Wikipedia

Dawn Freshwater

Dawn Freshwater FRCN (born August 1962) is a British academic, university professor, mental health researcher, and the former vice-chancellor of the University of Auckland.[1]

Dawn Freshwater
FRCN
6th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland
In office
March 2020 – 10 April 2026
ChancellorCecilia Tarrant
Preceded byStuart McCutcheon
Succeeded byNic Smith
18th Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Western Australia
In office
16 January 2017 – 2020
ChancellorMichael Chaney
Robert French
Preceded byPaul Johnson
Succeeded byAmit Chakma
Personal details
BornAugust 1962 (age 63)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
Websitewww.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/the-university/message-from-the-vice-chancellor.html
Scientific career
Alma materUniversity of Nottingham (BA, PhD)
FieldsMental health
Nurse education
InstitutionsUniversity of Auckland
University of Leeds
University of Western Australia
ThesisTransformatory Learning in Nurse Education (1998)
Professor Eric Hall and Professor Carol Hall University of Nottingham

Early life and education

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Freshwater was born in a mining family in Nottingham in August 1962, with two younger brothers.[2] She left school at the age of 15 because her parents became unwell. Freshwater trained as a nurse and was the first member of her family to attend university.[3] Her doctoral research investigated the impact of transformative learning on nursing students for which she was awarded a PhD by the University of Nottingham in 1998.[4][5]

Research and career

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In 2006 Freshwater joined the University of Leeds.[6] Her research concentrated on forensic psychology, and studied the impact of marginalised groups with severe mental health issues.[7]

Freshwater was appointed the pro-vice-chancellor (PVC) at the University of Leeds in 2011.[6] She led the School of Medicine application for an Athena SWAN award and served as a member of the assessment panel for the Research Excellence Framework (REF).[5] During this time, she served on the Council of Deans for Nursing and Midwifery and was a trustee of the Florence Nightingale Foundation.[8]

In 2014 Freshwater moved to Australia.[3] She joined the University of Western Australia as senior deputy vice chancellor in 2016.[9] In 2017 she was made the vice chancellor, and led the first Inclusion and Division strategy.[10] She was the first woman to be made chair of the Group of Eight in 2018.[3] She also led the Matariki network of universities. At the University of Western Australia, Freshwater established the Public Policy Institute, which translates research into real-world solutions for the Indo-Pacific region.[11]

In 2019 Freshwater became the first woman to be appointed vice chancellor of the University of Auckland, whilst remaining a professor of mental health at the University of Leeds.[12] During her appointment at the University of Auckland, there has been substantial increase of the QS ranking in the overall university category and in the new sustainability category.[13][14][15][16] Further, in 2024, the University of Auckland reached the highest ranking since 2013 in the QS ranking being the 65th in the world.[17] She has been invited as a keynote speaker in several international ranking event hosted by the Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).[18][19][20]

In June 2025, Freshwater announced her intention to step down as vice-chancellor of the University of Auckland after nearly six years in the role.Chancellor Cecilia Tarrant confirmed their full support for Freshwater, rejecting speculation that she was asked to resign.[21] During her tenure, she presided over controversial faculty consolidations and course cuts.[22][23] Freshwater concluded her term as vice-chancellor of the University of Auckland on the 10th of April 2026.[24]

Publications

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Freshwater has authored and co-authored over 100 peer reviewed papers.[25] She is among the top 2% cited scientists, according to the 2023 Stanford/Elsevier ranking.[26] Some of her works are:

  • Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., & Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection for nursing and the helping professions: a user's guide. Palgrave. ISBN 0333777956.[27]
  • Freshwater, D. (2002). Therapeutic Nursing. SAGE Publishing. ISBN 0761970649.[28]
  • Freshwater, D. (2002). Emotions and Needs (Core Concepts in Therapy). Open University Press. ISBN 0335208010.[29]
  • Freshwater, D. (2004). Blackwell's Nursing Dictionary. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 1405105348.[30]
  • Freshwater, D. (2005). Counselling Skills for Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. Open University Press. ISBN 0335207812.[31]
  • Freshwater, D. (2008). International Textbook of Reflective Practice in Nursing. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781405160513.[32]
  • Jacobs, M., & Freshwater, D. (2023). The Presenting Past (5th ed.). McGraw Hill Education, Oxford. ISBN 9780335251841.[33]
  • Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., & Jasper, M. (2025). Critical Reflection for Health Professionals (3rd ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9781032749631.[34]

Awards and honours

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In 2001 Freshwater was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN).[5]

Controversies

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During Dawn Freshwater’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland (2020–2026), several issues attracted public and internal criticism. One such issue was the university’s purchase of a residence in Parnell valued at approximately NZ$5 million for vice-chancellor use, which was later criticised by the Office of the Auditor-General for lacking a clear and robust business case.[35] Her leadership also faced opposition over proposed structural reforms, including a plan to merge the Business School and Faculty of Law, which was ultimately abandoned following significant backlash from staff, students, and external stakeholders.[36] In 2024, she encountered similar criticism from academics after the university’s governing body, the Senate, voted to halt a proposed curriculum overhaul due to concerns about extensive course reductions.[37] Her tenure also coincided with wider debates over academic freedom and institutional direction, alongside reported declines in staff confidence in university leadership.[38]

