This Climate Business

Biochar is a much-touted but rarely used carbon-rich material derived from organic waste, great for soil health. Kind of like charcoal it's the result of slow, anaerobic burning. But it has not yet been widely tested in perennial tree or vine crops. Until now. Zespri has been trailing biochar as part of new innovation programme. This project aims to assess the impact of biochar application in kiwifruit orchards when applied with and without the addition of compost, looking at its effect on soil characteristics and fruit production, as well as the economics of application. The results will give growers increased confidence when trialling this promising product and also reinforce Zespri's leadership in sustainable farming practices.Vincent spoke to Eu Jin Cheah, Global Leader, New Values Opportunities and Bryan Parkes, Head of Innovation Acceleration, both at Zespri.See the innovation fund here: https://www.zespri.com/en-NZ/zagfund

Lee Stewart has written the book on sustainable business...No, actually, he really has! He's written the e handbook ‘How to build sustainability into your business strategy' for managers across Australasia. A Kiwi with experience in the UK, Australia and the Pacific, Lee has worked for Fujitsu and Fonterra and now heads ESG Strategies, a consulting company to corporations, and he joins me from a glorious sunny Sydney.

New Zealand was an early mover in corporate climate disclosure; these days around 200 of our largest companies publicly report on what they're doing about their emissions and the risk they're exposed to from climate change. Now the government is considering relaxing the reporting regime because, we're told, it's onerous and expensive. Victoria University's Dr Yinka Moses has studied climate reporting practices in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, and he tells Ross Inglis that cutting back on them is simply bad for business.

The industrial adhesives essential to MDF, particle board and the like are a health hazard and a $12billion business. New Zealand company Nilo has a better, kinder glue made from recycled plastics. Managing director Tim Williams tells Ross Inglis all about a sticky business.

On May 13 the best and brightest descend on Rotorua for the Sustainable Brands conference, the first time this global franchise will host a major event down under. Now in its 17th year, Sustainable Brands is a ‘community of optimists who believe in brand-led market transformation'. It takes a brave man to feel optimistic right now and perhaps even braver to run a conference. Vincent talks to SB's NZ leader Lewis Patterson.

In September 2023, a group of scientists and writers had a paper published in a niche academic journal. The paper “World scientists' warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot” might have quietly retired in a graveyard along with a thousand other important but forgotten tomes - except it didn't. At last count the paper has had 70,000 downloads and ranks in the top 1% of academic papers. In short, the paper describes how our modern human behaviour means we consume too much and waste too much. That's called overshoot - as terrible as it is, it's now new news. What's novel, is the paper's proposition that it's human behaviour - not technology, not law, not economic systems not even our values - that are the drivers: it's human behaviour. And just as our maladaptive behaviours got us here, so too can better behaviours get us out. To expand on the paper and to explain its popularity, Vincent was joined by the lead author, Joseph Merz of the Merz Foundation.Merz Institute New Paper Identifies ‘Behavioural Crisis' Driving Overshoot – Merz Institute

Just three years ago, the average price of a takeaway coffee was $4.33. Since then prices have marched north with Stats NZ officially recording the average to be $4.85 but good luck finding that in Auckland or Wellington. The reason: coffee beans. The price of the most popular bean, arabica, soared 70% in 2024 and nearly 20% so far this year to an all-time high.What's going on - is someone skimming a profit here, is it climate change? To help us through this bitter news Vincent was joined by Richard Goatly, one of the brothers from Altezano Brothers coffee roasters. https://altezanobrothers.co.nz/

How do you promote sustainability effectively? Do you sugarcoat the bad news? Or scare them with the facts? When does green marketing become greenwashing or the reverse, greenhushing? The way we talk about sustainability can make a massive difference in its adoption. Especially in this febrile atmosphere of anti-woke, techbro, climate-denying toxicity. To get some insight on how to hold our tongues better, Vincent was joined by Rebecca Styles, who leads the investigations team at Consumer NZ and Fiona Stephenson, who leads comms at the Sustainable Business Network - both of whom are speaking at the Communicating Sustainability Masterclass in March 2025.

New Zealand's newest target for reducing greenhouse gases is as little as one percent better than our previous one. Newsroom's Marc Daalder tells Ross Inglis why the target matters, why it is so modest, and what it means for business.

