Shows
This Climate BusinessThe Next Wave - Dr Kate Prendergast and James GriffinWhat does it take to build a globally significant clean tech or sustainability innovation from New Zealand? To answer that, you’d be best to talk those already doing it right? That’s exactly what the Next Wave report has done. It talked to 44 leaders of breakthrough innovations to establish the barriers, the rewards and the opportunities for more innovation in cleantech, climate tech, nature and community. And we need it, with climate and nature under threat like never before. How do we accelerate the solutions? Vincent is joined by the co-authors of the Next Wave, James Griffin from the...2025-07-1524 minThis Climate BusinessA new biodiversity credit - Sean Weaver and Helen HughesIn June, the government announced nine pilots to trial a voluntary nature credits scheme - the closest so far to a biodiversity credit. Led by Act MP and Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard, the government says it wants to establish ‘a market that is durable, measurable and transparent to help farmers, landowners, iwi, and conservation groups unlock new income streams for looking after nature on their land.’ One of the nine is the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Biodiversity Credit project an international trade-ready biodiversity credits scheme developed by advisory firm Ekos. It launched officially launch on 24th of June...2025-06-2643 minThis Climate BusinessWhy is Zespri trialling biochar?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 gro...2025-05-2330 minThis Climate BusinessThe ROI on sustainable business - Lewis Patterson, Sustainable BrandsOn 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. 2025-04-0124 minThis Climate BusinessOh, behave! The real reason for overshoot - Joseph MerzIn 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...2025-03-1835 minThis Climate BusinessCoffee prices and climate - Richard Goatley, Altezano BrothersJust 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. 2025-03-0529 minThis Climate BusinessGreenwash v Greenhush - Rebecca Styles and Fiona StephensonHow 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...2025-02-2027 minThis Climate BusinessA better economic model - Ganesh Nana, former Productivity CommissionerAs 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...2025-01-2333 minThis Climate BusinessA fair trade in Cola - Albert Tucker, Karma Cola FoundationVincent 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 p...2024-11-2032 minThis Climate BusinessClimate is a Health Issue too - Dr Jan Raymond, Ora TaiaoA 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.2024-11-0332 min
SeedsVincent Heeringa on the Climate, Sustainability, Journalism and writing a sci-fi novelI recently sat down with Vincent Heeringa to talk about his career and life - we covered his early years and career as a journalist as well as his podcast 'This Climate Business' and many other initiatives including his sci fi book! I really enjoyed the conversation and if you do as well then why not check out more episodes at www.theseeds.nz and also subscribe to Vincent's podcast. Also check out the last episode on Seeds which is the interview he did with me! This Climate Business: This Climate Business - Vincent Heeringa - P...2024-09-2757 minThis Climate BusinessWill more oil and gas lower energy costs? Christina Hood and David HallIn 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 fue...2024-09-1930 min
Seeds'This Climate Business' Interview: Purpose led business, a conversation with Vincent HeeringaI was on Vincent Heeringa's podcast "This Climate Business" recently and this is the audio from that. If you like Seeds you might like to subscribe to his show too. Here is how Vincent described the episode: "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 Aw...2024-09-0931 minThis Climate BusinessSunny Days for Solar - Jason Foden, Rānui GenerationSolar 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 report2024-08-3041 minThis Climate BusinessSteven Moe, purpose-driven lawyer and quiet revolutionaryYou 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://the...2024-08-0931 minThis Climate BusinessThe Business of Nature - Sam Rowland and Kirsty BrennanWhat 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.2024-07-2929 minThis Climate BusinessWhat’s land for anyway? Geoff Simmons chief economist, Parliamentary Commissioner for the EnvironmentYou’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 bi...2024-06-1932 minThis Climate BusinessDisrupting the bottle business – Jayden Klinac, AnewIs 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. 2024-05-0132 minThis Climate BusinessUnilever as B Corp - Why and what’s changed?