Auckland University of Technology (AUT University)

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) (Māori: Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. It has five faculties across three campuses in Auckland: City, North, and South campuses, and an additional three specialist locations: AUT Millennium, Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory and AUT Centre for Refugee Education.^[2]

AUT enrolled more than 29,000 students in 2018,^[3][1]:16 including 4,194 international students from 94 countries^[1]:20 and 2,417 postgraduate students.^[1]:19 AUT's student population is diverse with a range of ethnic backgrounds including New Zealand European, Asian, Maori and Pasifika.^[1]:20 Students also represent a wide age range with 22% being aged 25–39 years and 10% being 40 or older.^[1]:20

AUT employed 2,474 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in 2016, including both professional and academic.^[1]:23

Data suggests that 86% of AUT's graduates are employed full-time within nine months of graduating.^[4]:35 In the 2019 World University Rankings, AUT was ranked as 301–350.^[5]

HISTORY

AUT was 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.^[6]

Sir Paul Reeves served as university chancellor from 2005 until his death in 2011.^[7]

In July, 2019, controversy arose when AUT cancelled an event commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre, and allegations arose that this was due to interference from the Government of China, due to contact between Chinese officials and the university.^[8] AUT denied that China had pressured them,^[9] although this claim has been heavily disputed, including by some university staff.^[10]