A complaint by Freshwater against Radio New Zealand regarding reporting on her travel during COVID-19 restrictions drew attention to tensions between privacy and public interest; the Media Council did not uphold the complaint.[39] She was also involved in a dispute with prominent scientist Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles, which resulted in the university being ordered to pay NZ$205,059.94 in compensation.[40]

Personal life

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Freshwater is a marathon runner and has completed the London Marathon seven times.[11][41]

References

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  1. ↑ "Our Vice-Chancellor - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Dawn FRESHWATER personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Australia's key university body appoints first female Chair: Dawn Freshwater". womensagenda.com.au. Women's Agenda. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  4. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (1998). Transformatory learning in nurse education. nottingham.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Nottingham. OCLC 556607870. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.299560. Free access icon
  5. 1 2 3 "UWA announces new Vice-Chancellor". news.uwa.edu.au. University Of Western Australia. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  6. 1 2 Garner, Louise (18 August 2017). "Pro-Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater". leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Prof Dawn Freshwater". Forrest Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  8. ↑ Anyangwe, Eliza (21 March 2012). "Live chat: what sort of leaders does higher education need?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  9. ↑ "Dawn Freshwater — the UWA Profiles and Research Repository". research-repository.uwa.edu.au. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  10. ↑ Debska, Anna (17 January 2017). "UWA announces new Vice-Chancellor". matarikinetwork.org. Matariki Network. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  11. 1 2 Collins, Simon (5 June 2019). "British mental health researcher Dawn Freshwater appointed as University of Auckland's first female vice-chancellor". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  12. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2022). "Commentary: Using mixed-methods in evidence-based nursing: A scoping review guided by a socio-ecological perspective". Journal of Research in Nursing. 27 (7): 653–654. doi:10.1177/17449871221114369. PMC 9669930. PMID 36405798.
  13. ↑ Cultured Conversations with Dawn Freshwater, 11 January 2024, retrieved 19 January 2024
  14. ↑ "University rankings: 'New Zealand continues to outperform relative to its size'". The New Zealand Herald. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "68th in the world, Auckland leads excellence across the university sector - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "University of Auckland No 1 in Oceania and fifth in world for sustainability - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "University of Auckland climbs in QS World University Rankings - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  18. ↑ Dawn Freshwater at the THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2022, 27 April 2022, retrieved 12 February 2024
  19. ↑ "THE Asia Universities Summit 2023". www.timeshighered-events.com. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  20. ↑ "The University of Auckland on LinkedIn: Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater is at the QS India Summit 2024…". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  21. ↑ "Statement from the Chancellor, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  22. ↑ Davison, Isaac. "Controversial University of Auckland law school merger canned". NZ Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  23. ↑ Morton, Jamie. "Backdown after Auckland University course shake-up sparks academic revolt". NZ Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  24. ↑ https://insidegovernment.co.nz/university-of-auckland-announces-new-vice-chancellor/
  25. ↑ Dawn Freshwater publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  26. ↑ Ioannidis, John P. A. (4 October 2023). "Bibliometrics". October 2023 data-update for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators". Vol. 6. Elsevier Data Repository. doi:10.17632/btchxktzyw.6.
  27. ↑ Rolfe, Gary (2001). Critical reflection for nursing and the helping professions : a user's guide. Freshwater, Dawn; Jasper, Melanie. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave. ISBN 0333777956. OCLC 46984997.
  28. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2002). Therapeutic Nursing. SAGE Publishing. ISBN 0761970649.
  29. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2002). Emotions And Needs (Core Concepts in Therapy). Open University Press. ISBN 0335208010.
  30. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2004). Blackwell's Nursing Dictionary. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 1405105348.
  31. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2005). Counselling Skills For Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. Open University Press. ISBN 0335207812.
  32. ↑ Freshwater, Dawn (2008). International Textbook of Reflective Practice in Nursing. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1405160513.
  33. ↑ Jacobs, Michael (2023). The Presenting Past. Freshwater, Dawn (5th ed.). Oxford: McGraw Hill Education. ISBN 9780335251841.
  34. ↑ Rolfe, Gary (2025). Critical Reflection for Health Professionals. Freshwater, Dawn; Jasper, Melanie (3rd ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9781032749631.
  35. ↑ "Inquiry into University of Auckland's purchase of a house in Parnell". Office of the Auditor-General. 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  36. ↑ "University of Auckland dumps plan to merge law and business schools". Law News. 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  37. ↑ "University of Auckland academics in 'unprecedented' revolt over controversial course shake-up". The New Zealand Herald. 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Auckland University vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater 'lost trust and confidence' of staff, colleagues claim". The New Zealand Herald. 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Dawn Freshwater against RNZ". New Zealand Media Council. 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  40. ↑ "Auckland University ordered to pay Siouxsie Wiles more than $200,000". Radio New Zealand. 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  41. ↑ "Interview with Dawn Freshwater". timeshighereducation.com. Times Higher Education. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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