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.2024-04-1738 minThis Climate BusinessElectric Homes - Mike Casey, Rewiring AotearoaMike 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 spok...2024-03-2746 minThis Climate BusinessHow to change carbon behaviour, big time - Ben Gleisner, CogoThe 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...2024-02-2133 minThis Climate BusinessCopping flak: Rod Oram at COP28The 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...2023-12-2131 minThis Climate BusinessScope 4 and the new reporting - Dr Jodi York, Climate VC Fund, Kilara CapitalHeard 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 an...2023-12-1118 minThis Climate BusinessClimate Leaders Coalition turns five – Jolie Hodson of Spark and Mike Burrell, SBCThe 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 Bur...2023-11-2723 minThis Climate BusinessWhat’s behind the sunny spell in solar power? Matt Ward, solarZeroEvery 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 ow...2023-11-1645 minThis Climate BusinessAround the world in an ETS – Ian Parry, IMFIan 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. 2023-11-0620 minThis Climate BusinessNZ’s Biggest ever Windfarm - Giacomo Caleffi, Taranaki Offshore PartnershipIn June this year, a new piece of equipment was anchored 37km off the coast of Pātea in the South Taranaki Bight. Called the Floating Light Detecting and Ranging device, FLiDAR will measure wind speeds at heights of up to 300m as a well as waves and currents to provide data critical for assessing the feasibility of a proposed offshore wind farm. The Taranaki Offshore Partnership, if successful, will be the largest windfarm in NZ, producing 1GW or 10% of the country’s needs. That’s about the same as one large hydroelectric scheme. TOP is a Joint...2023-10-1831 minThis Climate BusinessFarming indoors - Darryn Keiller, Way BeyondThe future of farming may be indoors. With eroding coastlines, droughts and unpredictable downpours, farming may be better done in controlled, indoor environments. Better for GHGs emissions too. We know that’s already happening for tomatoes and leafy greens – but what about large scale crops like wheat or fruits or sheep and dairy? Darryn Keiller is the founder of Way Beyond, a company specialising in data and management of such indoor farms – and he joined Vincent. 2023-10-0934 minThis Climate BusinessThis Climate Business - Live! James Shaw, Sophie Handford, Alec TangHow does change happen? And what can we learn from political and community leaders? Vincent hosted a live event during the Auckland Climate Festival to learn how three experienced climate leaders crossed the chasm from intention to action: ● Sophie Hansford - School Strike 4 Climate founder and Kapiti Coast District Councillor ● James Shaw - Minister of Climate Change● Alec Tang, partner Sustainable Value, KPMG2023-10-0358 minThis Climate BusinessClimate Investing: Panel Discussion from Auckland Climate FestivalWhat does climate change mean for investing - is it a disaster, creating havoc due to storms and ecosystem collapse and ultimately stranded assets? Or is there an upside, as companies discover new tech, new markets and new ways of working? It's probably both! Vincent spoke with Shannen Barns (Mindful Money), Rohan MacMahon (Climate VC Fund) and Darcy Unago (NZ Everyday Investor) for a seminar during this month’s Auckland Climate Festival.2023-09-2547 minThis Climate BusinessBrianne West: from shampoo to fizzy drinks with no water (not much anyways)In Aotearoa New Zealand, we throw away a staggering 97 million single-use plastic drinks containers each year, with less than 7% of those ever getting recycled. Seems dumb especially when most of that drink is water. Brianne West is the founder of Ethique, the eco-beauty products business that took water out of cosmetics and saved millions of tons of plastic, water and emissions in the process. Ethique exports to more than 20 countries and was sold in 2020. Brianne is turning that success in beauty to fizzy drinks - called Incrediballs - and she joins Vincent. We have a climate policy pr...2023-08-2343 minThis Climate BusinessInvesting in the transition - Jason Patrick, NZ Green Investment FinanceBack in May, the government injected another $300m into NZ Green Investment Finance – or NZGIF – taking the green bank’s investment pool to $700m. Starting in 2019 the bank has committed about $300m in 16 transactions to-date. Given the scale of the transition, why is it such a small sum and why is it taking so long to spend it? What impact is it having on emissions reductions? And will the bank survive a potential change of government? To answer this and more Vincent was joined by chief officer manager Jason Patrick.2023-07-2431 minThis Climate BusinessThe trouble with food - Emily King, author of Re-foodEmily King is the author of Re-food, a challenge to reimagine and reconstruct the food system in Aotearoa. It’s a timely book, with farmers and growers hit by extreme weather, food prices at record highs and a predominance of highly processed food at the expense of ingredients and wholefoods. But what is Re-fooding and how do we know Emily’s cure will be better than the disease? She spoke to Vincent.2023-07-1841 minThis Climate BusinessGetting rid of cling