News & Resources

Auckland Council, Watercare, Auckland Transport and Panuku Development Auckland have joined over sixty leading New Zealand businesses committed to addressing the issue of climate change. By joining the Climate Leaders Coalition, the council and wider council whānau have agreed to collaborative action on the coalition’s commitments.

Vector today launched a new programme to raise awareness of the need to keep trees well clear from power lines, by planting thousands more of them to launch the initiative. The Vector Urban Forest initiative means the power company will replace every tree it must cut down for network management or safety purposes, with two new natives, planted in areas that help with local ecological restoration schemes.

It was with great pride that we became signatories of the Climate Leaders’ Coalition in July of this year, joining forces with 60 other like-minded businesses from across New Zealand to work towards changing behaviours in the workplace, and everyday life, in order to reach a collective goal of reducing New Zealand’s emissions and ultimately a cleaner, greener New Zealand. But is it possible for the rest of New Zealand and the New Zealand government to take action and change a long-standing mindset? To support a low emissions economy where people still prosper? The Productivity Commission thinks so.

Initiatives and announcements made in recent weeks show how the New Zealand business community is embracing the climate change challenge. The Climate Leaders' Coalition, launched in July, is a group of chief executives and businesses committed to the measurement and reporting of their greenhouse gas emissions. The group has publicly supported the Government's zero carbon goals to set regular carbon "budgets" and establish a Climate Change Commission. This follows hard on the heels of the agri-food sector giving support to the Government's goal of New Zealand achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Gerri Ward, Sustainability Manager at Z Energy, looks at the recommendations in the Productivity Commission's report and what they might mean for New Zealand.

Toyota New Zealand is on a pathway to lowering its fleet’s emissions and preparing for a zero-carbon future as recommended by the Productivity Commission’s final report on a low emissions economy. “The actions our business has already started taking, demonstrate our commitment to action on climate change,” says Alistair Davis, the CEO of Toyota New Zealand. “We take our responsibilities to the environment seriously.”

When 60 CEOs of large New Zealand companies recently committed to a transition to a low emissions economy, some environmentalists were wary. While prepared to take the CEOs at their word, many rightly said they were keen to see evidence of the commitment.That position is understandable. These companies are responsible for more than 50% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this voluntary initiative, some may think the commercial world has appeared slow to turn around. It’s not for lack of desire. Everyone wants to be able to say they tried to leave the planet in better shape.