About us

SAE Institute Auckland was set up in the early 1980’s in the popular suburb of Newmarket, renowned for its culture and atmospheric vibe. The Institute was originally established in Sydney, in 1976 by engineer/producer Tom Misner, who in doing so developed the world's first combined practical and theoretical curriculum in audio engineering.

Our unique education system remains the only one of its kind in the world and has since expanded to offer programs in other curriculums such as filmmaking, multimedia and other creative medias. Our first courses began humbly in our own 4-track recording studio however, over the past three decades, SAE has developed into a world-wide network of campuses, boasting some of the most advanced equipment and facilities available to students studying in the creative media industries.

For many years SAE Auckland has been approved as an NZQA diploma granting institution, however recently we have also been NZQA accredited for a Bachelors degree in Recording Arts. SAE Auckland is the perfect learning environment for aspiring audio engineers and filmmakers, placing you right amidst New Zealand’s vibrant and thriving creative media industry.

View full SAE history click here

I founded SAE Institute to provide world-class education and training in the audio engineering and creative media sectors. It’s great that you are considering SAE Institute to further your education. Our courses are a well balanced combination of theoretical and practical subjects, after all we have been doing this for over 30 years. I have always insisted that all my courses should have a large 'hands-on' component and indeed the majority of your practical time is on an individual basis, something no other school to the best of my knowledge can claim.

I invite you to take a tour of our fantastic facilities and meet our experienced staff to find out for yourself why SAE is truly leading in these fields.

Dr. Tom Misner – President and Founder

• Emeritus Professor Zbys Klich, PhD, Chair
• Professor Michael Bridger, Vice Chair
• Dr Steve Watson, PhD, independent academic representative
• Dr David Salisbury, PhD, independent academic representative
• Dr Helen Lancaster. PhD, independent academic representative
• Professor Bruce Molloy, PhD, independent academic representative
• Mr Geoff Weule, B Mus, Audio Industry Representative
• Mr Andrew Barr-David, B Appl Sc. And BA, Creative Media Industry Representative
• Mr Martin Benge, Audio Industry Representative
• Mr Bruce Mann, Film Industry Representative
• Mr Peter Simpson, Creative Media Industry Representative
• Mr Rene Ferm, BA (Hons), Academic Coordinator

SAE Institute is the proud owner of the Studios 301 Group (www.studios301.com) - one of the world's leading recording studios, Qantm College (www.qantm.com) - a leading educator in games and animation and AMS Neve (www.ams-neve.com) - the leading audio and film console manufactures.