Police say prompt action by a security guard at Waikato University helped them catch a man they say was trying to set fire to a car.
They say security staff found a number of rubbish fires had been lit and called Hamilton police just after midnight.
Officers sent to the university say a man was setting fire to a Mercedes in a carpark.
A 49-year-old man is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday charged with arson and attempted arson.
