Victoria University is pushing forward with a name change to become University of Wellington.
The university's council made its final decision at a packed-out meeting today.
Councillors voted nine votes to two in support of the name change.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins will need to see "demonstrable support" for the name change to sign-off the move.
A spokesperson for Toihuarewa, which represents Māori academic interests, said the proposal to adopt Te Herenga Waka as the Māori name for the university has been received postively by the community and said it was a good step.
While stakeholders like Wellington City Council support the university's name changing to University of Wellington, the majority of past and present students that have submitted on the proposal have opposed the move.
Victoria University Students Association present Marlon Drake said consultation seemed like a box-ticking exercise and most of the university's 22,000 students had not submitted on the proposal.
For those that did, some of the reasons they oppose the change was that the cost would be better spent on improving education and mental health support, that consultation hasn't been carried out sufficiently and that the reputation that comes with Victoria University's name will be lost.
In a previous meeting, the university's council said commissioned research showed it was a good move with reported positive effects from other universities that had moved to simplified names.
Vice-Chancellor Grant Guilford said he sympathised with those that held a strong connection to the university's current name but called the change to University of Wellington a "fundamental step" in holding a "strong global reputation" in a time when universities around the world are facing financial pressure.
Mr Guilford called the current name a key constraint that causes confusion.
He said Victoria University does not reflect the university and it's connection with Wellington.
"We don't believe we have been submissive. We have read every single submission... The fact that we don't agree shouldn't be a sign that we have been dismissive," he said.
Professor Geoff McLay criticised the consultation process during today's meeting, saying it was "frankly a document that screws the scrum".
He said significant opposition from the community has not been considered and strongly opposed the planned name change himself.
"This is not a matter of nostalgia or romanticism although the Vice-Chancellor may discourage it as some," he said.
"The submissions have told you a similar story of identity from thousands."
He said international students, the very people the name change was hoped to attract, opposed the move.
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