Climate Action category

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s Net Carbon Zero Programme is a whole-of-institution climate action programme designed to deliver the University’s commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Since its inception, the programme has been grounded not only in emissions reduction and scientific rigour, but also in a broader systems view of wellbeing guided by Indigenous knowledge and values. These principles shape both what the programme does, reducing emissions, and how it does it, through partnership, transparency and collective responsibility.

A defining feature is the adoption of a wayfinding approach, inspired by Pacific navigation traditions. This enables adaptive, evidence-based decision-making, supported by staff and student engagement and continuous reassessment of progress in challenging and uncertain times.

University of Otago

Impacts & Benefits

  • Reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 32% from a 2019 baseline by 2025, with emissions tracking below a 1.5°C-aligned pathway.
  • Delivered major structural reductions, including eliminating coal across all campuses, reducing waste emissions by 68%, and cutting staff air-travel emissions by 45%.
  • Embedded climate action into decision-making, using emissions dashboards to support more informed leadership, operational and procurement choices.
  • Strengthened climate capability across the institution, with verified emissions inventories, improved data quality and real-world datasets used in teaching and student projects.
  • Aligned climate action with Te Tiriti and mātauraka Māori, ensuring emissions reduction is connected to wellbeing, equity, guardianship and intergenerational responsibility.

 

Leadership & Engagement

  • Integrated leadership accountability, values and data, giving senior leaders and departments clear visibility of emissions impacts and responsibility for change.
  • Used a distinctive wayfinding approach, inspired by Pacific navigation traditions, to support adaptive decision-making and ongoing course correction.
  • Built partnerships beyond the University, including through the Dunedin Zero Carbon Alliance, ACTS, the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and collaboration with iwi and rūnaka.
  • Engaged staff and students across the whole institution, with involvement through governance, operations, travel choices, coursework, student projects and sustainability initiatives.

 

Wider Societal Impact

  • Created a replicable model for institutions, showing how climate action can move from ambition to practical implementation across operations, procurement and behaviour.
  • Supported regional climate action, working through the Dunedin Zero Carbon Alliance to strengthen emissions reduction and resilience beyond campus.
  • Equipped students with real-world climate skills, using verified emissions data, living lab projects and coursework to build capability for future workplaces.
  • Shared tools and learning across sectors, including food emissions methods, air travel dashboards and emissions inventory support for other institutions and organisations.
  • Demonstrated a holistic approach to climate action, grounding emissions reduction in mātauraka Māori, Te Tiriti principles, equity, cultural values and long-term responsibility.
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Top 3 learnings

  • Visibility drives behaviour change: real-time emissions data empowers decision making more effectively than policy alone.
  • Indigenous values strengthen outcomes: grounding climate action in mātauraka builds engagement, legitimacy and long-term thinking.
  • Evolve with stakeholder expectations – particularly data maturity (increasing reporting scope), targets and offsetting approach.

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Category finalists

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Climate Action category

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s Net Carbon Zero Programme is a whole-of-institution climate action programme designed to deliver the University’s commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Since its inception, the programme has been grounded not only in emissions reduction and scientific rigour, but also in a broader systems view of wellbeing guided by Indigenous knowledge and values. These principles shape both what the programme does, reducing emissions, and how it does it, through partnership, transparency and collective responsibility.

A defining feature is the adoption of a wayfinding approach, inspired by Pacific navigation traditions. This enables adaptive, evidence-based decision-making, supported by staff and student engagement and continuous reassessment of progress in challenging and uncertain times.

Top 3 learnings

  • Visibility drives behaviour change: real-time emissions data empowers decision making more effectively than policy alone.
  • Indigenous values strengthen outcomes: grounding climate action in mātauraka builds engagement, legitimacy and long-term thinking.
  • Evolve with stakeholder expectations – particularly data maturity (increasing reporting scope), targets and offsetting approach.

Impacts & Benefits

  • Reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 32% from a 2019 baseline by 2025, with emissions tracking below a 1.5°C-aligned pathway.
  • Delivered major structural reductions, including eliminating coal across all campuses, reducing waste emissions by 68%, and cutting staff air-travel emissions by 45%.
  • Embedded climate action into decision-making, using emissions dashboards to support more informed leadership, operational and procurement choices.
  • Strengthened climate capability across the institution, with verified emissions inventories, improved data quality and real-world datasets used in teaching and student projects.
  • Aligned climate action with Te Tiriti and mātauraka Māori, ensuring emissions reduction is connected to wellbeing, equity, guardianship and intergenerational responsibility.

 

Leadership & Engagement

  • Integrated leadership accountability, values and data, giving senior leaders and departments clear visibility of emissions impacts and responsibility for change.
  • Used a distinctive wayfinding approach, inspired by Pacific navigation traditions, to support adaptive decision-making and ongoing course correction.
  • Built partnerships beyond the University, including through the Dunedin Zero Carbon Alliance, ACTS, the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and collaboration with iwi and rūnaka.
  • Engaged staff and students across the whole institution, with involvement through governance, operations, travel choices, coursework, student projects and sustainability initiatives.

 

Wider Societal Impact

  • Created a replicable model for institutions, showing how climate action can move from ambition to practical implementation across operations, procurement and behaviour.
  • Supported regional climate action, working through the Dunedin Zero Carbon Alliance to strengthen emissions reduction and resilience beyond campus.
  • Equipped students with real-world climate skills, using verified emissions data, living lab projects and coursework to build capability for future workplaces.
  • Shared tools and learning across sectors, including food emissions methods, air travel dashboards and emissions inventory support for other institutions and organisations.
  • Demonstrated a holistic approach to climate action, grounding emissions reduction in mātauraka Māori, Te Tiriti principles, equity, cultural values and long-term responsibility.

Supported by

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Category finalists