In the 1990s, Mohsin joined Charles Darwin University in Australia as a lecturer, where he also completed his doctorate.
He joined the Waikato Management School as a senior lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2003.
University of Waikato Emeritus Professor Chris Ryan, under whom Mohsin completed his doctoral studies in Australia, said Mohsin was highly respected as an academic.
Ryan said Mohsin served as head of the Department of Tourism Management at the Waikato Management School for five years.
During that time, he helped establish an agreement with Wintec that provided practical food and beverage training, while also supporting an internship programme with Accor.
He also helped establish halal tourism as a niche field within tourism research and conducted research focused on service within the hospitality industry.
Between 2005 and 2006, Mohsin was a founding member of the Waikato Intercultural Fund Board and a member of the Tourism Waikato Advisory Board.
President of Waikato Multicultural Council, Ravidener Powar, said the death of his friend was still “raw”.
The Waikato Multicultural Council is an umbrella body representing about 25 ethnic community organisations across the region.
Powar said he met Mohsin in the early 1990s while helping to establish the multicultural council.
The group quickly grew from a handful of members to an organisation that now draws thousands to community events.
Mohsin served as president of the Waikato Multicultural Council and Waikato Muslim Association between 2014 and 2023.
He initiated the first Multicultural Day in Hamilton, which is now held annually.
University of Waikato vice-chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said he had known Mohsin for many years, as they had worked together as part of a consortium of universities supporting the creation of the Colleges of Applied Sciences in Oman in the early 2000s.
In 2022, Mohsin was appointed to a part-time role as assistant vice-chancellor of community engagement, in which he worked closely with Muslim, Indian and refugee communities.
Quigley said the role reflected Mohsin’s strong reputation in the community, built through years of service and leadership.
Following discussions with the community, the university created a dedicated scholarship programme to support students whose family circumstances made studying difficult.
Quigley said Mohsin not only supported his own community but also helped guide the university’s response.
“His work to strengthen the relationship between the university and the Waikato Muslim Association during this time led to a formal Memorandum of Understanding in 2020,” Quigley said.
Mohsin retired in 2024 as a professor in tourism and hospitality management and assistant vice-chancellor of community engagement at the University of Waikato.
Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe said Mohsin was an “outstanding community leader” who would be deeply missed.
“I had the privilege of knowing Asad for many years and respected him greatly.
“I will always remember his courageous and dignified leadership following the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, and the compassion, wisdom and reassurance he offered not only to our local Muslim community but to our entire city at a time that was so traumatic for all New Zealanders.”
The council’s community committee chairwoman, Emma Pike, said Mohsin believed deeply in bringing people together.
“His legacy will live on in the many students he inspired, the communities he strengthened, and the values of understanding, compassion, and unity that he championed throughout his life.”
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist at Black Press Media in Canada and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.
