[1] As of 2024, it stands as the largest university in New Zealand by enrolment, teaching approximately 43,000 students across three major campuses in central Auckland.

At this point, the college's executive council issued several resolutions in favour of academic freedom after the controversial dismissal of John Beaglehole (allegedly for a letter to a newspaper where he publicly defended the right of communists to distribute their literature), which helped encourage the college's growth.

Archie Fisher, who had been appointed principal of the Elam School of Fine Arts was instrumental in having it brought in the University of Auckland.

[11] In 1966, lecturers Keith Sinclair and Bob Chapman established The University of Auckland Art Collection, beginning with the purchase of several paintings and drawings by Colin McCahon.

[19] On 16 March 2020, McCutcheon was succeeded by Professor Dawn Freshwater, the first female vice-chancellor in the university's history.

It has recently gained international accreditations for all its programmes and now completes the "Triple Crown" (AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB).

It covers 16 hectares and has a range of amenities including cafes, health services, libraries, childcare facilities and a recreation centre.

It organises annual conferences and meetings for the university to seek commercial opportunities for its research in China.

Aulin College offers Bachelor's and master's degrees in Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science and Technology.

[63] In mid-2018, Vice-Chancellor McCutcheon announced that the university would be closing its Fine Arts, Architecture and Planning, and Music and Dance Libraries.

[64][65][66] The General Library Special Collections stores several rare books, manuscripts and archives and other material relating to the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.

Some notable manuscript collections include the Western Pacific Archives (which contains British colonial records relating to that region between 1877 and 1978), the poet Robin Hyde's papers, and the archives of the New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre, local Labour Party branches, and the New Zealand Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Some notable microtext collections include the Māori Land Court Minute Books and the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau series.

Several hundred live in Residential Halls and Apartments, which provide, food, accommodation, and social and welfare services alongside self-catered, private residences.

[72] It replaced the old recreation centre that was built in 1978, when the university had approximately 10,000 students studying on city campus.

[73][74] Established in 1966 by Keith Sinclair and Bob Chapman, The Art Collection is one of the university's most valuable and cherished assets.

Available on loan to departments and faculties on all campuses, the Collection has been built up over forty years to include major works by significant artists such as Frances Hodgkins, Colin McCahon, Luise Fong, Billy Apple and Ralph Hotere.

Not only did it achieve the highest quality score of any TEO [tertiary education organisation], but it also has by far the largest share of A-rated researchers in the country.

The review determined that Canvas (a learning management system developed by Instructure) would be implemented prior to the commencement of the 2016 academic year, and CECIL now acts as an archive for old courses.

Students objected to the closure of the Elam Fine Arts Library on the grounds that it would make it harder to access study materials.

The following day over two hundred students and staff marched to demand divestment from fossil fuels[108] and more than 240 members of staff from 8 faculties signed an open letter supporting divestment to the Boards of the University of Auckland Foundation and School of Medicine Foundation.

In early December 2020, the Auditor-General's Office released its report criticising the University of Auckland's decision to purchase a NZ$5 million house in Auckland's Parnell suburb for Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater, ruling that the university had not been able to show a "justifiable business purpose" for purchasing the house apart from Freshwater's personal benefit.

In October 2020, Vice Chancellor Freshwater had recommended that the university's board sell the house to pay off debt and because COVID-19 social distancing restrictions had made it impossible to host functions there.

[111][112] In January 2022 Siouxsie Wiles and Shaun Hendy filed claims with the Employment Relations Authority against the University of Auckland.

[122] This would reduce the number of courses offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and was met with outcry by faculty members.

The senate, a group of senior faculty who advise the University Council, voted to pause the ongoing curriculum redesign that had prompted the proposed changes.

Until his death in 2009, the longest serving staff member was Emeritus Professor of Prehistory, Roger Curtis Green, BA BSc (New Mexico), PhD (Harv.

The longest serving, non-'retired' staff member is Bernard Brown, ONZM, LLB (Hons) (Leeds), LLM (Sing.).

The programming language R, widely used by statisticians and data scientists, was developed at the university by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka in the 1990s.

[130] For example, Paul Buchanan, a popular, world-renowned lecturer on international relations and security, was summarily dismissed in 2007 because a student to whom he sent an email complained that she found his comments about her performance in his class to be offensive.