University saddened at death of Queen Elizabeth II

Along with the other Vice-Chancellors of Aotearoa New Zealand’s eight universities, Professor Dawn Freshwater expressed her sorrow at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and spoke of her support of higher education.

Her Majesty was Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which champions higher education as a force for good and the role of universities in addressing global challenges and improving people’s lives. The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships were named after her in 2019, as a fitting tribute to her immense contribution as Head of the Commonwealth and her longstanding dedication to education and youth. She was on the throne throughout the lifetime of all New Zealand’s universities in their current form since the disestablishment of the University of New Zealand in 1962.

Queen Elizabeth visited the University of Auckland a number of times including officially opening the Auckland Medical School in 1970 and the Liggins Institute in 2002.