The world is complex and increasingly interconnected, yet public discourse is often characterised by simplifying and polarised narratives which create groups of ‘us’ and ‘them’.  The world hosts a plurality and diversity of values, voices, perspectives and traditions.  Yet the ‘global’ in the dominant discourses of global citizenship often represents particular values rather than any universal human interest.  We see engagement with complex realities and different perspectives as essential for fostering global citizens.

This strand articulates a commitment to creating spaces – both virtual and physical, with functioning routines and practices – for dialogue, debate and collaboration across disciplinary, cultural and political boundaries; and for critical engagement with the local/global dimensions of our own assumptions and the roles of our universities in ‘partnering for a better world’.  We recognise that our universities may lack such spaces, and need to investigate and experiment with the principles, structures, methods and routines needed to create them.  The Matariki Network should seek collaborative possibilities, both within and between member universities, around creating such dialogue and spaces.