Wellington, New Zealand Project Center - IQP

Current Director(s)
Program Term(s)
C-Term during winter
B-Term during late fall
A-Term during early fall
Project Opportunities
Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, with a metropolitan population of approximately 390,000. The city is situated on Wellington Harbour, on the southwestern tip of the North Island, between the Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. Wellington houses Parliament, the head offices of all Government Ministries and Departments, and most foreign diplomatic missions. It is also a cultural center with many museums (including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand), a vibrant film and theater industry, symphony and ballet companies, and the biennial New Zealand International Arts Festival. It has consistently ranked high on several indices of quality of living—Lonely Planet named Wellington the “coolest little capital in the world” in its Best in Travel 2011 guidebook. The Wellington, New Zealand Project Center was established in 2013.

Past Wellington students have:

  • Assessed dog interactions with marine mammals on Wellington beaches and developed a typology of dog owner management styles
  • Evaluated public perception of sea lions and made recommendations to promote education about the "nationally critical" species
  • Designed a climate change exhibition featuring an ice core prototype to provide information on climate change
  • Made recommendations for improving tsunami awareness in the Wellington Region and for balancing preservation and safety for historic buildings in earthquake-prone areas.
  • Studied impacts of flood control systems on the Hutt River
  • Conducted a feasibility analysis for a hydroponic greenhouse in a Maori community

Learn more about past projects on the Project Center's website: New Zealand Project Center Website