The decision comes after a university council meeting in early May to decide next steps after education minister Chris Hipkins vetoed a request to change VUW’s legal name to the University of Wellington.

“There was… not enough [concern] for the other universities to want to wade into the matter”

“The decision was a difficult one to make because there are points of principle involved, but there’s a couple of things that made a difference,” said VUW vice-chancellor Grant Guilford.

“One was the time involved if we were to challenge the minister in a judicial review, we would have been a year to a year and a half down the track before we had an answer.”

He added that if the court sided with the university, the result would effectively be to request Hipkins remake his decision “which he could have made in the same way”.

According to legal advice, Hipkins vetoing the name also created uncertainties around university autonomy in New Zealand, but Guilford said pursuing that avenue would have required considerable support from Universities New Zealand and the other seven universities.

“There was a general concern about the minister’s decision, but not enough for the other universities to want to wade into the matter, which of course became which of course became quite polarised and difficult,” he said.

A grassroots campaign, #StickWithVic, has actively campaigned against changing the name of the university.

Guilford said the refresh would see VUW’s legal name remain the same and continue to appear on formal documents such as degrees and contracts, while a new brand emphasising the word “Wellington” as well as a new crest and shield would be created.

In a rationale paper justifying a name change, the university said other institutions using Victoria as part of their name had created brand confusion, with research indicating many people associating VUW with the similarly named Victoria University in Australia.

The university will also adopt a new Maori name, Te Herenga Waka, which means a place to hitch a canoe.