University of Auckland welcomes new Vice-Chancellor Nic Smith

Professor Nic Smith has been formally welcomed as the University of Auckland's new Vice-Chancellor, marking the start of his first day in the role with a pōwhiri at Waipapa Marae. 

Surrounded by University leaders, council members, staff, whānau and friends, he was warmly welcomed back to campus by University Kaiarataki Michael Steedman. Among the guests was Vice-Chancellor Professor Bryony James of Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington where Professor Smith most recently served as Vice-Chancellor.  

As the University's seventh Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smith returns to an institution that has played a defining role in his academic and professional life. An alumnus and former Dean of Engineering (2013-2020), he reflected on coming home to Waipapa Taumata Rau.

"What I remember most of my journey from student to standing here today, are the remarkable people who invested in me. The lecturers who challenged me to think differently, and the colleagues who encouraged me and gave me the confidence to keep striving. To me that’s what universities really are. They’re communities where remarkable people help one another become more than they imagined possible.”

Professor Smith spoke of his aspiration for the University, in an increasingly polarised world, to be a place where difficult conversations can happen without fear and where scholarship serves society.

"It’s our job as university leaders to foster an environment where ambitious scholarship and outstanding teaching can flourish. While technology will continue to reshape how we teach, discover and connect, it should never diminish why universities exist: to cultivate judgement, curiosity, creativity, resilience and the relationships through which people grow.

And that matters not only for this University, but for the society we serve."

Looking ahead, he said he was eager to reconnect with former colleagues, meet new ones and build relationships across the wider University community.

"I feel both humbled and excited by the opportunity to work alongside my colleagues and our partners to serve this remarkable community and to help create the conditions for staff and students to thrive."  

University Chancellor Cecilia Tarrant welcomed Professor Smith back to Auckland and thanked interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Frank Bloomfield who has served in the role since April. She also thanked Professor Smith’s family who were present at the ceremony.

“We recognise what an enormous job being the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland is, and we know that it will have an impact on you all. Thank you in advance.”

She said she and the University Council was looking forward to working with him “to deliver on our common vision of outstanding education and supporting important research that has a positive impact on all of our communities”.

The occasion was marked by a special performance of the Faculty of Engineering and Design haka, Me Hoki Whakamuri Kia Anga Whakamua ("Acknowledge the Past and Move Boldly into the Future"), by SPIES, the South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students.

First performed in 2019 during Professor Smith's tenure as Dean of Engineering, the haka was created to acknowledge the faculty's history, honour te ao Māori and chart a positive path forward. The students adapted the words slightly for the occasion, recognising Professor Smith's return to the University and the beginning of a new chapter in its leadership.