Ara Institute of Canterbury


Ara Institute of Canterbury, often simply referred to as Ara, is an institute of technology in Canterbury, New Zealand. It was formed in 2016 from the merger of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and Aoraki Polytechnic.
Ara specialises in applied tertiary training. Subject choices include business, engineering, architecture, nursing, creative arts, hospitality, computing, science, languages, outdoor education, and broadcasting. Programmes range from Level 1 to Level 9. The institute works closely with industry to ensure students have relevant skills for employment, and have a wide range of work placement opportunities.
Each year around 14,000 students enrol at Ara, including many international students. Ara is internationally-recognised and has one of the best English language training centres in New Zealand. Over 50 countries are represented among staff and students at Ara.
On 1 April 2020, Ara was subsumed into New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology alongside the 15 other Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics in the country.

Campus

Ara has six campuses in Canterbury and North Otago, making it the largest tertiary institute in the South Island. In 2016, Ara began offering online learning options to learners throughout New Zealand through TANZ eCampus.