SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

At Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University, we are uniquely equipped to address the critical needs of the land-based sectors. As the specialist university among New Zealand's eight universities, our focus allows us to prioritise applied impactful research and educational programmes directly relevant to the challenges and opportunities facing the agrifood and tourism sectors. 

At a time when society is demanding more efficient and sustainable practices, our significant contributions are advancing agriculture, agribusiness, tourism, environmental management and creation, aligning with the United Nations SDGs. 

View the latest Lincoln University Sustainability and SDG Report 2024 

Relationships to support the goals

Government 

Lincoln University continues to contribute to SDG policy both nationally and locally, particularly in the areas of climate change, food production and life on land.  

• In 2024, Lincoln University partnered with Environment Canterbury Regional Council (ECAN) to address key challenges and promote sustainable development across Canterbury. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) builds on longstanding informal relationships to build a stronger research collaboration.  The initial focus is on:
  • Impacts and mitigations of agriculture on the environment (SDGs 2, 11, 13, 15)
  • Farm economics under changing climate, legislation and market forces (SDGs 1, 2, 8, 13, 15) 
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation (SDGs 11, 13, 14, 15) 
  • Resource management planning (SDGs 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) 
  • Peri-urban planning and management (SDGs 11, 13, 15) 
  • Waterways management. (SDGs 6, 14, 25).  
• Lincoln University’s AERU 2024 Report on Situational Analysis of New Zealand’s Bioeconomy was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to inform policy decisions. New Zealand is highly dependent on its biological resources to thrive, with its biological resources contributing to around three-quarters of the country's exports. As well, New Zealand's ecosystems underpin these resources, which are fundamental for wellbeing, providing carbon sequestration, water, food and material, along with other ecosystem services. The New Zealand biological sector also contributes over half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report modelled the trade-offs arising from bioenergy demand and identified opportunities to enhance the value and outcomes derived from the bioeconomy. For New Zealand to prosper, we need to increase the economic, social, environmental and cultural outcomes from our limited biological resources and manage the trade-offs arising from increased demand [SDGs 1,2, 7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15].  The full report is publicly available here >> 
• Lincoln University is an active partner in the New Zealand government’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Fund, which aims to improve the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use and develop effective policies for mitigation and managing greenhouse gas emissions. Lincoln University is currently leading a project on future land use under a changing climate, which features modelling climate change scenarios and developing screening tools to support land use decisions. 
• Lincoln University also has a project with the Ministry of the Environment to deliver a professional development programme, providing non-agricultural students with knowledge of farm systems and the capability to work with farmers to support the implementation of freshwater reform and help clean up waterways [SDGs 14,15].
• Lincoln Agritech, Lincoln University’s development company, supplies tools, along with the design and deployment of novel sensors, to regional and central governments, as well as water users, to manage groundwater quality, nitrogen impacts, and water allocation, promoting a sustainable future for water resources. 

Cross-sectional 

Lincoln University is a member of the Sustainable Development Goals Expert Working Group, organising and supporting New Zealand's SDG summits and contributing to the New Zealand Government's SDG reporting.  

Lincoln University researchers attend and present at various SDG-focused conferences. Some examples from 2024 include:  

• The International Union of Forest Research Organizations - a non-profit, non-governmental and non-discriminatory organisation contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by Promoting a Sustainable Future of Forests and Society [SDG 13,15]. 
• 15th International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development, organised by the International Society of Environmental and Rural Development, which facilitates interaction among international, governmental, non-governmental organisations and local communities to enhance sustainable rural development through social and economic development in harmony with the natural environment [SDG 1,2, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15].
• 22nd World Congress of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST 2024) bringing together professionals, researchers, policymakers and industry leaders to drive the future of food science and technology [SDGs 2, 9].  
• 7th IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, a triennial conference bringing together the global sport and exercise medicine communities [SDG 3].  
• NZ Plant Protection Conference bringing together leading scientists, international experts, representatives from government agencies and sector and industry leaders to highlight new and emerging science and technologies needed for crop protection into the future [SDGs 2, 9, 12, 15]. 

International collaborations

Lincoln University is active in a range of international collaborations around the SDGs, focusing on climate change, sustainable agriculture, environmental management and poverty eradication. 

