Starting with just two staff and seven students, the Waikato Management School Te Raupapa was launched in 1972 at the University of Waikato in Hamilton. Based out of a couple of prefab buildings on the side of a hill, next to a fruit orchard, it was a small but important beginning for what is now a world-class business school.

"From 1975 until today, we have had more than 24,000 students come through and graduate from the Waikato Management School," says Pro Vice-Chancellor Matt Bolger. "Those students have gone on to have wonderful careers and make an impact in business, politics and society."

Among them are Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, and distinguished alumni such as business leaders Vittoria Shortt (CEO of ASB), Theresa Gattung (CEO & entrepreneur), Olympian Rob Waddell, and My Food Bag CEO Kevin Bowler.

Over the last 50 years, Waikato Management School (WMS) has grown in size and reputation.

Today, WMS is among the top 1% of business schools in the world, with Triple Crown accreditation. Last year, it was ranked number one in New Zealand for Business and Economics in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject.

Bolger became Pro Vice-Chancellor in August 2020, and his vision is driving the direction of the business school. He's passionate about developing the next generation of business leaders, "empowering people to grow thriving businesses in a thriving society, in a thriving world".

Under Bolger's leadership, WMS launched the annual New Zealand Economics Forum in 2021, bringing together top economists, business and social leaders, and public sector officials to discuss and debate issues of the day. WMS has the highest concentration of world-class economists for any New Zealand university, with a number one ranking for economics research (average quality score) in the Performance-Based Research Fund 2018.

Now in its second year, the 2022 event focused on the challenges and opportunities brought about by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

"The world is facing incredibly complex and urgent problems," says Bolger. "Today's business graduates need to be able to work across disciplines to solve current and future problems.

"We need people who have great technical and business skills, but also people who are good at working with others and building relationships, with good communication and conceptual thinking skills."

Bolger says the founders of WMS were innovative in their approach to business education, with a philosophy that is still valued by industry and employers 50 years on. "There was a real drive to create not just another school of commerce within this region but to do management and commerce training in a different way. The founders had looked at some innovative models offshore and designed the approach to be much broader and more holistic in its focus."

This multi-disciplinary approach ensures that WMS graduates acquire a broad set of skills - across accounting, economics, social sciences, management, leadership and communication - vital for real-world business situations.

"Right from the outset, taking skills from the classroom out into the workplace was fundamental to the DNA of Waikato Management School, and we've continued that. All our students spend time interning or engaging with businesses & organisations to gain real-world experiences. This really supercharges their later careers," says Bolger.

The school's ongoing success is underpinned by the deep connections WMS has with its alumni and industry, and the excellent research and relationships it has developed across academic and global networks. And in 2022, the school launched the WMS Leadership Academy for Year 13 high school students to take even more of its world-class expertise out to a wider group of people who will go on to lead responses to global challenges.

WMS has had plenty of other highlights over the past 50 years. It was the first business school in New Zealand to offer an innovative four-year Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) degree, the first to launch a Case Competition, the first to offer a digital business qualification and a business-focused communication degree, the first to deliver business degrees in China and Vietnam, and the first to incorporate sustainability at the heart of its strategy, says Bolger.

At the end of the day, it's the people who have worked or studied at WMS who have shaped its legacy.

"It's amazing to think that such small beginnings have turned into something that has had such a big impact in the world," says Bolger.

"And it will keep going. WMS is always seeking to grow its impact and reach, so we currently have a range of excellent scholarships to assist students in starting their journey of university education."

To find out more about studying at the Waikato Management School and 50 years of success, visit www.wms50years.ac.nz