Amendments to the Education Act 1989 passed in 2015 reduced the size of University Councils. The University of Auckland Council recommended to the Minister a Council comprised of 12 members, with effect from 1 January 2016. The Minister approved a new amendment of the Constitution, and the Notice for the new Constitution appeared in the NZ Gazette in February 2019:

Amendment to the Constitution of the University of Auckland Notice 2019

Pursuant to section 170 of the Education Act 1989 (“the Act”), the Minister of Education gives the following notice.

Notice

1. This notice may be cited as the Amendment to the Constitution of the University of Auckland Notice 2019.
2. This notice shall come into force on the day after the date of its publication in the New Zealand Gazette.
3. The Council of the University of Auckland (“the Council”) shall, from 1 January 2020, be constituted as follows:
   1. Four persons appointed by the relevant Minister;
   2. One person, being Māori and able to advise the Council on issues relevant to Māori, appointed by the Council following a call for expressions of interest from iwi and other Māori individuals or groups;
   3. The Vice-Chancellor by virtue of his/her holding office as the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Auckland;
   4. One person being a permanent member of the academic staff of the University of Auckland elected by the permanent members of that staff;
   5. One person being a permanent member of the professional staff of the University of Auckland elected by the permanent members of that staff;
   6. One person being an enrolled student of the University elected by the students of the University;
   7. One person being an alumnus of the University of Auckland appointed by the Council following a call for expressions of interest from alumni; and
   8. Two persons able to provide skills specified by the Council to be appointed by the University of Auckland Council following a call for expressions of interest.
4. Prior to calling for nominations or expressions of interest, the Council shall publish a statement of the skills and experiences it is seeking from members to be so appointed.
5. With the exception of the Vice-Chancellor, each person may be appointed, elected or co-opted as a member of the Council under the foregoing provisions for any period of not more than four years, and for no more than three such periods. In such cases where a person is a member of the Council on 31 December 2015, and has not completed their current term, they may serve up to four periods of no more than four years each.

Dated at Wellington this 19th day of February 2019. Hon CHRIS HIPKINS, Minister of Education.

Council seeks members who can contribute to the University in some or all of these areas:

Relevant to all positions:

Teaching and Research

• Understanding of, and commitment to, academic freedom and institutional autonomy
• Understanding of excellence in education, training and research
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues faced by students
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues faced by various relevant communities,  particularly those that are under-represented among the students and staff of the institution

Community understanding

• Understanding of and sensitivity to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi
• Understanding of and sensitivity to equity issues
• Understanding of what constitutes the public interest

Management skills

• HR/senior executive appointment experience
• Institutional strategic and operational planning
• High level organisational management
• Assessment of institutional policies
• High level finance and governance (opex and capex)

Reflecting the diversity of the community served

• Ethnic diversity
• Socioeconomic diversity
• Gender balance 
  

Additional requirement for appointment under section 3(b) of the constitution

• Māori applicants must be of New Zealand Māori descent, and able to advise Council on issues relevant to Māori

• Very strong finance and accounting skills and experience with large organisations
• Governance experience with large complex organisations

At its meetings on 12 December 2022 and 12 June 2023, Council approved the Council Appointments Statute  and Council Appointments Procedures which govern the processes to be followed for appointments to Council through:

1. Expressions of interest (Constitution 3(b), (g) and (h)) and
2. The election of one permanent academic staff member, one permanent professional staff member and one enrolled student elected by the students of the University. (Constitution 3(d), (e) and (f)).

Consequential changes to the Elections Procedures were also approved at this meeting.