Damon Salesa to lead AUT to 2032
AUT’s Chancellor Rob Campbell has announced Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa has accepted a further five-year term and will lead AUT through to 2032.
The Chancellor said the decision, after a considered review, was unanimously and enthusiastically agreed by AUT’s governing body.
In a message to AUT’s staff, he noted:
“This decision reflects the Council’s strong endorsement of Professor Salesa’s leadership, vision, and performance. In a turbulent time, the University has secured strong improvements academically, strategically, culturally, and financially. In a period marked globally by volatility and uncertainty, Professor Salesa has provided steady, values-driven leadership that has enabled us to grow, consolidate, and work towards an ambitious future.
“Under his stewardship, the University has made significant advances. We have a bold, distinctive University strategy—Te Kete—and our first Te Tiriti framework, Te Aronui. The implementation of this strategy is well advanced, and alongside it we have developed and are implementing both Rautaki Rangahau (our research plan) and our first integrated Academic and Capital Plan. This sets a future that is both bold and deeply grounded in our mission and values, and brings together, inclusively, AUT's diverse voices.
“Professor Salesa has led this achievement while advancing the University’s reputation and profile amongst communities important to AUT, including Māori and Pacific partners, and has received international and national recognition as both a scholar and a leader.
“We have also seen strong performance across key educational measures. Improvements in student success, retention, and progression reflect a clear focus on academic quality and on the learning environments we create for our students. These achievements signal not only institutional health but also a culture committed to continuous improvement and to meeting the evolving needs of our learners and communities.
“At a time when the tertiary sector faces considerable change—financial pressures, demographic shifts, policy transformation, and broad geopolitical uncertainty—the Council believes it is essential to provide continuity and stability for our staff, students, partners, and stakeholders. Renewing the Vice-Chancellor’s contract ensures that the University can continue to advance its priorities with confidence, guided by an experienced and visionary leader who is deeply committed to, and passionate about, AUT and its people.
“We have been particularly pleased to see the deepening of our distinctive identity as a university of technology, and Professor Salesa’s leadership is strongly attuned to a future of increased diversity, one transformed by emerging technologies such as AI and full of new challenges and opportunities, as well as one where the current models of education are likely to be increasingly interrogated.
“On behalf of the University Council, I want to express our gratitude to Professor Salesa for his ongoing service, and our appreciation to all staff for contributing to the strong position the University now holds. We look forward to working with you and with the Vice-Chancellor as we continue to build a thriving, future-focused university.”