Auckland University of Technology

Not to be confused with the University of Auckland.

Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
Established	2000, predecessors established in 1895.
Type	Public
Chancellor	vacant
Vice-Chancellor	Derek McCormack
Students	27,141 total (2010)
Location	Auckland, New Zealand
Affiliations	ASAIHL, AACSB, ACU
Website	www.aut.ac.nz

WF (Business) Building at AUT's Auckland City Campus.

The Auckland University of Technology (AUT) (Māori: Te Wananga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand. It was formed on 1 January 2000 when the Auckland Institute of Technology was granted university status. Its primary campus is on Wellesley Street in Auckland's Central business district (CBD). AUT has three secondary campuses: North Shore, Manukau, and the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health.

History

AUT University was originally founded as Auckland Technical School in 1895, offering evening classes only. Daytime classes began in 1906 and its name was changed to Auckland Technical College. In 1913 it was renamed Seddon Memorial Technical College. In the early 1960s educational reforms resulted in the separation of secondary and tertiary teaching; two educational establishments were formed; the tertiary (polytechnic) adopting the name Auckland Technical Institute (ATI) in 1963 and the secondary school continuing with the same name. For three years they co-existed on the same site, but by 1964 the secondary school had moved to a new site in Western Springs and eventually became Western Springs College. In 1989 ATI became Auckland Institute of Technology (AIT), and the current name was adopted when university status was granted in 2000.

University population

In 2010, AUT University enrolled 27,141 distinct students, including 3,154 international students from 81 source countries. The majority (66%) of domestic students studied full-time, and (82%) were enrolled in a bachelor's degree or higher qualification. In addition, AUT employed 1916 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, in order to provide academic, administrative, and support services for its students.

General information

AUT University promotes itself as an advocate of innovative approaches to teaching, learning and research. In particular its focus is on providing a pragmatic 'real world' approach, ensuring excellence in learning, teaching and developing outstanding graduates for practice in their chosen fields. AUT's learning environment encourages interaction between students and with their lecturers. This approach aims to develop skills of high value to employers . The most recent data available suggests that 91% of AUT's graduates obtain employment or progress to further study within 6 months of graduating.

Campuses and Facilities

AUT has four campuses: Wellesley (Auckland CBD), Manukau, North Shore and Millennium. Wellesley and North Shore campuses both offer neighbouring student accommodation (498 rooms and 207 rooms, respectively). AUT runs a shuttle bus between campuses.

Since becoming a university, AUT has invested heavily in infrastructure, staffing and programmes. It is halfway through its $245 million building programme on both the Wellesley and Akoranga campuses. Since 2000, new engineering, design, library, and business buildings have been constructed.

New WG Precinct at AUT University's City Campus

Recently, work has begun on the new WG precinct at Wellesley campus, which will host AUT's communication studies school. The facility will provide 20,000 square metres of additional learning space, including television and performance studios, lecture theatres, shops, cafes, an outdoor plaza, and informal study and collaboration spaces. This $97 million ($NZ) project is due to be opened to students by Semester 1, 2013.

Wellesley campus

The Wellesley campus spreads over several sites in the heart of central Auckland. The largest site is situated on Wellesley Street and is home to most of academic units and central administration, including the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and research centres. The Faculties of Applied Humanities, Business and Law, Design and Creative Technologies, and Te Ara Poutama share this location.

Facilities of the campus include:

• Early Childhood Centre (also known as a creche or pre-school centre)
• AUT Central Library (encompassing over 245,000 books and journals on four floors)
• International Student Centre
• Auckland Student Movement (AuSM)
• PrintSprint Customer Service Branch
• University Bookshop (UBS)
• Fitness Centre and gymnasium
• St Paul St Gallery
• AUT Chinese Centre
• Pasifika Student Support Service
• Postgraduate Centre
• Te Tari Āwhina - The Learning Development Centre
• AUT Shop
• AUT Marae
• Wellesley Student Apartments
• Cafes, restaurants and bars (including Vesbar)

Manukau campus

Entrance of AUT's Manukau Campus

AUT opened the Manukau campus in 2010, creating the first university campus based in the region. It offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, specialising in business, computer and information sciences, education, health sciences, as well as sports management and science. Manukau hosts the AUT Business Innovation Centre, as well as its own library, student lounges, student information centre, course information centre, computer labs, wireless network, and café. The campus also boasts astro turf courts with tennis, basketball, netball, volleyball, touch, and soccer equipment available for hire.

North Shore campus

The North Shore campus is located on Akoranga Drive in Northcote. The Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences (including the Sport and Recreation division) and School of Education share this campus, which has attractive park-like grounds. AUT's main sport and fitness centre is located at this campus, encompassing a gymnasium, weights room, testing equipment, golf swing clinic, and indoor courts. The campus also offers a library, student services centre, early childhood centre, AuSM branch, PrintSprint shop, health counselling and wellbeing centre, university bookshop, and food outlets, including Vesbar. In addition, the campus provides five health clinics (oral, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychotherapy, and ultrasound), which are open to the public. North Shore campus is closely linked with the nearby AUT Millennium Institute of Sport and Heath.

AUT Millennium campus

Like AUT’s North Shore campus, the Millennium campus is located on Auckland’s North Shore. The Millennium Campus provides world-class sports training, and hosts both national and local sports organisations, including Swimming New Zealand, New Zealand Water Polo, North Shore Olympic Weightlifting, and Sport and Recreation New Zealand. The focus of the facility is high performance athlete development and success. The campus has world-class training facilities, athlete accommodation, sports science laboratories, an aquatics facility, and a commercial gym.

