The Australia & New Zealand (AUSNZ) region is a very active PRME Signatory base comprising a group of schools that are not only active within the global PRME network, but also actively engaged in pushing the agenda for responsible management education forward with a range of innovative approaches to support the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The AUSNZ representation began with the initiation of the PRME in New York in 2008 with two business schools’ attendance and commitment to PRME signatory - LaTrobe (Victoria) and Griffith (Queensland). Since 2008 both of these business schools have promoted the PRME by being involved in the PRME global forums, being members of key advisory groups for the PRME Champions structures, developing international collaborations with other PRME business schools and promoting the PRME both domestically and internationally through conferences, events and speaking engagements.

The PRME Chapter Australia/New Zealand was endorsed as an Emerging Chapter by participants at the 2nd PRME Australia/New Zealand Forum, hosted by Griffith Business School (Australia) in 2012. We transitioned to an established Chapter in 2017 with a strong network signing the Memorandum of Understanding at the 5th AUSNZ PRME Forum held at Deakin University, Melbourne.

Our annual forums have always proved to be a time for celebration, sharing, learning and networking with event themes that enable rich discussions. From ‘inspire, motivate, engage & act (IMEA)’ in 2017, ‘Beyond Business as Usual’ in 2018 and ‘Students as Partners’ in 2019, we always strive for inclusivity with attendance from students and industry partners. Currently the AUSNZ Chapter Chair, Dr Belinda Gibbons, sits on the UNPRME Board acknowledging the key role our Chapter has played in responsible management education.

The Australian New Zealand Chapter has grown in 2020 to a network of 29 Australian and 5 New Zealand Higher Education Institutions. It is worth noting that 73% of all Australian universities and 63% of all New Zealand universities are PRME signatories. Enabling university graduates to become effective citizens and active change agents is a key driver of this region’s higher education sector. The recognition that business schools play a major role in cross-sector collaboration to ensure we leave our world in a better place than what we found it drives our regions’ PRME passions and amplifies our commitment to responsible management education and values of sustainability and global responsibility.

Students studying in Australia and New Zealand come from across the globe. Large numbers of diverse cultures offer us rich exploration for teaching and learning but also numerous challenges in the way to tackle all 17 SDGs in the curriculum, research and partnerships. The PRME AUSNZ Chapter comes together as a community to share knowledge and ways. In the following section, we summarise some of these key collaborative efforts and partnerships at the local, national and international level.

Main activities of the Chapter include:

• Strengthening the responsible management education and PRME participation in the region
• Creating a survey to involve Deans in PRME
• Monthly calls and use of social platform for communication between members of the Chapter

For more information, please contact:

Dr Rob Hales, Co-Chair Australia & New Zealand Chapter. Griffith Business School, Griffith University. Contact r.hales@griffith.edu.au

Dr Jackie King, Co-Chair Australia & New Zealand Chapter. Faculty of Business and Economics and Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. Contact jackie.king@unimelb.edu.au

Contact Chapter email: Chapter_AUSNZ@unprme.org