Applying for human ethics approval
The Human Ethics Committee ensures that research involving human participants, their data or tissue complies with the University's Human Ethics Policy.
You need ethics approval to begin formal research procedures, such as recruitment or data collection. Retrospective approval is not possible, so leave plenty of time to complete ethics requirements before the start of your project.
To apply for ethics approval, you will complete an online form in Hōkai and upload supporting documents using the supplied document templates on the Guidance and resources for ethics applicants page.
The HEC is supported by the Research Office. For any inquiries, contact the Research Office ethics team at human-ethics@vuw.ac.nz.
Application risk levels
The application form will prompt you to identify your research as Category A (high risk) or Category B (low risk). Determinations of risk are on a case-by-case basis, and the ethics team will review your nominated risk category after you submit.
Category A applications are discussed in a committee meeting and must be submitted two weeks prior to the meeting date.
Category B applications are reviewed between meetings and can be submitted at any point.
Regardless of category, ethics applications normally take between three and five weeks to be approved. For a more detailed timeline, see the Guidance and resources for ethics applicants page.
2025 HEC meeting dates
The HEC meets fortnightly throughout the year to discuss Category A applications. Meetings are open to applicants and their supervisors by prior arrangement. Contact the ethics team at human-ethics@vuw.ac.nz if you wish to attend.
| Deadline | Meeting |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 9 January 2025 | Thursday, 23 January 2025 |
| Tuesday, 21 January 2025 | Tuesday, 4 February 2025 |
| Thursday, 6 February 2025 | Thursday, 20 February 2025 |
| Tuesday, 18 February 2025 | Tuesday, 4 March 2025 |
| Thursday, 6 March 2025 | Thursday, 20 March 2025 |
| Tuesday, 18 March 2025 | Tuesday, 1 April 2025 |
| Thursday, 3 April 2025 | Thursday, 17 April 2025 |
| Tuesday, 22 April 2025 | Tuesday, 6 May 2025 |
| Thursday, 8 May 2025 | Thursday, 22 May 2025 |
| Tuesday, 20 May 2025 | Tuesday, 3 June 2025 |
Where to get help
If you are a student, your supervisor is your first port of call for help with your application. For Honours- and Master’s-level research, your supervisor is assigned the role of Principal Investigator (PI) and your ethics application will be submitted in their name. PhD students submit applications in their own name, with supervisor oversight.
Students, supervisors, and staff should consult our Guidance and resources for ethics applicants page for assistance with the ethics approval process.
If you need to amend or extend your application, let us know about an adverse incident, or handle a complaint, go to our After you have ethics approval page.
You can also contact the ethics team at human-ethics@vuw.ac.nz for specific advice or attend one of our regular ethics training sessions. Training can be arranged for groups on request.
For technical assistance, visit Hōkai training and support or email Hokai@vuw.ac.nz.