Huanui: The AI Initiative

Advancing our research excellence and its impact, enriching education, and improving how we work

Vision

To establish the University of Auckland Business School as a global leader in value-centric AI by making its research excellence and innovative education visible, connecting expertise and initiatives, and translating insights into societal impact.

Strategic priorities

Research Excellence

  • Visible portfolio
  • Global profile
  • Transdisciplinary collaboration

Engagement, Translation and Social Impact

  • Industry and community Partnerships
  • Funding
  • Inform policy makers and society

Learning and Teaching Innovation

  • Coherent AI-enabled education
  • Transformative student experience

AI-Enabled Academic Operations

  • Building AI capabilities of faculty and professional staff

Operating principles

  • Collaborative learning and scaling
  • Ethically responsible adaptation
  • Surfacing and balancing tensions

Foundations

Preserved practices
Capability, opportunity, authority, responsibility

Digital sovereignty
Local AI models, intellectual property within the university ecosystem

Value-centricity
People, their practices and the values of Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa grounding
Mātauranga Māori and Indigenous perspectives in dialogue with other ways of knowing including the Māori values: Whanaungatanga, Mahi Tahi, Kaitiakitanga and Rangatiratanga

What Huanui does: Connect, Develop, Engage

Connect: make expertise and activity visible

  • Showcase AI research and AI-enabled teaching innovation
  • Connect researchers across disciplines
  • Develop opportunities for strategic research funding

Develop: build AI capability

  • Support innovation in curricula and research
  • Connect colleagues to expertise, resources and reusable examples
  • Provide practical development opportunities

Engage: convene and partner

  • Convene a Business School AI think tank connecting researchers, business, government and communities
  • Build relationships with industry and policymakers
  • Host practitioners and public debate

How Huanui is organised: as a platform

Internal hub: connect and develop across the School

Student AI Partners: Bring student perspectives into teaching innovation. 

AI Ambassadors: Connect departments and surface local activity.

AI Champions: Help colleagues build capability and contribute to development opportunities.

External hub: engage beyond the School

AI Think Tank: Convenes researchers, business, government and communities around shared questions and outputs.

AI in Practice - Conversations on People, Purpose and AI: Podcast Interview series

AI Executives in Residence: Bring experienced professionals into the School and strengthen links to practice.