film: Jon Reed, ComposticYou will know about cling film. Perhaps you wrapped your lunch in it this morning. Or you’ve seen swaths of it used to wrap suitcases at the airport. It’s ubiquitous and it’s pernicious. Jon Reed certainly thinks so and has created Compostic, a plant-based alternative that as the label says decomposes faster than an orange peel. He was joined by Vincent Heeringa.2023-06-0430 minThis Climate BusinessComvita - David BanfieldComvita is a publicly listed mānuka honey specialist – the OG of mānuka money if you like. For a moment it was a sharemarket darling peaking in 2015 but since then languishing as it posted losses and a stockpile of product it couldn’t shift. Enter David Banfield in 2020. A spectacular financial result in February this year signal perhaps a reversal in fortunes. With success in China and the USA, the company has posted record sales and profitability. It’s also written a bold sustainabilityplan called Harmony promising to be climate and sustainability leader. Vincent was joined b...2023-05-2839 minThis Climate BusinessA decade of B-Corp. Now what? Qiulae Wong, NZ manager of B LabIt's 10 years since the first companies were certified as B-Corp in New Zealand and since then the movement of ethical and environmentally responsible businesses has grown to over 500 in NZ and Australia and more than 6000 worldwide. But growing pains are emerging as the movement shifts from cutting-edge to mainstream. Last year a group of 30 B-Corps were horrified when Nespresso was certified despite, as they say, ‘Nespresso’s abysmal track record on human rights from child labour and wage theft to abuse of factory workers’. Can any company be certified as B-Corp? Can the movement maintain its standards? Qiulae Wong...2023-03-1721 minThis Climate BusinessHow food growers can think about climate change: Brent ClothierIf the rain that deluged the North Island is the ‘new normal’, how are hard-hit growersmeant to think about the future – and growing anything in the ‘normal’ way?Vincent Heeringa spoke to Brent Clothier, chief scientist with Plant &Food, about four ways to think about growing food in a warmer and (ironically)drier New Zealand.Note: this was recorded before Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Hawkes bay and Tairawhiti.2023-03-0215 minThis Climate BusinessMaking sense of Auckland’s floods – Kevin Trenberth, Climate ScientistHow can we make sense of the Biblical deluge that soaked Auckland, Northland, and the Coromandel in late January – and by the time this is being recorded is about to happen again. If only there was an articulate, slow-talking climate scientist who could explain what hell just happened. Oh, wait! Vincent just spoke with Kevin Trenberth a Distinguished Scholar at the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder Colorado and an Honorary Academic in the Department of Physics, Auckland University. Kevin is a kiwi who left New Zealand, to obtain his doctorate in meteorology in 1972 from th...2023-02-2033 minThis Climate BusinessWhat’s in store for 2023? Investment with Rohan MacMahonPart Three: Rohan MacMahon on investment and technology Is 2023 the year that New Zealand seizes the nettle on climate action? Or is it another year of incrementalism? And what effect will the election, with a potential change of government, have on the direction and speed of climate policy? To shed some light Vincent dusted off the crystal ball and spoke to three experts about the year ahead: Marc Daalder Newsroom’s climate reporter; Dr Victoria Hatton, director of sustainability and climate change at PWC; Rohan MacMahon, partner at the Climate Venture Capital Fund. 2023-02-0616 minThis Climate BusinessWhat’s in store for 2023? Corporate strategy with Dr Victoria HattonPart two: Victoria Hatton on corporate strategy Is 2023 the year that New Zealand seizes the nettle on climate action? Or is it another year of incrementalism? And what effect will the election, with a potential change of government, have on the direction and speed of climate policy? To shed some light Vincent dusted off the crystal ball and spoke to three experts about the year ahead: Marc Daalder Newsroom’s climate reporter; Dr Victoria Hatton, director of sustainability and climate change at PWC; Rohan MacMahon, partner at the Climate Venture Capital Fund. 2023-02-0316 minThis Climate BusinessWhat’s in store for 2023? Climate politics with Marc DaalderPart One: Marc Daalder starts with the year ahead in politics.Is 2023 the year that New Zealand seizes the nettle on climate action? Or is it another year of incrementalism? And what effect will the election, with a potential change of government, have on the direction and speed of climate policy? To shed some light Vincent dusted off the crystal ball and spoke to three experts about the year ahead: Marc Daalder Newsroom’s climate reporter; Dr Victoria Hatton, director of sustainability and climate change at PWC; Rohan MacMahon, partner at the Climate Venture Capital Fund.2023-02-0112 minThis Climate BusinessFollow the climate money – Climate VC FundRohan MacMahon and Jez Weston are co-founders of the Climate VC Fund – a fund that invest in emission reductions technologies in NZ and Australia. They were on the show to announce their ambitions but a year on, what’s happened? Did they raise the money require? Have they invested in anything? What new tech or ideas are on their radar? And what’s the state of change? Full dsiclousre Vincent is an investor and a contractor to the fund. www.Climatevcfund.com2022-10-2549 minThis Climate BusinessSuper Clean, Super Green – Cleanery’s Mark and Ellie SorensonIn 1993, school boy Mark Sorenson got 20/20 for an essay about the dangers of plastic packaging. 