SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals :: University of Waikato

Policy Impact

Our Waikato Public Law and Policy Research Unit produces focused research on topical issues relating to the regulation of civil society, constitutional and administrative law and Indigenous governance.

Business and Industry

We maintain strong links with business and industry through our Business Advisory Board and our Engineering Industry Advisory Group which helps us to understand their needs for research and teaching.

National Organisations

We are a National Executive Member of the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education as a National Executive Member.

Partnerships for sustainability

In 2024 our International & Engagement Office became signatories of CANIE, the Climate Action Network for International Educators. This comprises of educational institutions from around the world who aim to work together and share best practice in minimising, to the extent possible, the environmental impact of international education.

We are active members of the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) group and the Te Pōkai Tara Universities New Zealand SDGs Expert Working Group.

Our work with the Waikato Wellbeing Project

We support and work closely with the team at the Waikato Wellbeing Project. This community-led initiative has set ten wellbeing targets for the Waikato region, based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A number of our staff were involved in helping to shape these targets and renowned urban ecologist, Professor Bruce Clarkson now leads the workstream for SDG 15 - Life on Land. The Project’s ultimate goal is to achieve a more environmentally sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive region by 2030 and we are honoured to be a part of it.

Bringing the SDGs to life though teaching

We have a wide range of papers and programmes that directly address sustainability and the SDGs. Our Bachelor of Environmental Planning degree includes a number of papers focused on the development of sustainable cities and mitigating the effects of climate change. The Waikato Management School also has a range of offerings looking at sustainability in the context of human resources, responsible leadership, business strategy and the economics of the environment. We also have rich offerings in geography, exploring the human dimensions of environmental change, gender and culture, disasters and development and Māori Lands and Communities.

Our global partnerships

The University of Waikato is a global university: we are connected internationally through numerous research, teaching and mobility partnerships; we deliver education offshore and we attract top international academic staff as well as international students from over 80 countries. We know that global collaboration increases the impact of our research, enhances opportunities for our staff and enriches the student experience. We are committed to fostering this collaboration through a portfolio of active and sustainable global partnerships.

A global toolbox for Indigenous business

Professor Chellie Spiller from the Waikato Management School is globally renowned for her research about Indigenous leadership in business. She is passionate about supporting Māori to create authentic and sustainable wealth and wellbeing in New Zealand and has authored several books on the topic. She currently has an important role within Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence as a researcher and theme leader.