As New Zealanders struggle with the worst recession in 34 years, a group of economists have warned that the government's austerity programme is making it worse. One of those critics is Dr Ganesh Nana, former Productivity Commissioner and Chief Economist and Research Director at BERL, Business and Economic Research Limited. Ganesh is a regular advisor to industry and government and was part of the government's Welfare Expert Advisory Group. He's a cricket fan, numbers guy and has a passion for seeing Aotearoa New Zealand reach its full potential in all aspects, social, environmental and economic. Ganesh's concerns about our approach to managing the economy is incredibly timely. Vincent recorded this interview largely during an event at the Sustainable Business Network late last year.

With both science and storms pointing to a warming world, New Zealand food producers must prepare for climate change. But is the sector sleepwalking into disaster? How can food sector not just survive but flourish in a hothouse climate?

New and novel proteins could threaten New Zealand's traditional strengths in dairy, red meat and seafood. Predicted to be lower in emissions, lighter on water and land, cruelty-free and at industrial scale, new and novel proteins may become the first choice in a climate-constrained world. Can we adapt?

An explosion in the number of small food brands in the last 20 years hints at where New Zealand's future food opportunities exist: in global niches. New Zealand's strength in co-ops and single-desk trading gave this tiny country global clout in commodities. But with consumer demand fracturing along almost individual lines - and combined with ever-improving innovation and rapid manufacturing - can we rely on our historic strengths to flourish? Are we investing in the right skills and products to dominate the niches?

Sir Jonathan Porritt is patron of the Aotearoa Circle, the founder of Forum of the Future and a leading advocate for sustainability and climate action. He spoke to us on a hot UK morning about the future of food.

New Zealand's food and fibre industry is built on generations of selective breeding - from ryegrass and cows to kiwifruit and apples. But recent improvements in gene technologies offer a step-change in how we can create new resilient and productive varieties. Will New Zealand seize the opportunity or be left flatfooted in a race to the future?

Every two years, delegates meet at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity - a sort of nature version of the more famous climate COPs. This year, COP16, was held in Cali, Colombia, and there were high expectations following the successes at the COP15 in Montreal in 2022 which launched the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). However, despite some breakthroughs, funding and agreements fell short as negotiations were hampered by poor internet connections, conflicting agendas and shortage of time. Two steps forward, one step back. Witnessing from the sidelines was Manu Caddie, who is part of the Indigenous Caucus, representing the Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust. Manu is also a champion of indigenous IP development in pharmaceuticals and natural health.

As sea levels rise, home insurance premiums follow. A new report from the Helen Clark Foundation and engineering consultancy WSP New Zealand says it's time we sorted out how best to protect our homes. Report author Kali Mercier tells Ross Inglis what residential property insurance could look like in a time of climate change.

Vincent had the pleasure of interviewing Albert Tucker, chairman of the Karma Cola Foundation, and a leading figure in the Fairtrade movement. The interview was part of a talk he gave at a Sustainable Business Network event, so apologies for sound issues as it was a live recording. Albert is an amazing individual. He was born in Sierra Leone but fled with his family to the UK before the civil war.After graduating with an MA in Social Policy and Administration he moved into community working with Comic Relief and The Big Lottery fund. But his roots pulled him back to African and he now specialises in helping small-scale farmers to use trade to grow their communities, improve their income, and protect their environment. Vincent started by asking Albert to describe life for the cola farmers in Sierra Leone.

If 2023's Cyclone Gabrielle proved anything, it was that New Zealand is woefully exposed to the risks of climate change and has no coherent strategy for moving people and assets away from them. Sustainability consultant Kelly Flatz tells Ross Inglis that the national conversation about managed retreat is only just starting.

A new report by medical journal The Lancet shows heat-related deaths, food insecurity and the spread of infectious diseases caused by climate change have reached record levels. In our concern for its effect on economy or the environment it's easy to forget that climate change is also health crisis. To ensure it's not forgotten, more than 1000 health professionals are members of Ora Taiao; a professional body advocating for health-enhancing climate action. Vincent spoke to spokesperson Dr Jan Raymond.

You probably know Essity more what's in your house: Purex and Sorbent in your loo and Handee towels in your kitchen. You may also know that this tissue is produced in a mill in Kawerau, central North Island, across the road from the old Tasman Pulp & Paper mill. Perhaps what you didn't know is that by the end of this year, the Essity mill will have ditched gas to run almost all on renewable geothermal steam. This shift will reduce the mill's carbon footprint by 66% compared to 2009, cutting emissions equivalent to taking over 2,200 cars off the road.

