It allows talented rowers to continue their studies at Otago and keep up their rowing during the winter months.
A key to this is the indoor facility that enables rowers to keep up their blade work on water in warm, indoor conditions.
The centre has been given academy status by Rowing New Zealand and the benefit of this was demonstrated at last week's transtasman universities test series.
RNZ funding allows the aquatics centre to employ a coach who monitors the rowers.
It is a stepping stone to elite status, when the best rowers will be selected in New Zealand crews which train fulltime at Lake Karapiro.
Since given academy status, New Zealand university crews have dominated the Transtasman Cup and they completed their third win in a row at Lake Hayes on Saturday.
The New Zealand team completed a clean sweep of the three-test series with another 3-1 margin.
The first test was held over a long-distance course on the Otago Harbour, and the second and third tests were held over the standard 2km course on flat water at Lake Hayes.
The best-performed New Zealand crew was again the women's lightweight quadruple sculls crew of Hannah Duggan, Ellyce Stehlin, Laura Tester and Lisa Owen.
They led by a length after 500m and stretched the margin over the final 1500m to win by 24sec.
It was closer in the women's eight, with the crew of Kirsty Thompson, Esther Austin, Kirstie James, Holly Fletcher, Estie De Wet, Rose Crooks, Sarah Lindley, Lauren Clark and cox Heather Scott beating Australia by 9.7sec.
The Australian crew consistently reduced the winning margin during the three tests.
The New Zealand men's eight of Jamie Saunders, Scott Barnsdale, Jordan Stanley, Isaac Grainger, Rob McCaig, James Harvey, Daniel Bates, Logan Rodgers and cox Katie Middleton beat Australia by 21sec.
The only Australian crew to win was the men's lightweight four of Stuart Alexander, Jackson Harrison, Sam Hall and Callum Mackenzie, from Melbourne University.
They completed a clean sweep of their event on Saturday when they beat the New Zealand crew for the third time.
They were always in control and applied pressure after the 1500m to win comfortably by 10.86sec.
