Thesis examination standard terms and conditions

These are the standard terms and conditions for thesis examination.

These terms will apply whenever you agree to examine a thesis for a Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington student. The first section has the general terms that apply to all thesis examinations. The second section has information about payment; you don’t need to worry about this second section if there are no fees payable for the thesis examination (for example, you are a VUW employee).

Examining a thesis

Administration. We will provide you access to the thesis using Panoho, our online portal. You will use the portal in accordance with the posted instructions and prudent cybersecurity practices (for example, keeping your password secure).

Thesis examination. You will examine the thesis in accordance with good academic practices, having regard to the thesis subject matter, the timing indicated by us, the level of study, our reasonable instructions, and any other relevant matters.

Report. You will provide a report to us on the thesis and submit it to us using Panoho by the indicated due date.

Viva examination. You may be asked to attend a viva examination. We will arrange a mutually acceptable time and mechanism for the viva examination; this may be an in-person meeting if located in Wellington, otherwise the viva examination will be via online video conferencing.

Confidentiality. Theses may include commercially confidential information, patent and other intellectual property filings, sensitive patient or client information, or other embargoes. Unless we advise you otherwise, you must keep the thesis confidential. You must use reasonable precautions to keep the thesis in confidence and not divulge it or any of its information to others. If you may be obliged to divulge the information due to legal requirements (for example, the Official Information Act), you must notify us and provide reasonable cooperation in responding to the request. At the end of the thesis examination process, you must securely delete all copies of the thesis in your control or possession.

Intellectual property. All intellectual property connected with the thesis examination will be owned in accordance with our Intellectual Property Policy. Generally, students will retain copyright in their theses and the University will obtain intellectual property in administrative materials such as examination and assessment reports.

Artificial intelligence. You must not use any artificial intelligence tools (including generative AI such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini) without our express permission. In particular, you must not load a thesis into any artificial intelligence tools. This is to ensure that the intellectual property rights and confidentiality in the thesis are protected.

Conflicts of interest. You must advise us immediately if you have or may be perceived to have any kind of conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest are further described in our Conflicts of Interest Statute.

No subcontracting. You must personally carry out all work to examine the thesis. You must not delegate, subcontract or assign any part of the work without our express written consent in advance.

General

• Disputes. In the event of any dispute between us regarding the thesis examination or these terms, we each agree to make good faith efforts to resolve any dispute by negotiation. This includes referring any dispute to a senior manager with sufficient authority to negotiate and resolve the dispute.
• Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand and each of us submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts in any proceedings relating to these terms.
• Notices. Notices under these terms must be in writing. This includes by email, provided the sender does not have reason to suspect the email has not been received (for example, an out of office or automatic reply).
• Privacy. We will collect, manage and hold personally identifiable information (for example, your contact details) in accordance with our Privacy Notice.
• Relationship. These terms do not create or affect any employment relationship. If you are already a VUW employee, that continues unchanged. If you are not already a VUW employee, you are an independent contractor. This is a non-exclusive relationship; we may appoint other examiners and you may provide examination services to other institutions (note however the provisions regarding confidentiality and conflicts of interest above). We do not guarantee that we will appoint you as an examiner for other theses in the future.
• Signatures. These terms do not need to be signed. We each agree to the terms when you agree to carry out the work or access Panoho (whichever is earlier).
• Survival. Following expiry or termination of these terms, the provisions relating to confidentiality and intellectual property (and any other provisions that are by their nature intended to survive), will remain in effect.
• Version and updates. This is version 1.0 of these terms, published in February 2026. These terms may be updated at any time by the University and such updates will be effective the next time you agree to examine a thesis for us.

Payment terms (institutions and companies)

Application. This section applies if the fee for the thesis examination will be paid to a university, institution, company or other type of legal organisation. This will usually be your employer.

Standard fees. The fee for this work will be NZD $250 for a Master's thesis and NZD $500 for a Doctoral thesis. All amounts exclude GST (if any) and include bank and foreign exchange and transaction fees.

Invoice. Once the work is complete, we will pay you the standard fee for your work examining the thesis. You must provide any information we reasonably request necessary to facilitate the payment (for example, bank account details, further invoice information, or tax information and forms).

Tax. If you are GST-registered and submit a valid invoice, we will pay New Zealand GST (if any) on the payment under these terms. The University will also withhold any payments required by applicable tax law. You will be responsible for any other taxes applicable to the payment.

Payment terms (individuals)

Application. This section applies if the standard fee for the thesis examination will be paid to you personally. New Zealand has specific rules about payments to individuals for this type of work. We will send you the additional forms to complete to ensure the payment is properly processed.

Standard fees. The standard fees are the same as above for payments to institutions and companies.

Withholding. We may deduct from payment any withholding taxes or other deductions required by applicable tax law. Any amount deducted will be deemed to have been paid by us to you at the time deducted. We will each provide reasonable cooperation to the other to make sure the appropriate amounts of tax are withheld (for example, if we ask, filling out any tax forms, such as New Zealand’s IR330C form or tax residency declaration).