The newly appointed vice-chancellor at a South Island university, who went undercover, says he wanted to find out more about the tertiary institution before he took on the job.
Around 20 staff at Canterbury's Lincoln University were interviewed by a "visiting academic" preparing a report for the university's council aboutconcerns at the campus.
Tertiary Education Union local organiser Cindy Doull said it wasn't until the end of the interview horrified staff were told the academic's true identity, Professor Robin Pollard, their future boss.
A statement from Lincoln University released to the Herald stated Mr Pollard was visiting New Zealand on holiday in early January and he "wished to undertake due diligence while here to assist with his assessment of the university and the role".
Professor Robin Pollard posed as a report writer while interviewing staff at Lincoln University.
"Since no offer had been made, or accepted, at the time of the visit it was important to respect the need for confidentiality at that time."
It continued by saying once he had been offered and accepted the role of Vice-Chancellor he communicated personally with all staff and students he met.
The university still had "full confidence" in the appointment of their new boss.
"Robin has extensive experience both in the academic/research world and also as an implementer of new ways of working - such as online learning - that are crucial for a modern, internationally ranked institution," the statement read.