Other Facilities

AUT maintains a number of facilities off campus, including the AUT Radio Telescope - New Zealand’s first radio telescope. A 12m device near Warkworth, Rodney District, it is a major step towards New Zealand's participation with Australia in the international, mega-science project, the Square Kilometre Array.

Faculties

AUT is divided into five faculties. These are:

Applied Humanities

• School of Education Te Kura Matauranga
• School of Hospitality and Tourism
• School of Languages and Social Sciences

Business and Law (AACSB Accredited)

• Accounting
• Advertising
• Business Economics
• Commercial Law
• Design
• Electronic Business
• Finance
• Human Resource Management and Employment Relations
• Business Information Systems
• International Business
• Law
• Māori Development
• Management
• Marketing
• Retailing
• Sales
• Sport and Recreation Management
• Taxation
• Tourism

Design and Creative Technologies

• School of Art and Design
• School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences
• School of Communication Studies
• School of Engineering

Health and Environmental Sciences

• School of Applied Sciences
• School of Health Care Practice
• School of Public Health and Psychosocial Studies
• School of Rehabilitation and Occupation Studies
• School of Sport and Recreation

Te Ara Poutama

• Māori Media
• Māori Development
• Te Reo Māori

Programmes

AUT offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate (both PhD and Master) degrees, as well as sub-degree qualifications such as diplomas and certificates. Programmes are offered in the areas/fields of applied sciences, art and design, business, communication studies, computer and information sciences, education, engineering, health care practice, hospitality and tourism, languages, law, mathematical science, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, oral health, paramedic and emergency services, Māori development, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, public health, rehabilitation and occupation studies, social science, sport and recreation, and sport and recreation.

AUT's Business School was recently recognised as one of the top business schools in the world by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

Research

In 2010, AUT secured $18.5 million in research revenue, representing a 9% increase from 2009. Similarly, university research outputs increased by almost 25%. As a relatively new university, AUT came in eight place in the most recent (2006) Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) round, but has shown the greatest improvement in PBRF rating of New Zealand's eight universities.

AUT is investing heavily in research, and has recruited large numbers of leading local and international researchers and experts to further its research profile. Research partnerships and exchanges have also been established with some of the world's leading universities. AUT's growing research profile and reputation has seen an increase in research programme enrolments and external funding, as well as research institutions. AUT has 16 research institutes, including:

• Biotechnology Research Institute (KODE Biotech)
• Creative Industries Research Institute (CIRI)
• Earth and Oceanic Sciences Research Institute (EOS)
• Engineering Research and Innovation Cluster (ERIC)
• Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute (HRRI)
• Institute for Culture, Discourse and Communication (ICDC)
• Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research (IRASR)
• Institute of Biomedical Technologies (IBTec)
• Institute of Public Policy (IPP)
• Institute of Sport and Recreation Research
• Knowledge Engineering and Discovery Research Institute (KEDRI)
• National Institute for Public Health and Mental Health Research (NIPHMHR)
• National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences (NISAN)
• New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI)
• New Zealand Work and Labour Market Institute (NZWALMI)
• Te Ipukarea: National Māori Language Institute

Within these key research institutes exist a large number of research centres and units. The NIPHMHR administers the Pacific Islands Families Study.

Notable alumni

Art and Design

• Dan Buckley (Founder & Head Designer, Huffer Clothing)
• Kylee Davis (Founder & Head Designer, Stitch Ministry)
• Nick and Jenny Clegg (Founder, Federation)
• Grant Major (Art Director & Oscar Winner, Lord of the Rings)

Business and Law

• Hugh Burrett (Managing Director, ASB Bank)
• Stephen Tindall (Founder, The Warehouse)
• Jim Anderton (Politician)
• Mark D'Arcy (Director of Global Creative Solutions, Facebook)

Media and Communications

• Carol Hirschfeld (Former Anchor, 3 News, and former Executive Producer, Campbell Live, TV3)
• Pippa Wetzell (Former host of Breakfast, TVNZ)
• Charlotte Glennie (Asia correspondent, ABC)
• Duncan Garner (Political Editor, 3 News, TV3)
• Jesse Peach (Former journalist, 3 News, TV3)
• Joel Defries (Former presenter, Select Live, C4)
• Dominic Bowden (Television host, NZ Idol)

Technology

• Annette Presley (Founder & CEO, Slingshot ISP)
• Bruce McLaren (race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor)
• Ian Wright (electric-car designer, engineer and inventor of Wrightspeed X1)

Social Organisations

AuSM

Main article: AuSM

AuSM (Auckland Student Movement) is the student union at AUT.

Vesbar

AuSM run the campus bar, called Vesbar, at the Wellesley Campus.

AuSM also opened a second bar called Vesbar @ Sports Cafe at the Akoranga Campus on February 20, 2007.

External links

• Auckland University of Technology
• AUT Research Institutes
• AUT's Environmental Sciences online site, The Science Site
• New Zealand Tourism Research Institute
• Auckland Student Movement (AuSM) - AUT's Student Union
• Te Waha Nui (AUT Journalism newspaper/website)
• AUT on Facebook
• AUT on YouTube
• Vesbar