Neil Waters

Sir Thomas Neil Morris Waters (10 April 1931 – 7 June 2018) was a New Zealand inorganic chemist and academic administrator who served as vice-chancellor of Massey University from 1983 to 1995. He is noted for establishing the university's Albany campus near Auckland in 1993 , with a new building also named in his honour, opening in June, 2026.

Early life, family, and education Born in New Plymouth on 10 April 1931, Waters was the son of Kathleen Emily Waters (née Morris) and Edwin Benjamin Waters. He was educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School, and went on to study chemistry at Auckland University College, graduating Bachelor of Science in 1953, Master of Science with second-class honours the following year, and PhD in 1958. His doctoral thesis, supervised by David Hall and John Llewellyn, was titled The colour isomerism and structure of some copper co‑ordination compounds.

In 1959, Waters married crystallographer Joyce Mary Partridge.

Waters served as assistant vice chancellor of the University of Auckland between 1979 and 1981, including a period in 1980 as acting vice chancellor.

Waters died in Auckland on 7 June 2018, aged 87.

Honours and awards In 1990, Waters was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.

Waters was conferred with honorary Doctor of Science degrees by the University of East Asia in 1986, and Massey University in 1996. He was elected a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry in 1977, Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science in 1979, and Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1992.