WELLINGTON, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government approved 51.2 million U.S. dollars on Saturday to help Lincoln University rebuild its earthquake-damaged science facilities.

The funding is understood to assist Lincoln's recovery by replacing damaged buildings with teaching and research spaces. Complementary research facilities will also be built on the same site.

"The arrangement will enable greater collaboration between students, researchers and commercial partners and make the Lincoln precinct a real power-house of science and research," said New Zealand Education Minister Chris Hipkins.

Lincoln University started in 1878 as a School of Agriculture. It is the oldest agricultural teaching institution in the Southern Hemisphere. The Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 damaged much of Lincoln University's campus, discouraging potential students and deepening a decade of financial deficits.