University of Otago — Education Charity in Dunedin
University of Otago is a Trust charity in the Education sector, based in Dunedin, Dunedin. CharityData rates this charity F (17.5/100). Annual revenue: $853.9M NZD. 1 red flag detected. Financial data as at December 2024.
Mission: To create, advance, preserve, promote and apply knowledge, critical thinking and intellectual independence to enhance the understanding, development and well-being of individuals, society and the environment. It will achieve these goals by building on foundations of broad research and teaching capabilities, unique campus learning environments, its nationwide presence and mana, and international links
- Registration Number
- CC28008
- Charity Type
- Trust
- Registration Date
- 2008-06-30
- Status
- Active
- CharityData Rating
- F (17.5/100)
- Sector
- Education
- Location
- Dunedin, Dunedin
- Website
- http://www.otago.ac.nz
- financial.accountant@otago.ac.nz
- Data as at
- December 2024
Financial Summary
- Total Revenue
- $853.9M NZD
- Total Expenses
- $876.5M NZD
- Total Assets
- $2762.3M NZD
- Net Assets
- $2256.5M NZD
- Reserve Months
- 30.9 months of operating expenses
- Staff Count
- 6422
- Volunteers
- 6
- Financial Year End
- 2024-12-31
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $853.9M | $876.5M | $2256.5M |
| 2023 | $811.9M | $833.5M | - |
| 2022 | $780.3M | $778.5M | - |
| 2021 | $774.4M | $777.0M | - |
| 2020 | $756.5M | $730.4M | - |
| 2019 | $736.5M | $728.1M | - |
| 2018 | $735.2M | $694.2M | - |
| 2017 | $687.6M | $671.4M | - |
| 2016 | $667.1M | $644.2M | - |
| 2015 | $632.8M | $611.4M | - |
CharityData Rating
- Overall Grade
- F
- Overall Score
- 17.5/100
- Financial Score
- 30
- Governance Score
- 55
- Transparency Score
- 65
Red Flags
- Holding 30.9 months of expenses in reserves ($2256.5M) — above the 18-month threshold
Board Members and Officers
Current Officers (11)
| Name | Role | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| David Eyers | Council Member | 2025-04-01 |
| Liam White | Council Member | 2025-01-01 |
| Ross Jackson | Council Member | 2024-10-01 |
| Nicola Riordan | Council Member | 2024-09-01 |
| Grant Robertson | Vice-Chancellor | 2024-07-01 |
| Mark Brunton | Council Member | 2024-01-01 |
| Brendan James Boyle | Council Member | 2022-11-01 |
| Clare Curran | Council Member | 2022-03-01 |
| Suzanne Ellison | Council Member | 2019-01-01 |
| Malcolm Wong | Council Member | 2018-01-01 |
| Frazer Barton | Council Member | 2016-01-01 |
Former Officers (56)
- Daniel Leamy — Council Member
- Keegan Wells — Council Member
- Helen Nicholson — Vice-Chancellor-(acting)
- Ralph Adler — Council Member
- Quintin Jane — Council Member
- David Murdoch — Council Member
- Melissa Lama — Council Member
- Michaela Waite-Harvey — Council Member
- Melissa Lethaby — Council Member
- Jack Manning — Council Member
- James Heath — Council Member
- Charles Pigden — Council Member
- Caitlin Barlow-Groome — Council Member
- Lillah Hobson — Council Member
- Hugh Baird — Council Member
- Mark Fitz-Gerald — Council Member
- Martin Dippie — Council Member
- Laura Harris — Council Member
- Shane Montague-Gallagher — Council Member
- Paul Hunt — Council Member
Executive Compensation
| Name | Role | Compensation | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior management team (aggregate) | Senior Management Team, including Vice-Chancellor | $4,608,000 | 2024 |
| Senior Management Team (aggregate) | Senior Management including Vice-Chancellor | $4,608,000 | 2024 |
| Senior management team (aggregate) | Senior Management Team, including Vice-Chancellor | $4,608,000 | - |
| Council members (aggregate) | Councillor | $229,000 | 2024 |
| Council Members (aggregate) | Councillor/Board Member | $229,000 | 2024 |
| Council members (aggregate) | Councillor | $229,000 | - |
| F B Barton | Council Member | $49 | 2024 |
| Vice-Chancellor | Vice-Chancellor | - | 2023 |
| Unidentified Chancellor | Chancellor | - | 2024 |
| Hon C E Curran | Council Member | - | 2022 |
| Unknown Chancellor | Chancellor | - | 2022 |
| Chancellor | Chancellor | - | 2023 |
| Mr F B Barton | Council Member | - | 2024 |
| C E Curran | Council Member | - | 2022 |
| Hone Harawira | Chancellor (Chair) | - | 2023 |
