The University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha (UC) is one of the leading research universities in New Zealand, founded in 1873 by scholars of Oxford and Cambridge universities, is the second oldest university in New Zealand and the fourth oldest in Australasia.

Lincoln University is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultural teaching institution in the Southern Hemisphere.

The University of Otago is a collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. It scores highly for average research quality, and in 2006 was second in New Zealand only to the University of Auckland in the number of A-rated academic researchers it employs.

Massey University is a university-based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington.

The University of Waikato, informally Waikato University, is a comprehensive university in Hamilton, New Zealand. The university was established in 1964 and has an additional campus located in Tauranga.

Auckland University of Technology is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college was granted university status.

The University of Auckland is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the highest ranked New Zealand university in the QS World University Rankings and Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities.