In 2026, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranked the University of Canterbury in the top 100 in the world for Sustainability, and the top 30 in the world for Environmental Education. Times Higher Education (THE) ranked the University of Canterbury in the top 101-200 universities in the world for Sustainability Impact.

UC celebrates staff who are recognised by their community for going above and beyond at Hui Whakamānawa | Celebrating Staff Success in December. The Sustainability Award winners in 2025 were:

• Associate Professor Billy Osteen and Dr Shweta Sharma, Advancing Sustainability Knowledge Award: For their design and facilitation of AKOP352: Teaching Sustainability, Justice, and the Local Curriculum, a course that helps future primary teachers apply sustainability and justice principles through real-world case studies and multimedia learning. 

•  Jacqui Kingi, Chantal Odendal, Nick Rosewarne, Phil Shaw, Brigid Stubbs and Sun Jeong, Protecting our Planet Award: For their consecutive wins in the UC Green Impact challenge and their commitment to embedding sustainability across UC through initiatives such as waste reduction, food collections, fundraising and ecological restoration.