One of the most significant collaborations for data collection is our participation in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, which brings countries together to find ways to increase food production without increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Lincoln University is a partner in a flagship project to reduce N₂O emissions and improve greenhouse gas accounting. Quantifying the emissions from applying nitrogenous fertilisers in different situations in national inventories is a significant challenge for many countries. This project seeks to compile existing data and undertake new field measurements to develop context-specific emissions factors relating to the application of nitrogenous fertilisers for inventory improvement, including N₂O mitigation accounting. 

In 2024, Lincoln University and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant step forward in enhanced research and academic collaboration between the two institutions, with a focus on food security. The agreement outlines key initiatives, including joint research activities, the exchange of teaching and research staff, research training for Master's and Doctoral students, and active participation in joint symposiums, syntheses and other academic meetings.

Lincoln University also signed a new MOU with the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS). This programme seeks to enhance skills of professional farmers through specialised agricultural education programmes. Exchanges with Lincoln University will enable Korean students and researchers to explore innovations within New Zealand’s agrifood system designed for more sustainable food production.  

Lincoln University continues to support an international research project on Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Systems for Pacific Island Countries. Professor Rainer Hofmann is working with researchers at the University of Melbourne and The University of the South Pacific in an Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research programme.

The project is a response to climate change challenges for agriculture in the Pacific region – including rising sea levels and salinity, more severe cyclones, and increased unpredictability of rainfall. The team is testing sustainable intensification of agriculture (SI) - a farming systems change approach that includes soil health, water management, integrated pest management and conservation agriculture (minimal soil disturbance, the use of surface mulches, and crop rotation, as well as the integrated production of crops, trees, and animals). This is one of the first studies to tailor SI to Pacific conditions. Working with farmers in Samoa and Tonga, it is hoped that farmer livelihoods and food security will improve alongside the environmental benefits. 

Lincoln University hosts the New Zealand China Water Research Centre, one of three China Research Centres funded by the New Zealand government. This is an important bilateral collaboration developing solutions to mitigate water contamination, safeguard water quality, increase water use efficiency, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.  

Lincoln University’s Centre for One Biosecurity Research, Analysis and Synthesis (COBRAS) is dedicated to implementing an accelerated approach to scientific discovery, centred on synthesis, data access and collaboration, to foster a global community of more than 100 researchers and stakeholders eager to solve some of the toughest challenges underpinning biosecurity. Working with key stakeholders both nationally and internationally, COBRAS will strengthen interconnections between animal, plant and environmental health to deliver innovative strategies to prevent and mitigate future biosecurity risks in the agriculture, forestry and environment sectors.

Lincoln is also a member of the Global Challenges University Alliance, a network of university partners from around the world with a shared vision of contributing to sustainable global development. It offers a global forum for PhD students and young researchers, providing a range of learning and networking activities. 

 
NGOs 

Student volunteering is encouraged through many courses and scholarships that require students to participate in volunteer service. In November 2024, Lincoln University student volunteer group, the Handy Landys, worked with Rural Support to help farmers impacted by severe flooding in South Otago to clear flood debris from their properties.

The Handy Landys is a group dedicated to giving back to rural communities and lending a hand during hardship. Rural Support is a series of regional trusts under a national council, offering one-on-one support to farmers and growers, community connection and wellbeing initiatives, and support in preparedness, response, and recovery to adverse events.

The Lincoln University Student Volunteer Army volunteered at native seedling plantings in our local district and tree planting in the Christchurch Red Zone, a restoration project in an area abandoned after the 2011 earthquake. Ecology students assisted the Selwyn District Council restoration of the Yarrs Lagoon wet land by measuring the biodiversity for monitoring.  
  
Examples of our research on SDG-related challenges in partnership with NGOs during 2024 include:

1. The Avon River Precinct Conversation on the value of post-disaster regeneration projects
2. Orana Wildlife Trust supporting research in ecological restoration and designing for environmental education 
3. The 2nd Community Gardens Research Symposium at the School of Landscape Architecture (SOLA), Lincoln University to discuss research needs of community gardens and opportunities for academic support. 