29 years later Mark and his business partner and wife, Ellie, have established Cleanery, a kiwi start-up that’s attracted millions in venture capital and now has products ranged across NZ and Australian supermarkets.Cleanery removes the water and the plastic bottle from household cleaners, offeringinstead a sachet of cleaning powder. Simply tip the powder into any bottle, add warm water, and presto, you’ve got the beginnings of a sparkling clean bathroom or kitchen. Declaration of interest: Vince...2022-10-1047 minThis Climate BusinessWhy, what and who of Auckland Climate Festival - Michelle KennedyMichelle Kennedy is the co-founder of the Auckland Climate Festival, a celebration of all things climate change, ranging from bike tours to investor meetings, beach clean-up, a transport tech conference, film screenings, and the O Tatou Ngahere native trees conference – and so much more. Michelle speaks to Vincent about why she started the festival and how it’s going in the second year.https://aucklandclimatefestival.co.nz/2022-09-3031 minThis Climate BusinessGoing nuts for bananas: Simon Coley of All Good and Karma DrinksSimon Coley is the co-founder of All Good Organics, the pioneering importer of ethical bananas, and also of Karma Drinks, famous for its Karma Cola.Karma just celebrated 10 years, a notable achievement for any brand, but especially noteworthy because 1% of total revenues goes back to the Karma Foundation, which funds health and development in Boma, Sierra Leone, the source of the Karma cola nut. All Good Bananas also operates in an unethical industry and tries to return as much as possible to growers in Ecuador. Vincent talks with Simon about the journey to the triple...2022-09-2537 minThis Climate BusinessClimate and Business Conference: Mike Burrell, Sustainable Business CouncilNext week sees the return of the Climate and Business conference, New Zealand’s most important get-together for government, business, and community leaders about climate policy and action.This Climate Business is pleased to be invited to the conference and to talk about it - Vincent was joined by Mike Burrell, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council. There are still online tickets available: https://tcc.eventsair.com/ccbc/Visit the conference website here: Climate Change & Business Conference - Sustainable Business Network2022-09-1416 minThis Climate BusinessFacing the food challenge: Peter Wren-Hilton, 2035 Oceania Summit 2035 Oceania Summit is an ambitious event combining the food, agriculture, and tech sectors to address the impact of climate change on food. Held in Auckland 10-11 Octoberthe summit will feature delegations from the US, Australia, and the Pacific Islands and includes a keynote address from Karen Ross, the secretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.Peter Wren-Hilton is the convenor and key driver behind this event and the co-founder of Agritech NZ. Vincent asked Peter how tech is addressing the key challenges of climate change. Declaration: Vincent is part of th...2022-09-1225 minThis Climate BusinessPotatoes to the Rescue! Hamish Dodd about his Plastic AlternativeWe are drowning in plastics, in our soil, our oceans, our foodchain, and recently discovered as nanoparticles in our gut. Mmmmm nanoplastics.The government banned single-use plastics in 2019, and is phasing outhard-to-recycle plastics such as meat and vegetable packaging later this year,but what to replace them with? Well, Earthpac is a New Zealand business turningto the humble spud for a solution. It’s a potato starch tray that can be frozenand microwave composted, and it's free from nasty toxins. Well, that sounds...2022-06-0624 minThis Climate BusinessCarbon Farming on Māori Land - Blair Jamieson, Tāmata HauhāSo much farmland – a million hectares according to one estimate – is mostly unfarmable because its erosion-prone, too steep, or inaccessible. In decades past that land might be destinated for forestry or just abandoned to return to scrub. Either way, the return on investment was poor. But now, thanks to the Emissions Trading Scheme, some of that land is destined to become permanent forest, with emission credits earned by the landowner. This so-called carbon-farming could be a lifesaver for some though it’s a worry for others, who point out that these