Few businesses have figured out how to make Aotearoa's native bush 'pay'. Helen Paul Smith husband Scott have patiently created a health and beauty brand, Oku, entirely from native extracts and bioactives. Reinvesting the profits into regenerating Ngahere in the Waikato, Oku is an inspirational story of business done right.

In late August the wholesale energy price spiked as high as $1000 mwh (megawatt hour) as the country felt the effects of a dry winter - when the hydro lakes aren't replenished by ice melt and rain. The spike has added woes to an already woeful economy and at least one factory - Winstone Pulp International - announced closure. In response, the government announced a suite of actions, including construction of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, a review into the energy market. This comes on top of reversing the ban on oil and gas exploration. Fossil fuels come back all is forgiven! But do we need to more gas and oil? Could renewables fix the dry winter problem? And just how did we get into this mess? Vincent interviews energy expert Dr Christina Hood and Dr David Hall, a contributor to Rewiring Aotearoa.

If you think you're forgetful, spare a thought for New Zealand businesses. Mutu, a Kiwi start-up, says they routinely forget assets they bought and never used - up to five million tons of them annually.Mutu's resource-sharing app does the remembering for them and adds up the cash and carbon savings they make by using stuff they already own..

James Hughes looks into the future and tells New Zealand's councils just how bad life could get as a result of climate change. James, technical director for climate and resilience for engineering consultancy Tonkin + Taylor, performs climate risk assessments. You could call it staring into the abyss; he tells Ross Inglis it's often the starting point for difficult conversations about the impacts of global warming.

Solar developer Rānui Generation started ground works the Twin Rivers Solar Farm, near Kaitaia. The 31MWp project could power 6,000 households or 25,000 electric vehicles for a year - and it's the first of four solar farms planned around the country. To talk about the project and what role solar will play in our energy future, Vincent was joined by the CEO Jason Foden.Media releaseRanuiGeneration Electrification report

You might know Steven Moe as a lawyer for Christchurch based Parry Field, specialising in charities and the impact sector; or as the chair of Community Finance - an investor in community housing; or as the host of Seeds, a longstanding weekly podcast; or as the author of The Apple Tree, or as a mentor for Christchurch incubator Ministry of Awesome or a quietly spoken father and friend. However you know him, Steven's seems to crop up everywhere there are sustainable causes or purpose-led businesses. Vincent chats to a quiet revolutionary at work. Apple Tree Book https://theseeds.nz/books/the-apple-tree/ Seeds Podcast www.theseeds.nz Legal opinion on impact investing https://www.parryfield.com/impact-investing-information-hub/

What does ‘nature' mean for business? How do companies incorporate nature dependency and nature opportunity into their strategy and action? And what is TNFD? Vincent was joined by two experts: Sam Rowland, the Programme Manager for Nature at the Sustainable Business Network and Kirsty Brennan, the Environmental and Sustainability Business Partner at the Lyttleton Port Company.

Could congestion pricing be the way to address traffic gridlock and reduce emissions? Auckland Council seems to think so, suggesting congestion pricing within the next two years. If so, how will it work? Mark Heine is the CEO of eRoad, the Kiwi company managing electronic road user charges, or eRUCs. He sees a promising future for transport management using eRUC and shifting funds from roads to alternatives.

When it comes to aviation emissions, New Zealand is far from clean and green. Economist Dr Paul Callister tells Ross Inglis that we are the world's sixth highest per-capita aviation polluter, emissions are tracking the wrong way, and the sector's plans to cut emissions offer little real hope.

You'd be hiding under a rock if you haven't noticed that there's fierce disagreement about the growth of pine plantations on rural New Zealand. On the one hand, we need fast growing permanent forests to act as carbon sinks. Lots and lots if we're meet our net zero goals. If grown on marginal these forests make welcome additional income for farmers and reduce reliance on sheep and beef – a win for landowners, win for climate, win for New Zealand. On the other hand, we need more permanent pine forests like a hole in the head – they lack biodiversity, they're fire risks, harbour pests and are poor at creating rural jobs. Lose/lose/lose.So, which is it: win or lose?This is just the sort of trade-off that interests Geoff Simmons. Working as the chief economists of the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Geoff has been wrestling with the complexities of rural land use – what's good for farmers, what's good for communities, for biodiversity, for Māori, for the climate and for the future generations. What we do with land, the rules and policies that govern it, has huge implications for all of us. That's all captured in a new report from the Commissioner called ‘Going with the grain: Changing land uses to fit a changing landscape' He spoke to Vincent.