| Rudie Tomlinson | External Auditor | - | 2023 |
| Unknown Vice-Chancellor | Vice-Chancellor | - | 2022 |
| Harlene Hayne | Vice-Chancellor | - | 2020 |
| Mr M R Dippie | Council Member | - | 2022 |
| Unknown | Chancellor | - | 2023 |
| Mr F B Barton | Council Member | - | 2022 |
| Grant Robertson | Vice-Chancellor | - | 2024 |
| Hon. Grant Robertson | Vice-Chancellor | - | 2024 |
| S L Ellison | Council Member | - | 2021 |
| F B Barton | Council Member | - | 2021 |
| M R Dippie | Council Member | - | 2021 |
Service Providers
- Audit New Zealand
- Audit New Zealand
- Audit New Zealand
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EducationTrust
University of Otago
CC28008Dunedin, DunedinRegistered 30 Jun 2008
Data updated: Today
Financials31 Dec 2024Rating9h ago
Financial data as at December 2024. Sourced from Charities Services register.
F
18/100
Reduced by penalties
Financial
30
Governance
55
Transparency
65
Revenue
$853.9M
Expenses
$876.5M
Assets
$2.8B
Staff
6,422
Financial data from Charities Services annual return (FY2024). Ratings calculated using CharityData v3.1.1 methodology.
1 red flag identified- Review the Rating tab for details
This rating may reflect incomplete data
This charity's grade of Fis based on limited data from the NZ Charities Register, which does not provide detailed expense breakdowns. Without verified program vs admin spending, efficiency scoring is unavailable and the financial score relies on health metrics only. This charity's actual performance may differ from what the available data suggests.
About
Mission
To create, advance, preserve, promote and apply knowledge, critical thinking and intellectual independence to enhance the understanding, development and well-being of individuals, society and the environment. It will achieve these goals by building on foundations of broad research and teaching capabilities, unique campus learning environments, its nationwide presence and mana, and international links
Key Statistics
Annual Revenue
$853.9M
Total Expenses
$876.5M
Net Assets
$2.3B
Staff
6,422
employees
Volunteers
6
Financial Trends
Financial Trends (17 Years)
Revenue Breakdown
Expense Breakdown
API DataBased on annual return data. Detailed program/admin breakdown not available.
Financial Health Dashboard
Cents to the Cause
100c
For every $1 spent, 100c reaches programs
Strong
Sustainability
0mo
Could operate 0 months with zero revenue
Critical
Fundraising Cost
-
No fundraising data
No data
Based on latest annual return data. Metrics are calculated from reported financial data and may not reflect the full picture. View methodology
Revenue Diversification
51
Score /100
Concentrated
HHI: 4,876
Other55.6%
Government Grants42.2%
Donations1.9%
Investment Income0.3%
HHI (Herfindahl–Hirschman Index) measures concentration across 6 income categories. Lower HHI = more diversified. Score above 60 indicates healthy diversification.
Peer Comparison
Ranked against 500 peers · Education (all sizes)
Rating Score
18
Revenue
$853.9M
Reserve Months
30.9
Surplus
$-22.5M
Staff Cost %
51%
Top Peers in Group
Peers are charities in the same sector and revenue size band. Rankings are based on the latest available data.
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Claim This ProfileContact Details
Registration
Registration NumberCC28008
Entity TypeTrust
Registered30 Jun 2008
StatusRegistered
Sector & Activities
Primary Sector
EducationData sourced from Charities Services register and publicly available annual returns. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. Scores are calculated using disclosed methodology and are analytical tools, not investment ratings or recommendations. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. Last updated: 23 April 2026.
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Common questions
Questions people searching for University of Otago commonly ask — and whether the data on this page answers them.
Is Otago in the top 1% of universities?▾
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How much does a vice chancellor of Otago make?▾
According to the University of Otago's latest financial disclosures, the Senior Management Team including the Vice-Chancellor had aggregate total compensation of $4.608 million in 2024.
Source: charitydata.co.nz