Currently the globally-connected world creates complexity for local decision makers. Environmental, social, organizational, and informational problems are pluralistic and messy. Systems approaches are required to reduce conflict and confusion. A key challenge is to apply holistic systems concepts to improve the lives of those served by systems of all kinds. This challenge motivated the theme for 2007's ANZSYS conference-'Systemic development: local solutions in a global environment'. This volume brings together nearly seventy papers covering the following topics: A globally-connected virtual world; Applications of creativity to systemic problem-solving; Conceptual modelling; Critical systems; Information systems; Managing systemic development; Organizational systems; Regional and environmental systems; Social systems; System dynamics; and Systems theory/systems thinking.