Details on how to participate in the review have been added to the section Taking part in the review.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Equity Professor Cathy Stinear has been added as a point of contact to the Terms of Reference.

We want Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland to be a place where students and staff can flourish. This means having a culture where people feel safe and supported.

As part of the continuous improvement of our policies and practices, the University has commissioned an independent review about how it handles sexual harassment concerns raised by students or staff in relation to the conduct of University staff.

Our goal is a safe, inclusive environment where sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour are not tolerated.

The review will look closely at how our policies and processes work in practice, including the experiences of those involved, and if there are opportunities to do better. We want our community to trust that concerns will be handled respectfully, fairly and consistently.

There are very few cases of sexual harassment reported at the University, however, we have also asked the reviewers to consider whether there are barriers to reporting.

The review will be led by lawyer Fiona McMillan, a partner at Lane Neave who specialises in employment law and is a certified workplace investigator. She will work alongside Professor Annamarie Jagose, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Sydney, who brings extensive experience of complaint and misconduct processes in universities, including cases involving bullying, sexual harassment and sexual harm.

Their work will begin shortly, with the review expected to take three to six months.

Note: Publication of this notice follows an email sent to all staff and students about this review.

The reviewers will consider the University’s approach to preventing, reporting, investigating and responding to sexual harassment, including how it compares with best practice. They will make recommendations about where it can be strengthened to help ensure the University is a safe and respectful place to study and work.

An important part of the review is hearing from people about their experiences.

Fiona McMillan and Professor Annamarie Jagose have now started their independent review of how the University handles sexual harassment concerns raised by students or staff in relation to the conduct of University staff.

They are interested in hearing from students or staff who have relevant experiences to share.

As a reminder the reviewers are looking at:

• Concerns or complaints related to sexual harassment by members of university staff 
• Experiences within the past five years, excluding current, open investigations

Parties who believe they have been party to a Record of Settlement or Settlement Agreement are welcome to be a part of this review if they wish.

Please read the review's Terms of Reference.

To share your experiences, you can email fiona@fmcmillan.co.nz before 30 October 2026.

Personal information shared as part of the review will remain confidential to the reviewers, and the final report will not identify individuals or include information that could identify them.

Once the review is complete, the report and its recommendations will be provided to the Vice-Chancellor, then shared with the University community and published on this website.

• Staff can access, free confidential support and counselling through the Habit Health Employee Assistance Programme [Staff intranet]
  • Staff may also talk to their manager or HR Advisory team member [Staff intranet]
• Students can contact Te Papa Manaaki Campus Care

The review is separate from the University's existing reporting processes. Anyone wanting to raise a concern should continue to use the appropriate University reporting channels. There are a number of different options for dealing with complaints of bullying, harassment and discrimination at the University.

For further information refer to the Student Complaint Process Flowchart [PDF] or Staff Complaint Process Flowchart [PDF], as well as the Addressing Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Policy and Procedures and associated guidelines.

The Staff Risk Intervention Team (SRIT) supports staff who experience threats and/or harassment from an external or unknown source. This can take the form of unwanted phone calls, emails or threats to personal safety. For information about SRIT, refer to the Staff Risk Intervention Team page [Staff intranet].

A whistleblower hotline is also an option to report suspected unethical misconduct, including harassment, bullying or discrimination. For more information, refer to the Whistleblower hotline page.