We're engaged

“Active engagement” is measured through responding to communications, attending University events, donating to scholarships and research projects and participating in volunteering programmes – all activities that help to build an interconnected and mutually beneficial alumni community.

The number of alumni who are actively engaged has been steadily rising over the past five years, after a goal was set in 2016 to actively engage with at least half of our alumni. It was a key part of the vision for the University’s Campaign For All Our Futures.

“We asked our alumni to help us increase the contribution that our community makes to the world, by supporting us financially where they can and by engaging with us and getting involved,” says the Director of Alumni Relations and Development, Mark Bentley. “We’re delighted to have surpassed our goal, with more than 60 percent of our alumni now having engaged with us over the course of the Campaign. Thank you to all our alumni for your support; we are continuing to work hard to expand opportunities for on-going involvement.” 

Mark says the response to the inaugural Volunteer Impact Week, held in June, was particularly exciting. More than 500 alumni, staff and students donated one hour or more to projects ranging from helping in the Auckland City Mission Haeata Community Kitchen to trail building in Murrin Provincial Park in Vancouver. 

“Giving time to local projects is a wonderful way to contribute to the wider community.” 

While the largest proportion of engaged alumni are in Auckland (54,108) and elsewhere in New Zealand (9,404), there are also significant numbers in Australia (1,953), the United States (969), the United Kingdom (467), Malaysia (703), Hong Kong (619), and China (606). 

We also have engaged alumni in dozens of other countries around the world including a smattering in some less obvious places, including one each in Azerbaijan, the Cayman Islands, Estonia and Timor-Leste.