In 2006, a working party was established by the university to address concerns some students were failing because of inadequate literacy.
A report was submitted to the undergraduate and graduate boards of studies in 2008.
Both boards agreed all students should have access to literacy support and an implementation group should be established.
The implementation group researched screening tests, determining which students should be tested, and established costs.
However, its investigations revealed the need for further research into an appropriate test, as none appeared to be available.
A research subcommittee was then established to find or develop such an assessment and set up a research unit to carry out the task.
This group received $52,000 from the university council earlier this week.
It recommended screening tests be made available to all students on a voluntary basis at the start of students' studies.
Screening for undergraduates would include a reading comprehension test, and for postgraduates, a writing test.
It was also recommended a literacy advisory group be established to oversee support provided within divisions and departments, including the International Office, the Maori Centre, the Pacific Islands Centre, Disabilities Support and the Student Learning Centre.
Director of academic services John Price said there were various reasons why students performed poorly at university and poor English literacy skills were only one factor.
Prospective students were required to have a National Certificate in Educational Achievement at level three or higher, which included reading and writing credits.
However, any person over the age of 20 could get special admission without any educational vetting.
At this stage, the only formal mechanism for identifying at-risk undergraduate students was the academic progress policy, which applied to students with a 50% failure rate after year one.
However, there was no way to determine if literacy contributed to the failure until after a second unsuccessful year.
At present, students either accepted they had literacy difficulties and sought help or were identified by members of staff as having problems.
The university offered formal and informal assistance to such students, but the numbers involved were not readily available, Mr Price said.
Assistance included courses and one-on-one tutoring provided by the Student Learning Centre and papers offered by the Department of English and Linguistics.
Skills such as note-taking and essay-writing were often targeted, but specific language difficulties could also be addressed.
"One of the objectives of the work of the literacy implementation group is to produce more concrete data on the numbers of students involved, the types of difficulties they have and the best ways of providing them with assistance," Mr Price said.
