Careers for Pacific staff at AUT

Talofa lava. Malo e lelei. Kia orāna. Fakaalofa lahi atu. Warm Pacific greetings.

Pacific identity, culture and ambition are woven into the fabric of AUT – shaping our campuses, our research and the way we show up for our communities. With the largest proportion of Pacific students of any university in Aotearoa New Zealand, and a South Campus in Manukau at the heart of the world's largest Pacific community, AUT's connection to Pacific people runs deep.

This isn't a university that's working towards becoming a place where Pacific people belong. It already is one.

AUT's commitment to Pacific communities

AUT's commitment to Pacific people runs to the very top of our leadership. Professor Damon Salesa, the first Pacific Vice-Chancellor in Aotearoa New Zealand, leads a university where Pacific communities aren't an aspiration. They're the foundation.

Our Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific and the Office of Pacific Advancement drive that commitment every day, shaping initiatives that span the Pacific staff and student experience, research, advocacy and community partnerships. Our Vā Pasifika spaces are open daily at all three campuses, the heartbeat of Pacific cultural life on campus — a daily reminder of how central Pacific people are to who AUT is. AUT is also developing a Pacific Plan, setting out a consolidated direction for our contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Pacific region.

For Pacific kaimahi, the Pacific Staff Network means connection, belonging, career mentorship and progression, with a clear commitment to strengthening Pacific representation at every level of the workforce.

What it's like to work here

Your culture matters here. Your leadership is backed. Your contributions count – in the work you do, in the community you build and in the difference you make for Pacific students, families and communities across Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.

AUT's commitment to Pacific peoples is structural, not symbolic. Our activities span the Pacific staff and student experience, academic research, advocacy and community partnerships, all working together to make AUT a place where Pacific people thrive.