Vice-Chancellor

The Ihorangi, Vice-Chancellor as the University’s chief academic and administrative officer, is responsible for providing academic leadership along with effective management and for leading strategic planning and resource allocation. They are also the employer of all staff.

Dawn Freshwater was appointed Vice-Chancellor in March 2020, becoming the University’s first female Vice-Chancellor. With nearly two decades of experience in world-class universities, she is a globally recognised leader. Prior to joining the University of Auckland, she served as Vice-Chancellor and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Western Australia. She was also Chair of the Group of Eight in Australia and held senior leadership positions at the University of Leeds in the UK.

Currently, Dawn serves as Vice-Chair of the Asia Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Steering Committee and Presidential Champion for the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL). She also holds positions as Deputy Chair of Research Australia, Chair of Universities New Zealand Research Committee and recent Chair of World University Network (WUN).

Dawn earned her PhD at the University of Nottingham. Her contributions to the fields of Public Health (specifically Mental Health and Forensic Mental Health) and research on leadership practices won her the highest honour in her field – the Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN). She is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (FRCSI) and was listed among the top 2% of researchers in the Stanford-Elsevier List 2023 in Public Health, Clinical Psychology and Nursing. Dawn is an elected member of the Academia Europea (MAE).

Read more about Professor Dawn Freshwater on her University profile.

Executive Assistant

Julie Tomov
Email: j.tomov@auckland.ac.nz