Massey University’s ‘definingnz’ magazine now has its own iPad app, the first of its kind to be published by a New Zealand university. The launch of the app coincides with the university’s jubilee celebrations.

Malcolm Wood, editor of ‘definingnz’ and leader of the app’s development, says that Massey University is suited to apps as a distribution mechaism, due to its widespread 15,000-strong constituency of students studying by distance learning, and its 100,000-plus alumni worldwide.

“With magazine apps like National Geographic and the New Yorker proving hugely popular and around one in five New Zealanders owning a tablet of some description, it makes sense for us to have our own magazine app,” he says.

“Massey has always been at the forefront of employing new technology – and this app just continues the tradition.”

The iPad app provides a multimedia enriched reading experience for those with an interest in the work of the university, and in New Zealand in general. With the app, users get a vivid take on academia, with embedded videos and images and built-in social sharing.

For example, imagine a computer-generated animation of the extinct Tasmanian tiger as imagined by a student, panoramic views of the Himalayas in an article about a social anthropologist’s research into modern pilgrimages, and the opportunity to browse photos of WWI.

The most recent issue of ‘definingnz’ celebrates Massey’s jubilee, with a wealth of stories and archival imagery featuring the history of Massey, from its origin as an internationally ground-breaking agricultural college, to its current status as New Zealand’s only national university.

The app also features material from Massey’s former student magazine CHAFF, renowned for its wit and irreverence and its association with local humorists such as Jon Bridges and Tom Scott.

The app is available from the Apple app store, or from www.definingnz.com/app