A group of twelve tertiary institutions from across Aotearoa New Zealand have been recognised for their partnership by the Green Gown Awards Australasia, with a project led by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s Director of Sustainability, Andrew Wilks.
The Tertiary Education Sector Climate Futures Group (TESCFG) has won the Powerful Partnerships category of the Green Gown Awards, which recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by the world’s higher education institutions.
TESCFG’s winning initiative was a model of four different climate scenarios and how tertiary institutes may respond to these. These were published in a report, Climate change scenarios for the Aotearoa New Zealand Tertiary education sector.
The risks investigated have four levels and associated responses. These range from a best-case scenario (Sweet As), which is a 1.5°C global warming rise with a planned social transition, where the tertiary sector plays a key role in driving social and economic change—to a worst-case scenario (Oh Bugger!) of a 3°C rise with an unplanned social response.
In the worst-case scenario, due to societal breakdown, any surviving tertiary institutions would have been sold, and the sector would be privatised.
Andrew explains, “Developing the climate scenarios was a truly collaborative effort across all the participating institutions.
“Winning this Green Gown Award is a wonderful acknowledgement of the mahi involved in getting the whole sector to come together for the challenging, but critical, first step in developing our climate adaptation plans.”
The project began with a series of workshops in 2023, with the goal of assessing how climate change will impact the tertiary education sector in New Zealand by the year 2100.
“This initiative was a global first in terms of its scale and scope and provides a model for other sectors and countries to follow. As we focused on the entire tertiary education sector, all institutions can now work to prepare for climate change using a common understanding of climate risks,” says Te Herenga Waka project sponsor Reece Moors, Director of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.
“The experience of bringing representatives from 12 institutions together to imagine possible futures was exhilarating and energising,” says Andrew.
“The climate is changing, and the effects are being felt throughout the world. The tertiary sector must continue to champion climate mitigation and a fair and just transition for our communities.
“This is one step towards it. Let’s get to work.”
The Australasian Green Gown awards were announced at the 2024 ACTS Conference in Launceston, Tasmania, with a New Zealand contingent hosted in Wellington.
The TESCFG is made up of representatives from: Te Herenga Waka, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa—Massey University, Te Pūkenga, AUT, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Lincoln University, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, University of Otago, University of Canterbury, University of Auckland, and University of Waikato.