So businesses love parking and hate cycleways. Or do they? Bike Auckland chair Karen Hormann tells Ross Inglis about a new campaign that tackles a lopsided narrative about commerce and cycling.

We know that about a third of food is wasted. If global food waste was a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind only China and the USA. No one believes it's a good idea. So why does it keep happening? And who's in charge of this madness? It's turns out, it's no one. Those numbers are mere guesses and gaps in the system remain unsolved. Someone needs to do something. Kaitlin Dawson is making a start. Kaitlin is head of Foodwaste Champions 12.3 and is seeking a systemic solution. Iain Lees-Galloway is interim General Manager of Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance which represents 35 community organisations, who are feeding 5500 Kiwis with rescued food everyday. They join me today on the show.

There's a fast-growing thicket of regulations and trade agreements standing between corporate New Zealand and its overseas markets. This emerging landscape has been mapped out by law firm Chapman Tripp in Protecting New Zealand's Competitive Advantage, a report for the Aotearoa Circle. Co-authors Nicola Swan and Alana Lampitt told Ross Inglis what it all means for businesses big and small.

David Williams is a journalist with Newsroom. He recently interviewed Extinction Rebellion protesters, Nick Hanafin and Siana Fitzjohn who climbed aboard the oil rig COSL Prospector in the Cook Strait in 2020 and were subsequently prosecuted. The interview piqued my interest, as it got into the minds and hearts of two incredibly brave and yet, surprisingly ordinary people who were prepared to push the law and their own safety to the limit.Now, as our government throws down the welcome mat to the oil and gas industry and walks back on climate change commitments, I want to know will we see more protests and indeed is civil disobedience an effective tool in the fight against the fossil fuel industry. Read David's excellent story here https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/04/04/inside-the-minds-of-the-oil-rig-climbing-activists/

Is another plastic bottle the way to disrupt the plastic bottle business? Jayden Klinac of Anew believes so. The Anew system builds on years of trying to find a sustainable, commercially viable plant-based, recyclable, compostable, cradle-to-cradle plastic packaging solution. Brave man. Vincent spoke to Jayden ahead of his talk at the Spark Future State conference.

Two years ago Unilever Australia-NZ became a B Corp. It was the first really large corporate, with household brands Surf and Persil, to join a scheme that's been home to environmental hero brands such as EcoStore. Why did Unilever join? What did they discover in the process? And what impact has a major corporate had on such a spirited brand as B Lab? Vincent was joined by Cam Heath, MD of Unilever NZ and Andrew Davies CEO of B Lab.

Climate change activism is everywhere: in politics, in business, on the streets and, increasingly, in the courts. Simpson Grierson's Nick Chapman tells Ross Inglis what's driving the movement towards climate change litigation and just where might it take us.

Mike Casey is the CEO of Rewiring Aoteraoa, part of an international movement to accelerate the shift to a renewable, electric-powered economy. Rewiring's first report is all about the electric home - think rooftop solar, heat pumps, EVs and so on. But Mike is also a horticulturist and a passionate advocate for decarbonising the primary sector. He has the unique ability to win over both farmers and greenies, and politicians just love being seen in front of the electric tractor at his Forest Lodge Orchard - believed to be the world's-first, electrified, zero-fossil fuel cherry orchard. Mike spoke to Vincent.

Whether it's swallowing bleach to treat Covid or casting climate change as a Chinese conspiracy, disinformation takes nutty ideas from fringes and mainstreams them into our popular discourse. At best, it's hilarious - seen how windmills kill dolphins anyone? But mostly it's just sad and sometimes tragic. What is disinformation? How is it different from misinformation? Who are the main perpetrators and the victims? No one knows more about this than Byron Clark, author of ‘Fear: New Zealand's Hostile Underworld of Extremists' and Mandy Henk an advocate for healthy, just, and vibrant digital communities.Together they are offering a Climate Disinformation Night Class, consisting of eight-week, Zoom-based sessions via Tohatoha, an organisation creating a fairer digital world.

If you've wanted to get yourself a discounted bicycle or scooter under something like the UK's Cycle to Work Scheme, here's the good news: you can. Ōtautahi Christchurch-based WorkRide now offers a national ride-to-work scheme that uses a Fringe Benefit Tax exemption to slice up to 63 percent off the cost of your next commuter toy.Ross Inglis asked co-founder Connor Read how the scheme works.