  
As part of research undertaken in The Biological Heritage National Science Challenge | Ngā Koiora Tuku Iho, Lincoln University researcher Zach Dorner helped produce research summaries for use as education resources for urban freshwater management community groups who rely on volunteer efforts. The topics were: Enhancing public reporting of pollution, Encouraging the Installation of Rainwater Tanks in Urban Areas and Enabling greater participation in protecting and restoring freshwater biodiversity in urban areas in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Lincoln University has also worked a farmer’s co-op and the Agribusiness in Schools Programme to develop the board game Grow, which is still being used in New Zealand schools. The game is designed to teach biosecurity, soil composition, waterways, biodiversity, biological processes, animal behaviours and agricultural production and was provided for free. 

Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education 

As a specialist land-based university, sustainability is critical to all Lincoln University teaching. Lincoln University has made a public commitment to being an exemplar of sustainability. This includes our commitment to the statement: “Our distinctive, innovative and dedicated teaching will be directed toward improving the sustainability of the land-based sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.”  

Lincoln University's Sustainability Plan outlines the commitment to embedding sustainable principles in all teaching and learning activities and in graduate attributes, and to provide academic programmes that address and anticipate sustainability challenges and opportunities. The plan also outlines the University’s commitment to implementing operating models for laboratories, teaching spaces, and farms, as well as records and collections certified by external bodies, all aimed at improving sustainability. 

An example of Lincoln’s long-standing commitment to SDGs is the Future Leader Scholarship programme, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The programme is designed to support and develop students' leadership skills as they begin their tertiary studies in a Bachelor's degree programme at Lincoln University. Throughout their time studying for their degree, students contribute to both the University and the wider community, culminating in leading a project in their final year. The project must be student-led and community-focused while aligning with SDGs. Recent projects have encompassed sustainable farming, inclusive education, and mental health and wellbeing, meeting SDGs 2, 3, and 4.   

Education for SDGs specific courses on sustainability 

All Lincoln degrees and programmes include sustainability and the environment. This is core to our Science, Agriculture, Landscape Architecture, Conservation and Environmental Management, Tourism, Viticulture, Food Innovation and Agribusiness degrees. Specific degrees include Bachelor of Commerce (Sustainability), Bachelor of Sustainable Tourism, Graduate certificate and diploma in Business and Sustainability, and Master’s in Environmental Management, International Rural Development, Disaster Risk and Resilience, International Nature Conservation, Environmental Policy, and Water Resource Management.

In 2024, the Bachelor of Sustainable Tourism was launched to provide students with a unique, industry-relevant programme that addresses real-world challenges and promotes sustainable tourism practices.  
 

Education for the SDGs 

Lincoln University offers a range of educational outreach programmes through our research and demonstration farms on sustainability for farmers, industry professionals, students and the broader community. The University's research farms include two dairy farms, a small high-country run, sheep breeding and finishing units, as well as vineyards, a hops garden, a horticultural research area and a plant nursery on campus. There are also two dedicated partnerships for demonstration in the dairy sector. Each week, these farms host farm walks. Farm data is available for free online and summarised in weekly newsletters. 

The focus is on: 

• The environment  
• Animal care  
• People – workplace, community and culture  
• Farm performance and business health.  

In 2024, four demonstration focus days were held, with 345 people in attendance, including nearly 70% from the farming and rural professional sector. An additional 3,700 people outside of Lincoln University also visited the farms. 

Events included:

• Demonstrations of dairy farm systems and improved milk quality
• On-farm training in the use of platemeters to measure the quality of pasture
• Hoof health
• Trials of low nitrogen
• Irrigation training
• Animal welfare training.   

Lincoln also hosted a series of thought leadership events, expert-led debates, community forums, workshops and seminars for alumni, industry partners and the local community. The focus was on sustainability issues in the land-based sectors, including their health, current challenges, the future and the wellbeing of people. 

In 2024, 28 events were attended by nearly 2,000 people. Events included discussions on the shift to smart farming, the future of NZ’s Agricultural Workforce, the growth of the green economy, farmer wellbeing, and cultivating a sustainable future together.

Another 14 events were held through the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence – Transformative Agribusiness. These included Exploring Sustainable Diets: Environmental Impacts and Nutritional Quality, Global and Local Approaches to Climate-Resilient Land Use, and a Genetic Perspective on Beef Production Sustainability.  

The annual Kim Hill Debate provides another opportunity for the community to learn about key issues related to the SDGs and sustainability. The 28 March 2024 event was Plastic- how do we live with it? With plastic pollution devastating our oceans, this educational event looked at the challenges of reducing consumption and improving recycling, directly relevant to SDGs 11, 12, 14 and 15.