Policy Template

Who does this policy apply to? E.g. specific staff members/students/all members of the University?

A brief (preferably one sentence) statement to clarify the reason for this document. Contains reference to any other directly related documents such as supporting procedures and/or associated guidelines.  

This section is optional and is not needed in most documents. It is only to be included where absolutely necessary to provide context for the policy. This section may contain a general brief statement about the policy area to provide background or brief non-mandatory statements of principle which would not be appropriate in the body of the policy.

This section is only used in longer documents to support user navigation.

1. All mandatory points are to be numbered and contain only one policy statement per item.

2. Sub numbering is not permitted in primary clauses.

3. If sub clauses need to be included, bullet points or numerical sub-numbering may be used and must be indented i.e. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.

4. Plain language is to be used throughout the document.

5. Use direct language such as ‘must’ and ‘are to’ to specify expected behaviour.

6. To avoid confusion for users only mandatory statements are to be made in the policy document –any non-mandatory statements can be placed in accompanying guidelines.

7. If it is necessary to add brief notes within the document do so by hyphenating and reducing the text.

Note – this clarifies that it is not a mandatory item.

8. Policy documents may state ‘who’ is responsible (by role).

9. If hyperlinks are to be included in policies, please provide necessary urls at the time of submission for publishing. Hyperlinks are to be incorporated into sentences i.e. not stating ‘click here’.

10. If forms are referenced, ensure these are uploaded to Forms Register and provide urls for their location. This can be done by contacting the Staff Intranet Publisher for your department or division or by emailing intranet@auckland.ac.nz.

Note - only staff members are able to view Forms Register, if non-staff members will need to see/ use the form, please submit it to the PCO as a word document.

11. Capital letters are only to be used in accordance with the Writing Guide.

12. Include the name of the document and the date on which it was most recently edited in a footer.

The following definitions apply to this document:

• Technical language or words with specific meaning in the context of the policy are given plain English definitions
• The first time each defined term is used in the text it appears in bold type
• Definitions are listed alphabetically
• When writing definitions, make reference to other documents that may contain similar terms to ensure that common definitions are used

Include the following: (in hierarchical order)

• Legislation
• Policies
• Procedures and standards
• Guidelines
• Forms
• Other useful resources

Where the same type of document appears they are listed alphabetically.

Owner: Who is the policy owned by (by role)? Note- owners must be level A2 or above on the University’s Organisational Structure. For the purposes of this policy, level 2A is deemed to include the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Property Officer, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education, Pro Vice-Chancellor Equity, University Librarian and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Content manager: Who is the content manager (by role)
Prepared by: Include this only where a document is prepared by a party other than the owner/content manager
Approved by: Who is the approval authority? Note- this is determined by the Policy Framework Policy, and must be the Vice-Chancellor or Council.
Date approved: When was the policy first approved?
Date last reviewed or amended: When was the policy last reviewed or updated?
Next review date: When will the policy be reviewed?
Note – the default period is 5 years unless the owner requests a shorter period