How your organisation can partner with the AUT Business School
There are many ways your organisation can partner with the AUT Business School – from guest lectures, applied business projects, mentoring, Shadow a Leader, short-term work experience, student club partnerships, scholarships and awards, advisory boards and committees, research collaborations, and bespoke collaborations to better the outcomes for our partners and AUT.
Connect with AUT Business School students
There are lots of ways you can connect with our students.
Workplace experience is an essential part of our Bachelor of Business and ensures that our students are ready to hit the deck running in their chosen careers.
Provide students with a real-life business case and share an issue your industry is facing through our postgraduate applied business projects.
Applied projects for postgraduate business students
Our Shadow a Leader student-industry experience week is a great opportunity to connect with our students. Shadow a Leader allows a student to follow an industry leader for a day to understand what it takes to succeed in the leader’s field of endeavour.
There are many ways students and industry are connected. Industry can get involved by providing scholarships, mentoring or presenting to students, sponsoring a student club or a student award, exhibiting at a career fair, promoting initiatives via our student channels, or hosting a student as a representative on your organisation's board.
- Recruit a student or graduate: find AUT talent for your business
- Take part in employer events and promote your business on campus
- Share your expertise and experience with student clubs
More ways to connect with students
- Sponsor student initiatives or provide scholarships and awards
- Guest lecture in your area of expertise
- Attend events and network with industry peers and subject experts
- Mentor students through our final-year marketing pitch projects
Get in touch if you’re interested in these other ways to connect with our students.
Our students proactively self-manage business clubs and societies. The clubs represent the interests of AUT's business students and enhance their experience of business. Clubs organise speaker events featuring local and global business leaders, arrange site visits to organisations and work to build the soft skills needed for after university.
We invite you to get involved. Your contribution will prepare our student club members for real-world expectations, and your support will act as a catalyst for their career advancement once they've graduated. By engaging with club executive members, you can also enjoy the stimulating company of some very bright and motivated young people.
Collaborate with us: local and global connections
AUT Business School has a strong community of local and international supporters, with alumni based across the globe, the Business School positions itself to launch its students into the best opportunities, no matter the distance.
The AUT Business School connects with industry, community and our alumni through various initiatives, in various ways. Our industry advisory board and international alumni reference group keep us relevant and connected by informing us on current trends and providing advice on strategy and initiatives.
Our industry advisory board and international alumni reference group
Our researchers are recognised experts in their field who work in multidisciplinary teams on key research programmes that address important societal challenges and complex issues. Our research centres and groups conduct interdisciplinary research in collaboration with business, the professions, government and the wider community. We are proud of our strong links and are always looking for new opportunities to partner with industry, communities and alumni.
AUT Business School aligns with social-impact and community organisations to enhance the relevance of our education offerings and work toward our goals of diversity and inclusion, Māori and Pacific development, and employability for all.
AUT Business School collaborates and supports several social enterprises:
- Global Women promotes gender equality in the workplace. Our Dean is a member of this invitation-only initiative.
- Champions for Change is an invitation-only group of 56 leading CEOs and Chairs from the public and private sector. The Business School was a foundation partner and has attained thought- leadership status.
- Tupu Toa is a paid internship programme creating career pathways for Māori and Pacific students. Tupu Toa has access to complimentary facilities and venue spaces at AUT campuses and the AUT Business School, to better collaborate on student initiatives and to maximise connections with investment partners.
- The 21C Skills Lab aligns with employers, government agencies, schools and tertiary institutions to make sure key workplace abilities are understood, taught, assessed and developed. Through the Lab the Business School has access to local and global thought-leaders from education, business, and government.
- The Centre for Social Impact works with major funders and community partners to support social change initiatives. We worked with the Centre for Social Impact to redesign the Bachelor of Business degree, to weave social impact into our curriculum. The CEO of the Centre for Social Impact is a member of our Industry Advisory Board.
- Sustainable Business Network (SBN) enables system change in the areas of climate, waste and water. AUT gives SBN free use of venues to host events and activities, helping to support their connection with industry and young people.
- The Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) is an experiential programme where secondary school students set up and run a real business. The Young Enterprise Scheme has access to complimentary facilities and venue spaces at AUT campuses and the AUT Business School. AUT Business School supports the programme to enhance the secondary school student experience and provides mentors and judges.
Who we partner with
The AUT Business School engages with external relationships locally and globally in many ways to create good outcomes for our partners and AUT.









Contact us
If you're interested in engaging with our students or staff at the AUT Business School, contact:
Melanie Barr
Director Student, Business and Community Partnerships
Email: melanie.barr@aut.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 921 9999 ext 9336
Nirisha Niranjan
Partnerships Manager
Email: nirisha.niranjan@aut.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 921 9999 ext 5809
Mobile: +64 21 07 00 901
Katie Redwood
Partnerships Coordinator
Email: katie.redwood@aut.ac.nz
Phone: 64 9 921 9999 ext 32496