 As part of this process, it became a polytechnic in 1988 and took the name "Northland Polytechnic" for the next 17 years.Later in 1988, it was offering degrees and diplomas of a competitive standard.In 1990, negotiations were concluded with the University of Waikato, which enabled courses taught at Northland Polytechnic, as it was then known, to count towards degrees at the University.