Policy Framework Policy Guidelines

The purpose of the Policy Framework Policy is to ensure that policy documents (policies, procedures and standards) stored on the Policy Hub are developed in a consistent and transparent manner. The Policy Framework Policy also provides some information about statutes, regulations and guidelines, although those documents are not covered by this Policy.

The default review period for policies, procedures and standards is five years, and review of these documents should be completed by the end of the review period. Some policy documents have a shorter review period due to compliance with legal obligations, or because the policy owner feels more frequent review is best.

Policies are mandatory rules that apply across the University and should not include aspirational statements. They should be reasonably enforceable, clear, and not contradict or repeat any Aotearoa New Zealand law, or go far beyond law or our legal requirements. Procedures are also mandatory and give detailed directions on how to implement a policy.

Standards are mandatory rules and directions specific to a particular technology or topic area. Policies, procedures and standards should avoid jargon and be easily understood by the University community. Aspirational statements should be reserved for strategy documents, and general guidance or best practices should be written as guidelines.

Guidelines offer approved and recommended approaches but are not mandatory. They often support a policy, procedure, or standard, but are not covered by the Policy Framework Policy. Guidelines do not have to be published on the Policy Hub, and those for staff use are often published on the staff intranet. Please notify the University Committee Executive if the website location of a guideline document moves so they can update relevant links in the Policy Hub.

As stated in point 18 of the Policy Framework Policy, the policy owner is responsible for assigning a content manager to each document and ensuring that they take responsibility for the appropriate drafting and maintenance of documents.

Your first step should be to review the Policy Framework Policy and Procedures, and templates. It may be helpful to read relevant legal obligations registered in ComplyWith and review similar policy documents from other universities. The content manager and policy owner should discuss what has been working well with the policy and where it may need to be revised. Please reach out to your Portfolio Policy Coordinator with any questions at any stage of the process.

When developing a policy document, policy owners and content managers should consider any potential risks to people, property, finances, environment, information and reputation, and how the policy document could better manage these risks. Risk considerations should be guided by the University’s Risk Appetite. Policy owners and content managers may also find it helpful to review the Risk Management Policy, Risk Management Framework and Risk Matrix. If you still have questions or concerns after reviewing these documents, please reach out to your Portfolio Policy Coordinator or the Risk Office for additional guidance.

Policy owners and content managers are responsible for identifying who should review and offer feedback on policy document drafts. Policy owners and content managers often share drafts with relevant committees and communities of practice and seek advice from subject matter experts and specialist advisors as needed. New policy documents and substantial changes to current documents should be published online for a consultation period of three-weeks or longer to solicit feedback from the University community and meet commitments to staff outlined in our Collective Agreements. After the consultation period closes, the University Committee Executive will typically remove the draft document from the Policy Hub unless the policy owner or content manager requests a different course of action. You can always contact your Portfolio Policy Coordinator with any questions about the consultation process.

New policies and procedures and substantive changes to existing policies and procedures must be approved by either the Vice-Chancellor or Council. Point 14 of the Procedures explains when a policy or procedure must be approved by Council. Minor or non-substantive changes may be approved by the Registrar, or their delegate. Reach out to your Portfolio Policy Coordinator or the University Committee Executive if you would like support in determining if a change is substantive.

Standards and Guidelines can be approved by the policy owner.

No. This would be considered a non-substantive change and can be approved by the Registrar.

Interim policies that are approved but not yet in force will be published in the Policy Hub with a banner indicating their approved status and that they are not yet in effect. Please provide the University Committee Executive with language for the banner and written confirmation once the policy goes into effect.

You may notice in the policy document templates that we are adjusting how we track policy approval and review. The approval and review dates should be mentioned as follows:

Date approved:
Date last reviewed or amended:
Next review date:

When reviewing or updating policies, please leave the “date approved” as the first date the document was approved by the approval authority. This initial approval date can be important for compliance issues and rankings methodologies.

Owner: Registrar
Content Manager: General Counsel
Approved by: Registrar
Date approved:  2 April 2025
Next review date:  2 April 2030