What a wonderful accolade for the University of Otago, Dunedin and the province; the university's School of Dentistry has been placed in the top 10 of the QS World University Rankings by subject.
It puts Otago in esteemed company, alongside some of the world's most prestigious universities.
It was ranked the eighth top university for dentistry, one place behind Kings College London, and one place ahead of the United States' Harvard University.
Swedish medical university the Karolinska Institutet was the top-ranked university for dentistry.
The rankings, by education information provider Quacquarelli Symonds, compare the world's highest-performing universities across a range of measures (including by subject, as in this case).
The annual comparisons involve more than 3000 institutions and rank 800 of them across 36 subjects based on ''academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact''.
In a further coup, the result means Otago is the first university in the country to have a subject ranked in the world's top 10.
It is worth noting too, other University of Otago subjects featured in the rankings: psychology was in the top 50 at 31st, while English language and literature, history, philosophy, geography, development studies, education and law featured in the world's top 100.
It is no mean feat and shows the high quality of teaching and research at Otago.
It is also a timely boost, as the university has slipped in the Times Higher Education world rankings and overall QS rankings, a situation University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne last year blamed on the increasing competition from Asian universities and declining funding - disputed by the Government.
The university has also experienced a sudden drop in first-year domestic student numbers.
So the favourable ''international report card'' can be a source of pride for staff, students and civic leaders alike.
The rankings are widely used by staff and students around the world to select where they will work and study.
It has the potential to attract more domestic and international students, teachers and researchers to the facility, and there are the flow-on effects in terms of tourism, too, as friends and family visit.
And of course, once they all return to their cities and countries, they will spread the word about the facility, Dunedin, Otago and New Zealand.
The listing also is vindication for the university as it embarks on a multimillion-dollar upgrade of its facilities, including the $100million-plus dentistry building facelift and construction of a new clinical building, which will allow for increased numbers, bound to be filled in light of the ranking.
The accolade should be a source of pride and reassurance for citizens, too.
Locals arguably have more contact with the School of Dentistry and its staff and students than many other areas of the university, treating as it does some 12,500 patients per year.
All up, it is another reminder that the university is the jewel in the city and province's crown. But, of course, that cannot be guaranteed without ongoing hard work, investment and vision.
It is impressive, therefore, to read Faculty of Dentistry dean Prof Paul Brunton's comments about the rankings: not only was he surprised to place so well, as he had reportedly been working on a strategy to get the faculty into the top 20, but he is now focused on getting ''even higher up next time round''.
That go-get-'em attitude is infectious and exactly what is needed in this great little city.
And another thing
Prime Minister John Key's decision to tell Saudi Arabian media of the location of New Zealand troops in the Middle East is either an appalling lack of judgement or a cynical ploy to play mates with his newfound contacts on his free-trade visit to the Gulf.
Either way, it shows total disregard for the New Zealand public and media who have respected his previous decision not to divulge any details about the New Zealand troops deployed to Iraq in the global fight against Islamic State militants because of safety fears.
To then defend the disclosure by saying he did not tell New Zealand media because he did not consider it ''newsworthy'' is a further kick in the teeth.
Sadly, it seems symptomatic of the increasingly cavalier way in which he treats New Zealanders and his position.