permanent forests are always exotic trees, especi...2022-04-2048 minThis Climate BusinessHow to sell climate change: Jo Bye, EECAMost of the population accepts that climate change is real. Most want to do something about it. But what shall we ask them to do? And what’s the best way to elicit a response? Recently the EECA, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, released an updated version of their survey into attitudes towards climate change. The results show that who you are, where you live, and what you earn dictate what you believe and how much you’re prepared to do support climate action. Vincent is joined by Jo Bye, GM of marketing and communications at EECA...2022-04-1136 minThis Climate BusinessA Circular Economy Turnaround Story: ComvitaComvita is much loved for its honey products - who doesn’t love bees and their fluffy bums. But a renewed focus on sustainability has seen the company present a robust strategic plan based on circular economy thinking. The plan, called Harmony, is a comprehensive relook at the entire operation and arrives at a time of restructuring and repositioning the company after a few tough years. To explain the thinking behind the plan, Vincent met with Holly Brown, chief transformation officer, and Heather Johnston head of safety and sustainability.thisclimatebusiness.comComvita - Mānuka Hon...2022-03-3130 minThis Climate BusinessWhat will farmers commit to on GHGs? Kelly Forster, He Waka Eke NoaThis month farmers are discussing their approach to managing GHG emissions - as the road show for He Waka Eke Noa comes to an end. He Waka Eke Noa is a joint industry-government-Māori initiative that’s investigating an alternative emissions programme for agriculture that’s outside the Emission Trading Scheme. If He Waka Eke Noa cannot come up with a suitable plan the Government may just fold the primary sector into the ETS anyway.The stakes are high. The majority of NZ’s GHG emissions come from agriculture and for 15 years the sector has been allowed to oper...2022-03-2140 minThis Climate BusinessA plant-based future for NZ: Jade Gray, Off-Piste ProvisionsThe job of transitioning the primary sector from cows to plants will be a long but necessary journey. So if you were looking for someone to show the way, you’d do worse than Jade Grey. He’s managed a farm and a supermarket butchery ran a meat processing plant in China, and launched a chain of pizza stores in Beijing called Gung Ho! Pizza, which was China's first B Corp certified Food and Beverage company. Now Jade and his family are back in New Zealand to launch Off-Piste Provisions, a plant-based food start-up dedicated to making Aote...2022-02-1738 minThis Climate BusinessBees to Bioplastic – Veronica Harwood Stevenson, HumblebeeThere’s a thing called the SIN List. Standing for Substitute It Now, the list identifies the chemicals in our textiles, furniture, food, and daily life that are slowly poisoning us, killing our bodies and environment. Replacing that list with nature-based alternatives is the mission of Humblebee, the ambitious biotech startup of Veronica Harwood Stevenson. You may have heard of Humblebee, sometimes described as one of NZ’s hottest biotech start-ups. Now fives years into the journey the Wellington company is trying to replicate a cellophane-like substance found in bees' nests to create a harmless bioplastic. Hu...2022-01-2144 minThis Climate BusinessIPCC Report Part 3 – The insider’s guide, with Prof Dave FrameThis week Vincent is joined by Professor Dave Frame, Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (CCRI) at Victoria University and a lead author on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This is the third part of our series on IPCC report, so Vincent asked if Dave could give us an insider’s view of how the IPCC works, on the science of warming and the role of methane in global heating a topic of huge importance to NZ. We’d be hard-pressed to find someone more qualified. Dave has a back...2021-11-2957 minThis Climate BusinessBuilding for Zero - Andrew Eagles, Green Building CouncilBuildings are responsible for around 20 percent of New Zealand’s carbon footprint. Which makes the building sector a critical part of the ambition to be net-zero by 2050. And yet our homes are notoriously damp, cold, and energy inefficient. And get this, the construction sector emits the equivalent of one million cars on the road every year. Who knew? Andrew Eagles does. The chief executive of the NZ Green Building Council spoke to Vincent about what’s going wrong and what’s right in the built environment.
2021-11-1543 minThis Climate BusinessLive from COP26 - Olivia Wannan, StuffOlivia Wannan is one of a handful of New Zealand journalists to attend COP26 in Glasgow, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful to watch as the world’s climate policy is argued and hopefully agreed to. Oliva is a climate reporter for Stuff.co.nz and she joined Vincent on the close of day five to talk about protestors, methane, and Indonesian reticence.
