How UAU works
What is UAU’s executive structure?
The UAU will be led by a seven-person Committee made up of Chair (who is also the General Secretary of the Union), Deputy-Chair, a Māori representative, an early career representative and three additional members. It aims to be responsive to its members’ priorities and concerns and will consult regularly with them.
Is UAU a national organisation?
The UAU is currently based exclusively at VUW but is designed to expand into a national organisation once branches are formed at other universities in Aotearoa New Zealand. If and when that happens, elections will be held to form a national committee and VUW will become a branch of the national organisation.
What services will the UAU offer to members?
The UAU will advocate for the university sector and work to increase the public’s understanding of how academic staff contribute to society. It will advocate for everyone in the diverse roles that unite academic staff as teachers and researchers – including those on short-term contracts who face employment precarity. The UAU will bargain with the employer on salary and conditions on behalf of members. It is aiming to join the 2026 bargaining round at VUW.
The UAU does not currently provide individual advocacy in disputes with the employer. It will come in behind members in such disputes on matters of principle in appropriate cases.
How does UAU differ from the Tertiary Education Union (TEU)?
The UAU exclusively represents the interests of university academic staff – from tutors to professors. Its focus is on the particular challenges faced by this group in their relationship with employers, when navigating career precarity, and when acting as “critic and conscience of society”. In contrast, the TEU represents employees of all types from across the tertiary education sector: universities, polytechnics, wānanga, private training institutions, etc. The UAU recognises the valuable work done by teachers and researchers outside of universities, and by non-academic staff across the whole tertiary sector. Although UAU does not represent these groups, it supports good pay and conditions for them.
How will UAU bargaining work?
The UAU will bargain with the employer as soon as possible after its registration as a union. Until bargaining is complete, UAU members (who are not also members of the TEU) will be on individual employment agreements. These agreements have very similar terms to the TEU collective agreement.
When bargaining with the employer, the UAU will be exclusively representing the needs of academic staff. A strong membership base gives us a powerful voice in that process.
We will also champion what university academics do and why it is important in wider societal discussions. Again, a strong membership base gives us a stronger platform from which to do that.
You should join the UAU if you agree with our kaupapa and want to support it.
General Secretary (Acting)
Professor Nicole Moreham is Acting General Secretary of the UAU. She is a Professor of Law at Victoria University of Wellington and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Aotearoa New Zealand. Prof Moreham has worked as an academic at the University of Cambridge and VUW, the latter for over 20 years. She has a strong history of advocating for academics in their work. As well as engaging with university leadership on a wide range of matters, she has, for example, spearheaded advocacy for staff unfairly affected by promotion freezes and led award-winning work addressing staff wellbeing, equity and abusive behaviour at VUW.
Treasurer (Acting)
Wayne Patrick is a Professor of Biochemistry at Victoria University of Wellington. He has worked as an academic for almost 20 years at Massey University, the University of Otago and VUW. He has held numerous leadership positions within the university and beyond. Most recently, he was Associate Dean – Research for the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He used his term to advocate strongly for investigator-led research, including that led by VUW’s talented (but often precarious) early-career researchers. Wayne has also been a long-standing advocate for strong funding of the university sector, especially in science, and for better understanding of the benefit excellent teaching and research brings to the New Zealand economy and wider community.
