Kim throws herself passionately into promoting our planet’s wellbeing and to improve and enrich the lives of the wider community. Early on in her current role, Kim presented key components of the AUT Sustainability Roadmap to 2025 and the Vice-Chancellor’s Taskforce for Sustainability to her department. The programme director and manager were so compelled by her passion and dedication to these issues, and, acknowledging their inherent importance within greater the AUT community, asked Kim to incorporate sustainability presentations into all student orientations from that point forward. Kim now addresses hundreds of students at multiple orientation events every year. She has introduced sustainable initiatives where they did not previously exist, from bottom-up greening actions like the elimination of single-use kitchen items and upskilling colleagues about recycling and composting for collective impact.

Kim also organises activities for the enjoyment and personal enrichment for the wider university staff – workplace workouts to encourage movement, stretching, and general wellbeing; nature-themed photo competitions; multi-cultural shared meals; trivia nights, and other social events.  Kim has spearheaded numerous drives for clothing, household items, school supplies, and other donations for the benefit of refugee centres, women’s refuges, homeless shelters. In lieu of wrapping and shipping commercial gifts for birthdays and holidays, Kim makes donations to sustainable charities on behalf of family and friends and leads by example by encouraging others to do the same.