The global Green Office Movement originated in the Netherlands, at Maastritch University in September 2010, with the vision to enable higher education sectors to be drivers for sustainability and the mission to incorporate sustainability within the higher education sector.

Green Office Toitū (GOT) was founded in December 2021 at Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus and joined the global Green Office Movement as its first Australasian member.

GOT’s goal is to promote and support both student and staff sustainability research, influence behaviour by promoting efficient energy consumption and proper waste management as well as embed sustainability into student assessment outcomes.

Green Office Toitū, as the first representative of the Green Office Movement from Aotearoa, educates, links, and encourages the staff and students of the Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus to take action on sustainability.

By empowering students, faculty, and staff to act as change agents, we hope to institutionalise sustainability in higher education and increase the accessibility of sustainability projects in the tertiary sector.

Primarily, GOT operates as a sustainability organisation operated by students for students. Some staff are involved, such as the organisation’s coordinators and staff volunteers who are passionate about embedding sustainability throughout campus life.

The students who work at GOT do so as part of their course internship. They drive GOT projects, arrange sustainability events, and serve as sustainability champions, promoting sustainable practices and driving change everywhere they go.

Our alumni have also gone on to start their own sustainability movements at their place of work. This is the lasting impact that GOT strives for, not just for students to gain awareness, but to help drive action towards a more sustainable future everywhere they go.

The students running GOT arrange events throughout each study block to encourage behaviour change and drive student engagement with sustainability aims.