Chair in Scottish studies at Otago

Guests at an Otago University function last night raised a wee dram to Scotland's national day - St Andrew's Day - and to New Zealand's first professorial chair in Scottish studies.

The Stuart Chair in Scottish Studies will facilitate research into Scottish history, culture and society and their impact on New Zealand.

The chair has been funded by a $1.5 million donation from the Stuart Residence Halls Council and matched under the Government's Partnerships for Excellence scheme.

Some Census estimates indicate that people born in Scotland accounted for up to 25 per cent of migrants to New Zealand between 1850 and 1950.