2021-11-0723 minThis Climate BusinessJames Shaw’s Rotten Week – with Dr David Hall and Dr Victoria HattonLast week Climate Change Minister James Shaw’s announcement was met with stinging criticism. Generation Zero said it was a ‘disgrace’. Forest&Bird described it as a ‘clear lack of policy. Newsroom Marc Daalder called it ‘disappointment’. So what’s all this then? The criticism was a response to the just-announced Emissions Reduction Plan Discussion Document, which is neither a plan, nor a draft of a plan, but a discussion document about what could go into the plan. Vincent discussed the fuss with Dr. David Hall, climate policy specialist at AUT University, and Dr. Victoria Hatton, climate change and sustainability...2021-10-2539 minThis Climate BusinessHydrogen at the Docks - Rosie Mercer, Ports of AucklandHow do you kickstart New Zealand’s hydrogen fuel network? Enter Ports of Auckland. It is one of the world’s first ports to open a hydrogen refuelling facility, the first stage in an ambitious plan that will eventually see the ports running on green hydrogen manufactured on-site. With a green hydrogen plant in the South Island now in scope and a fleet of hydrogen-fueled trucks already plying the main arterials, hydrogen infrastructure is on a roll. Our new co-host, Ross Inglis, talked to sustainability general manager Rosie Mercer about the new direction for the Ports of Auckl...2021-10-1832 minThis Climate BusinessRemodelling Meal Kits - MenuAid’s Toby SkiltonIf your family is like Vincent’s, then you’ll love meal kits but hate the packaging –polystyrene meat trays, foil bags and more plastic wrap than a Grey Lynn building site. Is there a way to get the convenience of a meal kit with the discernment of a sustainable shopper? Toby Skilton reckons there is. He and partner Elise Hilliam have launched MenuAid, a meal kit for the conscious consumer.
2021-10-0414 minThis Climate BusinessThe Love Oat - Morgan Maw, Boring Oat MilkNew Zealand grows great oats and makes excellent oat milk, in Sweden. Yes NZ oats are shipped to Sweden where they are processed and returned to our shores to be bottled and sold as NZ-made. That hardly seems the sustainable alternative we all hope for. The madness of that scenario is finally being redressed by a new player - the Boring Oat Milk. Vincent speaks to Boring founder Morgan Maw. Boring® Oat Milk (boringmilk.com)
2021-09-2935 minThis Climate BusinessIPCC Report Part 3 – The Insider’s Guide, with Professor Dave FrameThis week Vincent is joined by Professor Dave Frame, Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (CCRI) at Victoria University and a lead author on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This is the third part of our series on IPCC report, so Vincent asked if Dave could give us an insider’s view of how the IPCC works, on the science of warming and the role of methane in global heating a topic of huge importance to NZ. We’d be hard-pressed to find someone more qualified. Dave has a back...2021-09-1358 minThis Climate BusinessIPCC Report: Rod Oram on Business Laggards and LeadersThis week, Vincent asks Rod Oram to explain the implications of the latest IPCC for business. Does the stark reality set out in the report change what’s required of the business sector? Or does it simply reinforce what’s already happening. How exactly is business, here and overseas, responding to the need to decarbonise? And who are the leaders and laggards in this journey? Rod Oram, is a climate and business journalist and columnist at Newsroom. See Rod’s articles on Z Energy and the MSCI report here.
2021-09-0655 minThis Climate BusinessUnpacking the IPCC with Dr Victoria Hatton, Marc DaalderWhy has the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) –said human influence on climate is now unequivocable? Didn’t we already know that? And what impact will this report have in the run up to COP26? Vincent was joined by Marc Daalder, climate change reporter for Newsroom and Dr Victoria Hatton, Director for Sustainability and Climate Change for PWC.See Marc’s IPCC story for NewsroomSee Victoria’s profileRead the Report here
2021-08-3046 minThis Climate BusinessInvesting in Climate Ventures - Rohan MacMahon and Dr Jez WestonClimate Venture Capital Fund is a new venture investment fund that invests in, you guessed it, climate ventures. It’s the first of its kind in New Zealand and has just made its maiden investment, in Australian energy company MGA Thermal. Vincent is joined by two of the founders of the fund, Rohan MacMahon and Dr Jez Weston. Disclosure: Vincent works for this very fund as an advisor.
