The University of Auckland has launched the biggest ever fundraising campaign for a New Zealand university.
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It wants to raise $300 million in donations by 2020.
The university said the fundraising was aimed at helping it provide scholarships, hire top academics and fund research.
It said it had already raised half the total in gifts and pledges, including almost $24m for medicine, $9m for studies related to business and innovation, and $7m for the environment.
Vice-chancellor Stuart McCutcheon said the fundraising was aimed at helping it tackle some of the big issues facing the country, such as improving the school system and transforming the economy.
He said Auckland's last big campaign raised more than $200m and the new one has already raised more than $150m.
"The goal for this campaign is $300 million and we've stepped that up really because the resources that come in through philanthropy allow us to do some fantastic research and to bring in great students into the university, and so we're really setting our sights higher and being ambitious about what we can achieve with this support."
Professor McCutcheon said as well as asking alumni for donations, Auckland University would also approach people and organisations who believed in the work it was trying to do.