Arana College

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Arana College is a residential college of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, founded in 1943 by the Rev. William Turner and the Stuart Residence Halls Council. The name "Arana" is a Māori transliteration of "Allen", chosen to honour Sir James Allen, a former Vice Chancellor (1903–1909) and Chancellor (1909–1912) of the University of Otago. The current warden is Jamie Gilbertson.The main administration areas of Arana are based in what was once Sir James Allen’s Queen Anne-style mansion, with residents accommodated in 4 main buildings and 18 houses. The college is located immediately to the northeast of the central campus, at the top of a small but steep rise known as Tanna Hill (a corruption of "Botanic Hill", after the nearby first site of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens). It overlooks the Otago Campus only 200 metres from the Registry Clock Tower, a notable feature of the University campus. The University of Otago College of Education, Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin Botanical Garden are all within easy walking distance.HistoryOriginally, Arana housed 27 male residents in a property purchased by the university but administered by the Stuart Residence Halls Council. Accommodation initially consisted of Allen's former home but, under pressure for space, former World War II Nissen huts were soon erected. Public subscriptions and government funding, as part of the Colombo Plan were used to build permanent buildings, the Colombo (opened in 1964 housing 56 residents) and Bates (opened in 1968 housing 48 residents) wings. The international students brought to Arana as part of the Colombo Plan have added a distinctive international flavour. Throughout the college's history houses on surrounding Clyde, Dundas, Leith and St David Sts have been purchased in order to provide extra accommodation.