Who
Dozens of CEOs from New Zealand's leading companies have joined the Climate Leaders Coalition. As at 15 January 2019, there are 76 signatories.
13 of those signatories sit on the CE Leadership Group, which wrote the founding statement in 2017.
Air New Zealand
"Climate change is a real, pressing and complex challenge and Air New Zealand is committed to doing everything we can to reduce our climate change impact. I want to see a future New Zealand that takes action on climate change and balances the economic, social and environmental goals we have to really supercharge our success on the world stage. It’s important Kiwi companies see climate change as a critical business issue. With the power of our collective thought, we can be part of the solution for a better New Zealand for future generations."
– Christopher Luxon, CEO, AirNew Zealand.
Fonterra
"New Zealand has an enviable history of taking a leadership position when it comes to important global issues. Fonterra supports a combined and collaborative approach to helping New Zealand achieve its Paris Climate agreement, while growing productivity and output at the same time. In line with that, we have set a target of net zero emissions for our global operations by 2050, with a 30% reduction by 2030. We’ll continue to invest in solutions to help us reach these goals."
– Robert Spurway, Chief Operating Officer, Global Operations
IAG
"At IAG, our purpose is to make the world a safer place, and that’s why I’ve signed the Climate Leadership Statement along with 49 other CEOs. Climate change poses a real threat to our way of life, such as increasingly strong storms, floods and global warming, with New Zealand particularly impacted
by sea level rise.
"As sea levels rise over the next 30 years, Kiwis will be faced with some tough decisions about their way of life. It’s going to affect families, communities and all people across Aotearoa, as our landscape physically changes around our coastlines. We must work together to build resilience
and adapt to how climate change will monumentally shift the way we, as Kiwis, live. Climate change and global warming are the most important issue of our generation, so it’s time we faced it together."
– Craig Olsen, IAG, CEO
KiwiRail
"Rail, by its very nature, helps businesses hit their sustainability targets and New Zealand meet its commitment to carbon reduction. Rail freight has 66% fewer carbon emissions than heavy road freight, takes more than a million trucks off the road each year, reduces congestion in our cities, results in fewer road injuries and fatalities and saves on road maintenance costs across the country. While the transport sector accounts for 17% of New Zealand’s total carbon emissions, rail accounts for just 1% of that. However KiwiRail, like all New Zealand businesses, can do more.
"We’ve signed up to the CEO Climate Leadership Statement because we want to continue growing New Zealand’s economy in a sustainable way. We want to know that our people will be looked after, and safeguard New Zealand for future generations. And we want to be sure that, years from now, our passengers will continue to be awestruck by snow-capped mountains, glacier-fed rivers and rolling green fields. To help make that happen, we’re making changes to improve the efficiency of our operations. We’ve already invested in initiatives that have helped us reduce our carbon intensity, including our award-winning Driver Advisory System (DAS), which last year alone reduced fuel consumption by 5.7 million litres. We will continue to drive programmes to reduce waste, cut our electricity usage and further improve the fuel efficiency of our locomotive and ship fleets. We’re committed to continuing to help New Zealand move towards a low-emission future."
– Peter Reidy, KiwiRail CEO
Ngāi Tahu Holdings
"Ngāi Tahu Holdings is pleased to support this kaupapa and join like-minded organisations in working to tackle climate change.
"We know we cannot do this alone. But we are committed to this journey as we want to ensure we create an Aotearoa that future generations can be proud of. Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei – for us and our children after us.
"
– Mike Sang, Ngāi Tahu Holdings CEO
NZ Post
"NZ Post is here for the long run. We’re committed to our people and New Zealand communities and our sustainability goals are just another way of showing this."
– David Walsh, CEO, NZ Post.
Ports of Auckland
"Climate change is the issue of our time, and how we meet this challenge will define us. We can’t expect ‘The Government’ to solve the problem for us, it’s too big for that and collectively we’re all responsible for the mess we’re in. So we all have to roll our sleeves up, get stuck in and fix this.
"Businesses are in a position to show leadership and make a significant contribution to combatting climate change, so I’m very pleased to be able to join with other business leaders to work together to make a difference. The individual goals we set as businesses are important, but by coming together in partnership we can achieve much more.
"The Climate Leadership Statement sets the agenda and will, I hope, result in significant change. I look forward to working with business partners and the Ports of Auckland team to reach our own ‘Zero Emissions by 2040’ goal and to help put New Zealand’s economy on a sustainable footing."
– Tony Gibson, CEO Ports of Auckland Limited.
Spark
"As a leading home-grown digital services company, Spark sees huge opportunities for using technology to help us address climate change.
"I’m convinced some of the best solutions to a zero carbon future have probably not been thought of yet. NZ has shown time and time again we can do amazing things and lead the world and we can do the same when it comes to creating a more sustainable, carbon neutral future."
– Simon Moutter, Managing Director, Spark New Zealand.
Toyota
"As the brand which has nearly a quarter of all vehicles on New Zealand’s roads, Toyota takes its responsibilities to customers and the environment very seriously. With transport emissions accounting for nearly 20 per cent of all carbon output, we have a large influence on how New Zealand will progress to a zero-carbon economy. This will not happen quickly. The life cycle of a motor vehicle is often between 30 and 40 years, so a model Toyota starts planning now and introduces to the market in three or four years may not disappear from our roads until after 2050."
– Alistair Davis, CEO, Toyota.
Vector
"We see sustainability as a key part of the new energy future that we are pioneering. That’s why we joined other leading global businesses in making a clear commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals"
– Simon Mackenzie, Vector Group, CEO
The Warehouse Group
"The Warehouse Group has always recognised that the choices that we make today affect our future environment. That’s why we were a founding member of the NZ Sustainable Business Council and we have worked actively with the Council since 1999. At the heart of our environmental leadership is a deep commitment to operating a sustainable business.
"As New Zealand’s largest listed retailer, we understand that environmental stewardship matters to people. We have some big goals to push our environmental agenda forward and we are proud of the progress we are making.
" One of our major goals as a Group is reducing our carbon emissions. We have measured our carbon footprint since 2010 and we have a target to achieve a 32% reduction by 2030."
– Nick Grayston, The Warehouse Group, CEO
Westpac
"When businesses unite around a central goal, it creates real momentum to change. One of the things that binds all of our organisations together is a love for our country and a desire to make it a great place to live - for us and for future generations. By working together on a future that is focussed on low emissions, and sustainable innovation and practices, we can all play our part towards improving the country’s prosperity and to continuing to make it a desirable place to live.
"Westpac wants to encourage other businesses to think about and plan for climate change now, not only from a risk perspective, but also for the growth opportunities it presents to many parts of the economy. Smart companies should start focusing on those opportunities as part of their business strategy.
"[I would like] To see cross-party support of a Zero Carbon Bill and the establishment of an independent Climate Change Commission."
– David McLean, Westpac, CEO
Z Energy
"I'm committed to our work on bringing digital, innovation, and productivity together to create a great customer experience while we contribute to the big things New Zealand needs to deal with, like climate change."
– Mike Bennetts, Z Energy, CEO
