The Agenda 2030—ratified in 2015 at the United Nations (UN)—is an agenda designed to transform our world. It is based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals which, as former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explained, are a “roadmap to ending global poverty, building a life of dignity for all and leaving no one behind. It is also a clarion call to work in partnership and intensify efforts to share prosperity, empower people’s livelihoods, ensure peace and heal our planet for the benefit of this and future generations.”

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The Aotearoa New Zealand Sustainable Development Goals Summits were inspired by people wanting to collaborate across sectors to drive meaningful change for the SDGs.

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Summits have been held at the University of Victoria (2018) and the University of Auckland (co-hosted by Auckland University of Technology, 2019). The 2020-2021 Summit was co-hosted virtually by the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, Ara Institute and with support from Christchurch City Council. These have brought together people from civil society, government, the business community, and with strong manawhenua and Pacific peoples input they have helped shape a uniquely Aotearoa New Zealand response.

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In 2022 - 2023 the University of Waikato along with Waikato Tainui, the Waikato Wellbeing Project and Te Pūkenga joined forces for the 2022 - 2023 Summit Series.

The Waikato Summit series had a special focus on incorporating Māori, Indigenous and grassroots community perspectives when designing solutions to the SDGs or ‘global goals'. 

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These Summits will continue to 2030, when the Sustainable Development Goals mature.