Waikato Management School (WMS) Pro Vice-Chancellor Matt Bolger says the news is indicative of the excellence of the team at WMS, and in particular the exceptional quality of research being produced.

'Our academics are not only great teachers, but experts and thought-leaders in their fields, and their research is often highly cited by other researchers, which contributes to the high ranking,” says Matt.

'Year-on-year, Waikato Management School has been ranked in the top quartile internationally. This has been achieved through sustained hard work and the productivity of our team and excellent connections with business, society and other leading universities around the world.”

Matt says that Waikato has both a strong focus on student success, and a strong research culture which aims to nurture younger research staff.

'It takes a team effort - from world-leading researchers right through to those who support students to succeed in their study. We're lucky to have great people.”

WMS has the highest ratio of PhD graduates to academic staff in New Zealand, and its researchers publish more research than almost any other university in the country, second to the University of Otago.

WMS researchers are well connected internationally, and also ranked first in New Zealand for publishing research with international co-authors.

'As a result of our strong performance, the excellent teaching and research reputation of Waikato Management School is being recognised internationally. It's a fantastic result, and I'm really proud of our people and the collaborative and internationally relevant work being done here.”

The Waikato Management School was established in 1972, and celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.

'This is a great result, but there's much more to do. Our team has had nearly 50 years of making a positive impact on business and society and we're looking forward to growing that impact in years to come.”