Vice-Chancellor's Update | 22 July 2025
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Tue Jul 22 2025 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Kia ora tātou
With Semester Two beginning this week, it is great to have students back on campus and to welcome those joining us for the first time. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to getting the semester off to a strong start.
Vice-Chancellor’s Recognition Dinner It was a pleasure to welcome academic and professional staff from across the University to the Vice-Chancellor’s Recognition Dinner last week. It’s always a special evening, and one I look forward to each year. It is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions our colleagues make across teaching, research and service delivery. You can read more about this year’s recipients on the News pageshttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/07/18/staff-excellence-celebrated-at-vice-chancellors-recognition-dinner.html.
Third medical school Yesterday, the government announced plans to establish a third medical school at the University of Waikato. We see this as a positive step for medical education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The University’s statement is available on the Notice pageshttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/notices/2025/statement-third-medical-school.html.
Kōrero Mai Staff Engagement Survey I encourage everyone to participate in the Kōrero Mai Staff Engagement Survey, which is open from 4 to 18 August. The survey is confidential and takes around 15-20 minutes to complete. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on what is working well, what could be improved and how we can create a better experience for everyone at the University. Your feedback will help shape improvements that will make a real difference. Learn more on the intranethttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/intranet/stay-informed/staff-communications/staff-surveys.html.
Signature Research Areas Work is underway to develop a set of University-wide Signature Research Areas (SRAs) to navigate the challenging research environment and help sharpen our strategic focus. Consultation is continuing through the second half of this year, with the SRAs to be launched in early 2026. Read more on the intranethttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/intranet/stay-informed/improvement-projects-programmes/development-signature-research-areas.html.
Changes to the research ethics guidelines Consultation on the University’s new ethical guidelines has been extended to Wednesday 6 August. Developed as part of the Research Ethics Improvement Plan, the revised guidelines aim to provide clearer, more practical guidance for researchers. Please take a moment to share your feedback via the ResearchHubhttps://research-hub.auckland.ac.nz/manage-ethics-and-regulatory-obligations/research-involving-human-participants/updated-ethical-guidelines-open-for-consultation.
Town Hall meeting A reminder that the final Town Hall meeting will be held online tomorrow for anyone who was unable to join us earlier in the month. This session replaces the all-staff forum originally scheduled for the end of July and is a chance to hear updates from across the University and ask questions. I hope you will join us.
Ngā mihi nui Dawn
Professor Dawn Freshwater Vice-Chancellor