About the University
Founded in 1883, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland is Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent, globally recognised research-led university. Consistently ranked in the world's top 100 universities—and top 20 for global impact—we are a significant and complex entity with $4.7bn in assets, a $1.5bn turnover, and a vibrant community of 47,000 students and over 6,000 staff.
Our identity is deeply rooted in our place in the Pacific. We are defined by our partnerships under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, our recognition of Māori as tangata whenua, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability, equity, academic freedom, and access to education. Across six faculties and two large-scale research institutes, we drive academic excellence that positively impacts our local and global communities.
Vision and Purpose
We will be internationally recognised for our unique contribution to fair, ethical and sustainable societies.
We create globally transformative impacts through our distinctive strengths in worldleading research, scholarship, teaching and collaborative partnerships, inspired by our unique position in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific.
Our Values
Our values are lived through our behaviours and actions, with strong and enduring commitments to open intellectual inquiry, collaboration, creativity, and equity and diversity.
Respect and Integrity
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We respect and appreciate what makes people different, harnessing the power of our diversity.
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We recognise the multiple perspectives of our community.
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We understand that our actions influence intergenerational equality and act accordingly in the service of equity and inclusion.
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We act with integrity, openness and honesty at all times.
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We take responsibility for our choices and actions, and trust that others will fulfil their responsibilities.
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We are values-led in our relationships, creating genuine opportunities for the communities we serve to engage in ethical and responsible partnerships.
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We embrace the generation and sharing of knowledge, supporting the freedom to express controversial opinions and ideas without retribution.
Excellence
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As a world-class university, we will maximise our contributions to forging just and sustainable societies in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.
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We are ambitious for the betterment of society and aspire to excellence in everything we do.
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Together with our students, communities and international partners, we facilitate solutions that shape and advance our future.
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In our role as a world-class university, we work to graduate the leaders of tomorrow.
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We believe that excellence in teaching and research provides a means of engendering transformation in the lives of many people.
Service
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An ethic of active service and civic responsibility underpins all engagements with our communities.
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We engage with our communities in genuine partnerships to promote their prosperity and help them to realise their aspirations.
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We apply our knowledge, skills and expertise derived from our engagement with kaupapa Māori and international scholarship to the positive transformation of society.
Te Ao Māori Principles
Manaakitanga
Caring for those around us in the way we relate to each other.
Whanaungatanga
Recognising the importance of kinship and lasting relationships.
Kaitiakitanga
Valuing stewardship and guardianship and our relationship with the natural world.
We are committed to positively impacting society, and to the advancement and exploration of knowledge. We will do this in ways consistent with our emerging Waipapa framework. Our fundamental principles reflect our foundational relationship with tangata whenua and our commitment to Te Tiriti.
Ngā Whaitua Rangahau | Signature Research Areas
The biggest advances rarely come from one field, one discipline, or one way of seeing the world. They happen when different areas of expertise come together. Scientists and storytellers. Engineers and entrepreneurs. Communities and contemporary research. Indigenous knowledge and policymakers. And many of the greatest challenges we face today, globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand, won’t be solved in isolation.
New Zealand is a living laboratory, where different cultures, communities and ways of thinking share the same space. Auckland is home to the world’s largest Māori and Pacific communities, offering unique perspectives that few places can match. We bring together world-class research with iwi, communities, industry, government and global partners. To turn our greatest strengths into the world’s next breakthroughs.
Signature Research Areas. Where worlds meet. And breakthroughs begin.
Building resilient, just and sustainable futures – grounded in the Pacific, relevant to the world.
Shaping research with Indigenous knowledge to solve global challenges.
Making sure tomorrow’s technologies work for our communities today.
Accelerating the transition to cleaner, more resilient and accessible energy systems for everyone.
Using Aotearoa New Zealand as a living lab to turn cutting-edge health research into solutions that work for all.
Strengthening the knowledge and trust that help societies understand, decide and act together.
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