Sustainability Institution of the Year category
Tī Kōuka: A vision of a thriving future is Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s institution-wide sustainability framework, moving sustainability from aspiration into measurable action. Grounded in mātauraka Māori and shaped by the characteristics of the Tī Kōuka tree valued by Kāi Tahu Whānui, the framework provides a shared, place-based approach for embedding sustainability across governance, operations, research, education, student life and external impact.
Co-led by Toitū te Taiao and the Office of Māori Development, Tī Kōuka positions Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago as a Tiriti-led, regenerative university. It has supported major progress, including a 32% reduction in total emissions since 2019, 45% reduction in staff air travel emissions, 68% reduction in landfill emissions, and growing integration of sustainability across curriculum and research.
Through localised planning, student leadership, mātauraka Māori, operational innovation and community partnerships, Tī Kōuka demonstrates how a university can embed sustainability as a whole-of-institution responsibility and create long-term cultural, environmental and social change.
Impacts & Benefits
- Reduced total emissions by 32% since 2019, alongside a 45% reduction in staff air travel emissions and 68% reduction in landfill emissions.
- Embedded sustainability across learning, with 86% of surveyed papers contributing to one or more SDGs and 52% including significant assessed sustainability content.
- Created large-scale student engagement, including 12,350 Te Oraka visits, 3,450 transactions, 861 paid student hours and 238kg of clothing swapped in 2025.
- Advanced circular economy outcomes, diverting almost 500 tonnes of goods through Shop for Good and Drop for Good.
- Strengthened culturally grounded sustainability, integrating mātauraka Māori, Te Tiriti and regenerative thinking across institutional planning, policy and practice.
Leadership & Engagement
- Created a genuinely Tiriti-led sustainability framework, grounded in te ao Māori, mātauraka Māori and Kāi Tahu understandings of place, relationship and responsibility.
- Embedded sustainability into governance and risk, including climate risk ownership by senior leaders, University Council climate literacy and sustainability representation in Senate.
- Used localised implementation to drive ownership, with more than 400 participants in planning workshops and a 70-member implementation group across the institution.
- Built strong student leadership pathways, through Te Oraka, Tētēkura roles, the Social Impact Studio, Emerging Leaders Programme and Pūhau ana te rā: Tailwinds scholarships.
- Shared learning widely across sectors, through publications, ACTS, government networks, peer universities, podcasts, social media and open annual reporting.
Wider Societal Impact
- Demonstrated the role of a Tiriti-led anchor institution, showing how a university can strengthen communities as well as campuses.
- Built graduate capability for sustainability careers, giving students applied experience in systems thinking, collaboration, leadership, communication and real-world problem-solving.
- Strengthened partnerships beyond the University, including work with Kāi Tahu, local rūnaka, councils, schools, NGOs, government agencies and tertiary providers.
- Created transferable models for other organisations, with Otago’s approach informing sustainability strategies for NGOs, councils and a health-tech company.
- Contributed to global conversations on Indigenous-led sustainability, demonstrating how Indigenous world views can shape governance, learning, operations and institutional innovation.
Top 3 learnings
Supported by
Category finalists
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year category
Tī Kōuka: A vision of a thriving future is Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s institution-wide sustainability framework, moving sustainability from aspiration into measurable action. Grounded in mātauraka Māori and shaped by the characteristics of the Tī Kōuka tree valued by Kāi Tahu Whānui, the framework provides a shared, place-based approach for embedding sustainability across governance, operations, research, education, student life and external impact.
Co-led by Toitū te Taiao and the Office of Māori Development, Tī Kōuka positions Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago as a Tiriti-led, regenerative university. It has supported major progress, including a 32% reduction in total emissions since 2019, 45% reduction in staff air travel emissions, 68% reduction in landfill emissions, and growing integration of sustainability across curriculum and research.
Through localised planning, student leadership, mātauraka Māori, operational innovation and community partnerships, Tī Kōuka demonstrates how a university can embed sustainability as a whole-of-institution responsibility and create long-term cultural, environmental and social change.
Top 3 learnings
Impacts & Benefits
- Reduced total emissions by 32% since 2019, alongside a 45% reduction in staff air travel emissions and 68% reduction in landfill emissions.
- Embedded sustainability across learning, with 86% of surveyed papers contributing to one or more SDGs and 52% including significant assessed sustainability content.
- Created large-scale student engagement, including 12,350 Te Oraka visits, 3,450 transactions, 861 paid student hours and 238kg of clothing swapped in 2025.
- Advanced circular economy outcomes, diverting almost 500 tonnes of goods through Shop for Good and Drop for Good.
- Strengthened culturally grounded sustainability, integrating mātauraka Māori, Te Tiriti and regenerative thinking across institutional planning, policy and practice.
Leadership & Engagement
- Created a genuinely Tiriti-led sustainability framework, grounded in te ao Māori, mātauraka Māori and Kāi Tahu understandings of place, relationship and responsibility.
- Embedded sustainability into governance and risk, including climate risk ownership by senior leaders, University Council climate literacy and sustainability representation in Senate.
- Used localised implementation to drive ownership, with more than 400 participants in planning workshops and a 70-member implementation group across the institution.
- Built strong student leadership pathways, through Te Oraka, Tētēkura roles, the Social Impact Studio, Emerging Leaders Programme and Pūhau ana te rā: Tailwinds scholarships.
- Shared learning widely across sectors, through publications, ACTS, government networks, peer universities, podcasts, social media and open annual reporting.
Wider Societal Impact
- Demonstrated the role of a Tiriti-led anchor institution, showing how a university can strengthen communities as well as campuses.
- Built graduate capability for sustainability careers, giving students applied experience in systems thinking, collaboration, leadership, communication and real-world problem-solving.
- Strengthened partnerships beyond the University, including work with Kāi Tahu, local rūnaka, councils, schools, NGOs, government agencies and tertiary providers.
- Created transferable models for other organisations, with Otago’s approach informing sustainability strategies for NGOs, councils and a health-tech company.
- Contributed to global conversations on Indigenous-led sustainability, demonstrating how Indigenous world views can shape governance, learning, operations and institutional innovation.
Supported by
Category finalists
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
Sustainability Institution of the Year
