Grant Robertson steps into new digs at University of Otago

Former Finance Minister Hon Grant Robertson has officially begun his new role as vice-chancellor of the University of Otago.

Mana whenua hosted a pōwhiri at Ōtākou Marae on the Otago Peninsula on Monday morning for Robertson, and he was officially welcomed to the University in the afternoon.

Traditional Dunedin weather greeted Robertson as he walked in a formal procession in the pouring rain from the Clocktower to St David Lecture Theatre, led by a bagpiper.

Speaking to media before his official welcoming, he said there were unsurprisingly quite a few meetings booked in for his first week at work, and he would be busy getting his feet under the desk and getting on top of the current issues before looking ahead to the rest of the year.

He said starting the role during the mid-semester break was partly by design in order to get prepared for when students return.

The University of Otago's new vice-chancellor Grant Robertson officially began his new role on Monday, July 1. Photo / Ben Tomsett

“I’m delighted to be here, and I’m looking forward to catching up with as many [students] as possible, as soon as possible... To me, that’s an important part of the job. Obviously, I’m busy with the administration at the university, but the university only exists because of and for students, so my message is that I know that and that I’m keen to be working together.”

He said there were some clear challenges ahead, including financial, but there was a good plan in place to deal with them.

“[There is] ongoing work to make sure that the reputation of Otago stays really sound... I’ve just been away overseas, and Otago gets mentioned in all sorts of places. I was on a boat trip on Loch Ness, and they were talking there about the DNA project that Otago did around Loch Ness. Every single day, thousands of tourists hear about Otago University. That’s a great story. And so to me, yep there’s a few challenges, but there’s a massive load of opportunities.”

Robertson, who earned his BA in political studies at Otago, also served as president of the Otago University Students Association and co-president of the New Zealand University Students’ Association.

As vice-chancellor, Robertson’s total remuneration package is $629,000. As an MP, he earned $163,961. As Finance Minister he earned $296,007.

Raised in South Dunedin, Robertson joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) after university.

He returned to New Zealand to work in the office of Labour MP Marian Hobbs and later in Prime Minister Helen Clark’s office.

He served as Finance Minister for six years under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and held other roles, including Leader of the House, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Sport and Recreation.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin