
Our History
Our tertiary institute was conceptualised in 1987, when Hiroshi Ohashi, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees - then and today, with other experts in the educational field across the Pacific-Rim nations assembled and discussed ‘an ideal model for an innovative approach to tertiary education in the 21st century'.
Dr Kay Andersen, former Executive Director of WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges, USA)[1] was appointed as Director and supported Ohashi to lead the discussion. Dr Anderson's expertise in tertiary education and governmental approval procedures made a significant contribution to the project. Professor Emeritus Herbert Passin, from Columbia University, also joined the project. His inexhaustible knowledge of tertiary education, and the societies of the USA and Japan propelled the promotion of the project.

The discussion continued over a year and a half, delivering a new grand scheme for establishing a tertiary educational system with a consortium of campuses in Pacific-Rim nations, where credits would be transferrable and students could obtain a degree at any campus when all credits required for graduation were complete.
Our tertiary institute - known for 25 years until 2015 as IPC (International Pacific College) - was established as the first campus of the scheme in 1990, the year of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of New Zealand.
Criteria for this establishment as envisaged by Chairman Ohashi included:
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The campus must be developed in an environment where students' lives, assets and safety would be guaranteed.
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The host country of the campus must offer globally-competitive tertiary education.
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An ideal, clean natural environment should be readily available around the campus for students to enjoy their collegiate life.
Our institute, the first campus of the grand scheme, satisfied these three requirements and has successfully supported students coming from many corners of the world with their studies. Both international students living in New Zealand, away from their home countries, and domestic students looking to create an international career. In 2000, the 10th anniversary year of IPC, the Postgraduate Programmes was launched, and the range of education greatly expanded. Today, students from some two dozen countries live and study on our campus in Palmerston North while we have cooperative links with many tertiary institutions and secondary schools throughout Asia.
The quality and achievements of our global education have been highly recognised by NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority), and we continuously received the highest result of “Category 1 (Highly Confident)” at the EER (External Evaluation and Review) in 2019.

The second campus of the scheme opened in 2007 in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The International Pacific University, whose philosophy is to combine pedagogy, teacher education and physical education, has become a leading university in Chugoku region in Japan since its establishment.
Our institution, as the first campus in the scheme, has continued to develop our educational services with postgraduate qualifications, undergraduate degree
the Bachelor of Contemporary International Studies (BCIS) with a strong emphasis on International Business as well as its other majors (International Relations, Japanese Studies, and, TESOL & Language Studies). In April 2016, the Japanese government approved IPU Japan to launch the Bachelor of Contemporary Business Management. These developments have enabled more active exchange of students and faculty between the two campuses, which was the vision stated at the outset of the grand scheme.
Reflecting on the scheme with its proposed wide reach, an application was lodged with NZQA to change our trading name. The application was approved and we initiated the rebranding process in September 2015. Today we are known as the Institute of the Pacific United New Zealand, in short, IPU New Zealand (both names are officially registered). This name is more clearly indicative of the extent of our reach and linkages from New Zealand across the Pacific and into Asia.
Preparations are under way for establishing of the third international campus as further development of the original grand scheme. As the first campus and the central hub of the scheme, IPU New Zealand will continue developing itself as a unique tertiary institute in the Pacific-Rim nations, with its strong focus on Asia.


“I’m currently studying the Diploma of Tourism and Travel at IPU New Zealand. My experience at IPU has been amazing, in class, it’s just a great environment and I love learning about all the different concepts of tourism, and I hope when I have completed my qualification to become an international flight attendant.”
KYNDRA-ROSE ATTWELL
LEVEL 5 TOURSIM AND TRAVEL STUDIES

“I chose graduate diploma because it is an interdisciplinary course, meaning we can take different papers from different subjects, and it allows us to understand how business works in New Zealand. This is good because I would like to grow my career in international business relating to importation and exportation, and New Zealand is a great place for that, because they are trading with the world, which is a good opportunity for myself.”
LEANDRO FERNANDES FARIAS
GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“What I like about this course is the fact that it’s not limited to just one area. I can learn about environmental studies, international relations, and many other things. It’s amazing the support the staff and teachers give to you, so you can learn about all those things in a nice and friendly way. Come join us!”
MATHEUS FROIS BITTENCOURT
BCIS - BUSINESS MAJOR

“I wanted to take this course to improve my business knowledge and I want to work for a multinational company and interact with people from all over the world. This course is helping me to refine my cultural competence and cultural awareness skills, together with improving my business knowledge, and learning some useful techniques for my field.”
NAYARA MARTINS PAVANI
GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“I’m taking the BCIS Business degree, and my speciality is in accounting. My favourite subject is auditing, because you can learn how to evaluate the financial report of a company, and I found it really useful because you can get an idea of how to improve the company’s business, in a more efficient way. So if you’re really interested in learning about business,
why not choose IPU New Zealand.”
RINA SHIMAJI
BCIS - BUSINESS MAJOR

