New Zealand universities to scrap Academic Quality Agency by end of 2024

Universities New Zealand is all set to remove the Academic Quality Agency for audit purposes after it closes the 6th round of audits at the end of 2024. It was formally known as the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit. The agency was carrying out audits of the universities' processes.

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Study in New Zealand: Due to very challenging financial headwinds, the universities of New Zealand are planning to discontinue with the Academic Quality Agency which has been auditing the universities' processes for eight to nine years and the universities opine it is time for a different audit model.

Professor Cheryl de la Rey, Chair of Universities New Zealand has said that in the 30 years of its existence, the Academic Quality Agency has served the university and country in the best possible way however, due to very challenging financial headwinds, it is time to discontinue the audit process by the agency.

New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) is responsible for quality assurance in the university sector. This committee established the Academic Audit Unit to lead the academic audit in 1994 and later it was termed as Academic Quality Agency (AQA) in 2013.

"The cost of our current model of academic audit is substantial once we factor in the cost of AQA as an organisation and the costs incurred by universities in preparing self-review portfolios and in follow-up reporting," said Professor Cheryl de la Rey.

Upcoming audits by Academic Quality Agency

Currently, in the sixth audit round, there are final two audits remaining. These are the following:

AQA to visit the University of Otago in July and its report will be published in October 2024.

Another site visit to Auckland University of Technology in September 2024 and the report will be published in December.

To oversee the completion of the elements of Cycle 6, a sub-committee of the Learning and Teaching Committee will be set up which will include the Deputy Vice-Chancellors’ Academic. The committee will have an independent chair to independently supervise the process and be credible and objective.

The Vice-Chancellors have accepted that moving to a different model of quality assurance has associated risks which will be appropriately managed when new arrangements are defined.

"I would also like to thank the AQA Board for their stewardship and oversight of academic audit on behalf of the NZVCC. They have ensured a high level of confidence and trust in academic audit – within the sector and among our external stakeholders," added the Professor.

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