The rankings measure how universities worldwide are performing against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs came into force in 2016 and set a 15-year agenda for all countries to end poverty, fight inequalities and build peaceful, just and sustainable societies.

Placing first overall for the second year running reaffirms the University of Auckland’s strong commitment to sustainability and making a positive social impact through its partnerships, research, teaching, operations, community engagement and knowledge transfer.

We are particularly pleased that this announcement, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly acknowledges the contributions our people are making towards health and wellbeing (SDG 3), life under water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).

The University of Auckland submitted evidence on 15 of the 17 SDGs in 2020. More comprehensive results are available on the THE website.

SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing 

• Faster recovery from cancer
• Low blood sugar levels in babies

SDG 14: Life below water

• Meet the reef whisperer
• Plastic leachate at the base of food web

SDG 15: Life on land

• Survey probes attitudes towards pest control
• The psychology of sustainable workplaces

SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals

• Working with leading research-intensive universities

Auckland Council
Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
Sustainable Business Network
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
UN Academic Impact
UN HABITAT
Universitas 21
Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)

A sincere thanks to all of those who contributed to our submission with stories, expertise, support and encouragement. 

• Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater on our approach to the SDGs
• Read more about the THE University Impact Rankings
• Read about the keywords used underlying the THE Impact Rankings
• Discover more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals