University celebrates academic success at Autumn Graduation

University celebrates academic success at Autumn Graduation

Thousands of graduands and their supporters will converge in central Auckland next week in one of New Zealand’s largest celebrations of academic success.

The University of Auckland’s Autumn Graduation will see some 4,493 graduands receive 4,709 qualifications in person at the Aotea Centre, at 10 ceremonies to be spread over three days (1, 3 and 5 May). A further 1,336 will graduate in absentia.

Overall 5,829 graduands will receive a total of 6,308 qualifications. These include 137 students who are graduating with doctorates.

The University’s Chancellor, Scott St John, and Pro-Chancellor, Jan Dawson, will personally confer the degrees and diplomas, bestowing the rest “in absentia” on those not able to attend.

This year, the oldest graduand is 74 and the youngest are 13 graduands aged 20. Also graduating are 753 Māori and Pasifika students, whose presence reflects the University’s unique place in the Pacific region. Annually, the University accounts for 22 percent of all Māori degree graduates and 36 percent of all Pacific degree graduates in New Zealand Universities.

Science has the most graduands with 1,371, followed by Business & Economics (1,202); Arts (1,075); Education & Social Work (828); Engineering (641); Medical and Health Sciences, which for the first time also held standalone faculty graduation ceremonies in November (569); Creative Arts and Industries (397); and Law (217).

On graduation days the formalities start with a street procession. After assembling at the University Pavilion, the large marquee on Old Government House grounds, at 9am each day, graduands, staff and Council members will progress onto Bowen Avenue and down Victoria Street East, then up Queen Street to Aotea Square.

Around 20,000 guests have tickets for the graduation ceremonies, which will also be webcast live.

Speakers at the ceremonies include Dr Richard Fisher, a pioneer and leader in fertility in New Zealand and co-founder of Fertility Associates; Institute of Directors Fellow, entrepreneur and former Auckland Arts Festival Chair Victoria Carter; and Court of Appeal judge The Hon Justice Helen Winkelmann.

The free Graduation Gala Concerto Competition, always a graduation highlight, will be held on Thursday 4 May at 7.30pm at the Auckland Town Hall. Three virtuoso musicians from the School of Music, accompanied by the University of Auckland Symphony Orchestra and conducted by internationally acclaimed musician and School of Music Professor Uwe Grodd, will compete for a grand prize of $6,000, with a total prize pool of $15,000.

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