“Business studies is really interesting because it gives me an understanding of basic economic principles, how markets are affected by world events, how to assess a firms financial health. Thanks to that I can expand to various career options in the future, for example, I can go into international commerce or start my own business. I’m delighted I have chosen IPU New Zealand for my degree programme.”
LE THI TU QUYNH HO (SALLY)
BCIS - BUSINESS MAJOR

“The reason I have chosen to study international relations is that I want to take my previous experiences working overseas and working with people from other countries. I’m hoping to be able to take my work experience, my educational experience here at IPU, and cultural experiences I’ve had here and abroad, and moving forward aim for a position within a New Zealand embassy where I can make a difference.”
SEAN CHAPMAN
BCIS - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MAJOR

“My experience studying Japanese language is really interesting, because you get to learn more about the culture and language, by communicating and interacting with your Japanese friends. The challenging thing is that I know it is hard to learn a different language, but it’s a good opportunity to get to know the culture and what you want to do in the future. I want to be a translator, and this is the best and easiest way to do that.”
SENEUEFA IOANE
BCIS - JAPANESE STUDIES MAJOR

“I’ve always been interested in what is happening in the world, but have only seen those things from a Japanese point of view, so decided to major in international relations to try and see those things from a global perspective. Last August I joined an event called HOPE - an event that commemorated and reflected on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I gave a presentation at the time and it was a good opportunity tell the people of New Zealand about the bombing from my perspective.”
TAIGA KAWANO
BCIS - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MAJOR

“I knew I wanted to take a programme that will enable me to become an open minded learner in a world of diversity. With virtual classes, it can be a bit difficult because of the barriers of proper communication. But my lecturers had been very helpful and approachable –always there to guide and provide support when needed. As I’m still currently in the Philippines, I hope to continue my studies on campus in the near future.”
MARY REMULLA
BCIS ONLINE STUDENT

“I chose the Languages and TESOL major because I love learning languages, and coming to IPU New Zealand meant that I could study in an interdisciplinary degree and learn among people from a variety of different nationalities, with a variety of different experiences. I really enjoy that environment, because you can learn so much from each other in a small class, discussing and learning together.”
RENEE NIELSEN
BCIS - TESOL MAJOR

“I am interested in teaching English as a second language, my classes at IPU New Zealand have helped me to design my syllabus and also my lesson plan. Also these classes have helped me to manage my class well. During summer we gain our Certificate in TESOL, and from there we can teach English anywhere in the world. If you’re hoping to be an English teacher, maybe you can consider IPU New Zealand on your list.”
LIDIA MELES
BCIS - TESOL MAJOR

“I have been running my own business in my home town for the last ten years, I decided to study further to update and upgrade my knowledge and skill. I find the contents of this programme very useful, it directly supports my current business and also contributes to the long-term development of my future career.”
THI NGOC LINH DANG
MASTER OF CONTEMPORARY
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“I really enjoy this course because it’s interdisciplinary, meaning you will be able to study different fields while on the same paper. What I also like about this programme is that it helps you to connect with the New Zealand way of doing business. The lecturers are really flexible and approachable which is really important in a learner centred environment.”
JULIA QUEIROZ FRANÇA
POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“IPU is a real awesome place to study, the campus is really beautiful so you can focus on your study here. The Graduate Diploma is a great opportunity for those who have already graduated and want to expand their skills and knowledge. The best part is it is really flexible, so you can choose from difference papers, topics and subjects.”
YEVHENII ARENDARENKO
GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF
CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“I chose IPU New Zealand because of its strong connection to Japan, I knew this would give me opportunities other universities might not be able to provide. Thanks to the support of my teachers here over this last year I have grown in my Japanese abilities and as a person.”
ALISHA ELLIOTT
BCIS - JAPANESE STUDIES MAJOR

“I was really encouraged to study and pursue a career in TESOL when I went to Japan and taught in front of a class. It was a really cool opportunity for me to be in Japan teaching and I want to take that further.”
KURTIS GILMOUR
BCIS - TESOL MAJOR

“I find studying international relations really interesting because you are able to learn a lot about the international community and the world. I particularly enjoy studying the humanitarian aspects, such as human rights. In the future there are many different options open to me ,such as working for embassies or diplomacy, it’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to my future.”
JORDAN SILCOCK
BCIS - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MAJOR

“I came to IPU New Zealand specifically to get away from Auckland and to challenge myself. IPU has a lot to offer in terms of the Japanese studies and the business studies. The accounting classes here are way more interesting than I thought they would be and the teachers always give you a helping hand. In the future, I want to work as a bank accountant to help you save or earn money.”
SERI JACKMAN
BCIS - BUSINESS ACCOUNTING MAJOR

“If you are interested in tourism, I think this is a really great course because it covers a lot of things. You get to look at tourism in other countries and cultures, how it affects the environment and the economy, you will gain a lot of general knowledge of tourism.”