New home for the University of Auckland in South Auckland

New Zealand’s leading university will have a stand-alone presence in South Auckland next year. The change will enable the University of Auckland to have a dedicated space for students based in South Auckland and introduce programmes of particular relevance for the area.

From Semester One 2020 this will include the Bachelor of Education (Teaching), Tertiary Foundation Certificate (Education pathway) and New Start programmes, with a number of General Education courses to be taught from Semester Two, 2020.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pacific) Damon Salesa said that while the University is rightly proud of its international reputation it will always prioritise the support it provides local students and a dedicated presence in South Auckland was of particular importance to Pacific students.

“We know that for people living in the south providing some courses and study spaces that are easily accessible can make the pathway to university easier. We believe the best learning experience is focused on our central campus, but with a presence in South Auckland as well, the transport, traffic, and time challenges that our students can grapple with are eased.”

Refurbishment work has already begun to develop new teaching and study spaces and ensure they will be ready by the beginning of Semester One in 2020. The new facility is centrally located close to public-transport hubs, the Manukau Library and retail outlets.
 

 The stand alone facility follows the end of the University's partnership with the Manukau Institute of Technology on its Otara campus. Students who previously studied at the MIT campus, as part of the University of Auckland at Manukau Programme, will move to the new premises in Semester One 2020. Initially, other University of Auckland students will be able to use the space for informal study, and study-support services will be available to all students.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Salesa said that the University’s stand-alone South Auckland presence will help strengthen community partnerships and increase study options for communities in South and East Auckland.

“The University operates a number of initiatives in the South Auckland area, designed to encourage and aid Pacific high school students in the transition through to university. These include the Pacific Academy that supports students in six South Auckland schools with maths programmes,” he said. “We have seen some outstanding results from these programmes and look forward to developing this reach further.”

Damon Salesa is New Zealand’s first and only Pro Vice-Chancellor with a specific Pacific responsibility in the New Zealand university sector.