Universities in Aotearoa New Zealand are increasingly espousing a democratic ideology that has much in common with some social justice elements of the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals. This trend, however, also relates to the more international 'universal' characterisation proposed by Trow in 1973 in the context of university massification, that emphasised universities' role in helping societies to adapt to social and technological change, and their development from elite institutions. In exploring our democratic turn this article suggests that remnants of elite characteristics persist in our universities in the projected identity of our academics, and in our limited willingness to adapt our teaching to our changing roles. The article argues that such elitism may limit the role of university teaching in achieving social justice, and goes on to explore if future democratisation depends on the professionalisation of university teaching.