2021-08-0940 minThis Climate BusinessLive at Spark Innovation Studio: Annabell Chartres and Vincent HeeringaThis week Vincent spoke alongside PWC’s Annabell Chartres at Spark Innovation Studio about Sustainability in Tech, one in a series put on by the Spark IoT team. Hosted by Randall Miekle, agile coach at Spark the session started with the key question: what does sustainability mean to you?About Annabell Chartres As the ESG Co-Leader at PwC New Zealand, Annabell is driven by finding innovative business solutions to address sustainability and climate change challenges. She is focused on supporting public and private sector organisations to incorporate a sustainability lens into their business strategies, and con...2021-07-2955 minThis Climate BusinessThe Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community GardenIn the heart of Mt Albert, Auckland, is one of the oldest gardens in NZ. The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden was first planted by Maori in pre-European times and hasn’t been built on since. The vege gardens and food forest have been lovingly cared for over the years and flourished under the ownership of Carrington tech, now Unitec. But they face an uncertain future following the sale of the lands to Housing NZ. Despite assurances, the gardens remain zoned for residential development. Vincent is on a break this week so handed the reigns to writer and sustainability ad...2021-06-1830 minThis Climate BusinessNZ food done like it should be: The Chia SistersThe Chia Sisters is the kind of food company we dream of in New Zealand. Lovingly created by a family business and bottled in a solar-powered factory, this healthy energy drink is delicious, premium, and wholly sourced from local ingredients. The company is certified carbon positive, pays its workers a living wage, and is a founding member of Future Foods Aotearoa, a network of pioneering food companies that’s making the ‘volume to value’ story a reality. Is it too good to be true? Vincent spoke to founders, sisters Florence and Chloe van Dyke, about their vision for a differ...2021-06-1027 minThis Climate BusinessTransport Policy just went off the Rails. WTF? Paul Winton, 1point5Transport represents almost half of CO2 emisisons in NZ. In Auckland, its higher, at 67%. After agriculture with our burbing cows, transport is the most imporant sector to decarbonise. Yet the just published 10-year plan for Auckland predicts a 6% increase in emissions by 2031. Critics have called the plan ‘baffling’ – at odds with the council’s commitment to halve emissions by 2030. The report is one of many transport policy documents up for discussion, all promising to lower emissions and shift us out of cars and trucks. To explain what’s going on, why transport planning seems so contradictory and what still needs to b...2021-05-2434 minThis Climate BusinessDo Happy Cows Burp Funny Gas? Glen Herud, Happy Cow Milk CompanyThis week Vincent talks to the indefatigable Glen Herud, dairy pioneer and founder of the Happy Cow Milk Company – where cows keep their young, the calves are not sent to slaughter and the milking shed is mobile, that is, it goes to cows rather than cows coming to the shed. Hard at it since 2006, Glen faced technical, political and financial hurdles to get Happy Cow launched. Now on the cusp of its launch, Glen joins us to answer questions about methane, milk, money and starting a moovement.https://happycowmilk.co.nz/
2021-05-1047 minThis Climate BusinessMaking Waste Pay: Toby Skilton of Mutu and Oliver Hunt of MedSalvWhere there’s muck there’s brass. In this episode Vincent talk to two entrepreneurs using technology to address waste problems at source. Oliver Hunt is co-founder of Medsalv, which cleans and refurbishes single-use hospital equipment. And Toby Skilton is co-founder of Mutu, an online exchange for sharing and hiring household gear. Especially trailers! Both are recent startups, both deploy tech to solve seemingly impossible problems and both share a vision for a world with less toxic crap in the ground. Check out the two businesses profiled:Mutu and Medsalv – both Christchurch-based circular businesse...2021-04-2849 minThis Climate BusinessThe advantage of native forests: Sir Stephen Tindall, Dame Anne Salmond and more!This week Vincent attended the launch of O Tātou Ngāhere, a joint venture between Tāne’s Tree Trust and business lobby group Pure Advantage. They’re calling for a major shift in thinking about native forests, arguing that it’s not just the job of government but of farmers, landowners and all New Zealanders to plant and nurture native trees. They have a target of 2 million hectares of new native forests – many times more ambitious than the 300,000 hectares proposed by the Climate Change Commission.Vincent grabbed a few minutes with some of the key contributors...2021-03-3022 minThis Climate BusinessIs the Climate Change Commission ambitious enough? Rod Oram and Marc DaalderThe NZ Climate Change Commission released its landmark report late January. The 650-page discussion document sets an agenda for how New Zealand could achieve GHG emissions reductions to align with our international obligations, such as the Paris Agreement, and achieve the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. It’s a big document, with lots to say and implications that some say are as radical as the Rogernomics