When you graduate from the University of Waikato you automatically join a special worldwide group of people: Waikato alumni.  

Alumni & Friends E-Newsletters
Off Campus - the year in review alumni magazine
Careers and employment advice
Alumni Representatives around the world
Invitations to alumni events in your region

Join University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Prof Roy Crawford in Taipei for the New Zealand Universities Alumni Event.  For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Welcome to the latest issue of the Alumni and Friends E-Newsletter.

Over the past month we have been celebrating with our graduating students at a series of graduation events in Hamilton and in Tauranga. It was an opportunity for more than 1,400 graduands to look back on their time here, and to look forward to new challenges.

Read more

Two former New Zealand Prime Ministers were on hand to speak at a recent event in New York, celebrating the collaboration between the University of Waikato's Faculty of Education and Columbia Teachers College.

Waikato's delegation, led by Chancellor Rt Hon Jim Bolger and Vice-Chancellor Roy Crawford, also met with several New York-based alumni. Read more

"Fresh off the boat" is how Edmund describes himself arriving in New Zealand in 1971 as a scholarship student under the Columbo Plan for developing countries within the British Commonwealth. Read more

There's a dynasty in the making at the University of Waikato. Altogether 13 members of the Phee family from Penang in Malaysia have graduated from Waikato; three are still studying, and there's still more to come.

Boon Eow Phee (pictured) was the first in the Phee family to come to New Zealand for university studies in the 1970s. He graduated with a science degree and an MBA before returning to Penang to run the family's printing and packaging business.  Other members of the Phee family have gone on to successful careers in government, finance, law and marketing. Read more

Matthew Cooper is CEO of Sport Waikato and he graduated this month with a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies.  He says the experience has changed his leadership style.

The former All Black and part-time Sky rugby commentator says he's pleased to have completed the qualification which he admits was a challenge fitting into his already busy schedule.  "Now it's done, I've been able to sit back, take stock and say it was definitely worth it," he says. Read more

Hawaiian PhD graduate Keao NeSmith recently completed his Doctorate in applied linguistics with the School of Maori and Pacific Development. He hopes to develop a professional teaching programme for his endangered language.

Thanks to a top US Mellon-Hawai'i fellowship worth $56,000 Keao was able to travel to New Zealand to study. Read more

It's official: saving the planet can boost your career. Students who've taken Waikato Management School's graduate-level Strategies for Sustainability paper are popping up all over the world in corporations seeking to be environmentally and community friendly.

Joe de Jong (pictured), works for PE International in Stuttgart, Germany and sees a direct connection between his sustainability studies and the work he does for Fortune 500 and Global 200 companies. Read more

Congratulations to alumnus and University Councillor Todd Muller on his recent appointment as Managing Director, Co-operative Affairs, for Fonterra.

A former Waikato Students' Union President, Todd has enjoyed a successful career since graduating from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Social Science in economics and political science and a Masters in 1992.

Todd's first role out of University was as Executive Assistant to Prime Minister Jim Bolger.  In 1998 he joined Zespri International Ltd in Tauranga, holding several senior leadership roles.  In 2007 Todd was appointed CEO of New Zealand owned Apata Ltd, where he remained until 2011 when he joined Fonterra as Local Government and Regional Relations Manager.  Todd's new role at Fonterra will see him heading up Co-operative Affairs.

14 May to 22 June, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts

Remix, by Hemi Macgregor (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe, Pākehā) is a dynamic art practice that mixes issues of contemporary youth culture with Māori concepts of knowledge, time and identity. This solo exhibition spans nearly 15 years of work featuring painting, sculpture and mixed media.

Gallery sponsors Calder & Lawson Tours are renowned world travel experts, with over two decades of experience in international travel. They offer over twenty amazing tours every year to destinations across the world, all specifically geared to suit the 55 years plus market.

Calder & Lawson Tours are endorsed by the University of Waikato, ensuring the highest quality educational experience.

Generous sponsorship from the Compass Group has made a new award available to senior Sir Edmund Hillary Scholars.

The Step Higher Award is an opportunity for these Scholars to travel to Khumbu Valley in Nepal, work with local communities and trek to Everest Base Camp. They will see and experience the true legacy of the great New Zealand explorer, Sir Ed. Read more