It’s new and it’s different to anything we’ve done before – UC are proud to announce that we’ve signed a multi-year, exclusive agreement with the Aardman Academy. 

The Academy is the training arm of Aardman Animations, the multi-Academy Award winning animation studio behind global stop-motion blockbusters Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. 

Our 5-year agreement with Aardman is exclusive to Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Territories, making us the only tertiary institution in those areas enabling students to specialise in Aardman’s award-winning stop motion expertise. 

The Aardman training programme will be available to select students under our Bachelor of Digital Screen with Honours, offering access to masterclasses, portfolio feedback sessions and more.  Masterclass options for our Animation and Game Arts academics will also be available, supporting continuous improvement and learning for our educators.   

The agreement was made possible by Kōawa, the University of Canterbury initiative formally known as Digital Screen Campus.  

The Kōawa team provide a unique opportunity for the creative technology sector, which includes film, sound production, animation, game development, virtual production and more to forge partnerships with UC and drive the convergence of world class education, projects and facilities supporting the growth of our students, as well as the creative technology sector in Waitaha Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. 

Kōawa is a name gifted to UC by Ngāi Tahu which means “watercourse” or “channel”. It symbolises a life force, uniting people, passion, and purpose. For students and the creative industries, Kōawa employs the water analogy in representation of an eco-system within which the worlds of education, industry and innovation converge. 

Check out UC News for more on this exciting announcement.