacturers don't supply some of these buildings, these units up to standard, and they find over time that they have used the wrong nails and structural fittings." It was an awareness problem, he said - something the building research association hoped to improve as it took on further tests. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