The conscious consumer movement has an impact but it's still small - a minority of people choose to change their behaviour. Imagine if you could make your carbon footprint your bank's problem. Imagine these large institutions, with millions of customers and insights into their spending, worry about their customers' carbon footprint. That's the genius of new carbon disclosure laws - banks, insurances companies, airlines and other large companies must now report not only on their own footprints but their customers' too-so-called Scope 3 emissions. And someone needs to help them do that counting. Enter Cogo, formerly personal carbon footprint app, now being deployed by banks across Australia, NZ and the UK. Ben Gleisner, founder and entrepreneur joins Vincent to explain what's going on with Cogo.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed last week with a notable first: an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. Not quite the phase out most countries had wanted, and reflective perhaps of the influence of petrostates, including the host Dubai.Indeed, the chair is a head of an oil company, and the next COP is due to be held in Azerbaijan, another petrostate and much under the thumb of Russia. Is COP a swizz? Can it be trusted to restrict the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees?Rod Oram was there reporting for Newsroom. Vincent spoke to him after the event.

Heard of Scope 4? Us neither. If you thought Scope 3 emissions are hard to count and reduce then Scope 4 lifts the ambition yet again. Scope 4 or so-called avoided emissions ask businesses to create products that replace dirty ones and thereby avoid emissions – think renewables replacing gas or bioplastic replacing PETs. To explain Scope 4, Vincent spoke with Dr Jodi York the chair of the impact committee for the Climate Venture Capital Fund and the head of impact at Melbourne-based Kilara Capital. Declaration of interest : Vincent works for the Climate VC Fund. It has just published its first annual report and impact reports.

Climate-related disclosures are on their way. Auckland-based ClimateTracker has cloud-based software that eases the compliance overhead and makes sense of the data. Co-founder and data architecture heavyweight Dougal Watt backgrounds the new era of climate disclosure and tells Ross Inglis it's as much about opportunity as it is about risk.

Armed with its own IP, Hamilton-based car charging innovator Hikotron is rolling out a national network of charge points. Ross Inglis asked co-founder Stephanie Smits O'Callaghan how Hikotron tackles the chicken-or-the-egg dilemma of building a network for a small but fast-growing market, how to make sense of all those charging standards, and what on earth a hikotron is.Hikotron EV Charging - New Zealand's Electric Future

The Climate Leaders Coalition turned five years old. Its signatories, which include some of NZ's largest polluters, are a group of 88 companies that have committed to climate agenda and they've notched up some impressive achievements. Collectively they've reduced emissions by 3.6 million tonnes, that's a nearly 30% percent reduction since 2018.And, this one that I found surprising, 97% of signatories have identified and measured their scope 3 emissions. To discuss the coalition, its five-year milestone and how it sees a future under a new government, Vincent was joined by convenor Jolie Hodson, CEO of Spark, and by Mike Burrell, of the Sustainable Business Council.

Every 35 minutes solarZero installs a new residential solar system. It plans to invest $1 billion in new solar and battery systems over the next decade and already has 12,000 installations. It made headlines this time last year when it was acquired by Blackrock, the world's largest investors. And in September just gone, the government-owned NZ Green Investment Finance invested $80m alongside two other funds. In other words, solarZero is on the march. The 15 year dream of solar enthusiast Andrew Booth is now mainstream.. How does it work, why is it attracting so much capital, and how does it reconcile being owned by one of the largest coal and fossil fuel investors in the world?Vincent spoke to chief executive Matt Ward.

Ian Parry is the Environmental Fiscal Policy Expert at the International Monetary Fund. He came to speak at a series of events in New Zealand about tax. It doesn't get more exciting than that. But there's more. Ian is a specialist in carbon pricing, emission trading schemes, and the role of fiscal policy in climate mitigation. The timing couldn't be better, with New Zealand wrestling with changes to the ETS, price drops and then recovery in the carbon market, and growing skepticism about the veracity of offsetting and claims about carbon neutrality. He spoke to Vincent.

How is the Council progressing with Te Tāruke ā Tāwhiri, Auckland's Climate Plan? In the three years since it was ratified, we've had Covid, a change in council, and now a change of government. Will it survive and how much progress has been made? We check in with its architects, councillor Richard Hills, chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks committee; and Parin Rafei-Thompson, head of climate innovation and sustainability at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

Sustainability's elevation into corporate strategy suggests it's on its way to becoming integral to New Zealand businesses. But why are businesses writing sustainability strategies? What do they look like? And how often do they translate into real action?For answers, Ross Inglis talked with Vanessa Thompson from Auckland-based sustainability strategy specialists Go Well Consulting.