The STaR motif speaks of excellence, light, direction and to Hiwa i te rangi, the wishing star, which was used in pre-European times to help local Māori recognise their hopes, dreams and aspirations. It encourages us to hold firm to our goals and seek out opportunities, see them realised and to serve a purpose greater than ourselves. 

Our mission is to harness the power of science, engineering, surgery and research to address the global burden of surgical disease. Our interdisciplinary synergies equip us with diversity of perspectives, knowledge and determination to deliver state of the art, advances in surgical care to improve outcomes for patients with surgical diseases within Aotearoa, New Zealand and beyond.