revolution of the 1980s. But is it radical enough? And what does it not say about the need for change? To explain the document and early reactions to it, Vincent is joined by...2021-02-1539 minThis Climate BusinessAuckland’s Transport Emissions Challenge: Shane Ellison, CEO, Auckland TransportThe Auckland Climate Plan sets a target of reducing GHG emissions by half by 2030. Now, we know that largest single chunk of Auckland’s emissions – that’s 37% - comes from land transport. So to achieve that bold target, transport emissions need to fall by a massive 64% - in just 10 years. That puts Shane Ellison in the hot seat. Shane is the chief executive of Auckland Transport, the council-owned company that manages Auckland transport network, from trains and busses, to roads, tunnels, footpaths and cycleways. Shane recently wrote a piece in the NZ Herald setting out the scale of the challenge...2020-12-1428 minThis Climate BusinessReplace the plastic bag with a better bag! Kate Bezar, The Better Packaging Company Starting with replacing those awful one-use plastic courier bags, the company now offers alternatives to plastic gloves, gift wrap, sticky labels and bags of all sort and is exporting its plant-based products in Australia, Europe, China and USA. But what does compostable mean, is it the same as biodegradable what happens when you don’t have a compost bin – and does plant-based plastic just replace one set of problems with another? Vincent is joined by co-founder The Better Packaging Company, Kate Bezar, which recently was named a finalist in the Sustainable Business Awards. https://www.linkedin.com/compan...2020-11-3031 minThis Climate BusinessHey Jacinda: it’s time to walk your talk on climate action. Russel Norman, GreenpeaceWith a mandate to rule and all the tools in place, this Labour government has everything it needs reduce New Zealand’s emissions. So, what’s the hold up? Patience child warns Russel executive director of Greenpeace Aotearoa, a former Green party co-leader and two term MP. The seasoned campaigner says we need to give Team Ardern six months to demonstrate how it will turn NZ’s emissions around -- that is, six months before the gloves come off. Russel spoke to Vincent about what to expect, how to protest and what keeps him engaged in the task.
2020-11-1629 minThis Climate BusinessThe Outrageous Waste of Food: Deborah Manning, Kiwi HarvestEvery year New Zealand food industry sends 103,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill. Some 60% of that food going to landfill is edible. Burying food (often in its plastic and foil packaging) is an environmental disaster. It needlessly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions – and squanders the resources used to produce and transport that food, including water, land, energy, labour, and capital. If that sound outrageous to you, then thank goodness Deborah Manning is doing something about it. Deborah is a qualified lawyer and physiotherapist, who founded KiwiHarvest in 2012. The charity collects edible food destined for landfill and distributes it to foo...2020-11-0938 minThis Climate BusinessHow to Stop Owning a Stupid Metal Box: Erik Zyderfelt, MevoAre you sick of owning an expensive, polluting metal box called a car? Me too. Mine sits in the garage taking up real estate and costing me bomb in maintenance and registeration. Is car sharing a better alternative? The idea is simple: use an app to pick up one of the share cars dotted around your city, do your thing, park it and walk away. Voila! Maybe. Car-sharing has a long and painful history. The first scheme was started in 1948, and since the 2000s there have been dozens of start-ups around the world. Mevo, a car sharing scheme based i...2020-11-0240 minThis Climate BusinessLabour’s Big Mandate: here’s how they should use it. Gary Taylor, Environmental Defence SocietyFew names have been associated longer with conservation and environmental protest than Gary Taylor. The executive director of the Environmental Defence Society has taken on mining companies, property tycoons, governments and even fellow conservationists with the cool-headed grit of a long-haul trucker. So what does he make of Labour’s extraordinary mandate to rule? What’s on his wishlist for action? What does he think will actually happen? And why, after so many decades of seeing environmental degradation and climate inaction, does he remain so charmingly optimistic?Join Vincent and Gary as they traverse the Waitakere Ranges, the...2020-10-2638 minThis Climate BusinessCreating a 1000m water spout for renewable electricity? Yes, says tech investor Brent OgilvieCould a water spout almost a kilometre high be harnessed to create electricity from waste industrial heat? Yes, says tech investor Brent Ogilvie. Brent is a rare type: a venture investor with a passion for sustainability. A former trade commissioner to New York, Brent was a trustee of the Urban Ecoliving Trust, founded a biodiesel company (sold to Z) and is a founding director of Pacific Channel, an investment company that backs tech companies which create positive impact and value by solving worthwhile problems. His latest ventures include Orbis, a Covid detection tool for airports and Vortex Systems, an e...2020-10-0543 minThis Climate BusinessAuckland’s Bold Climate Plan: Can it halve Emissions in just 9 Years?The Auckland Climate Action Plan sets out a bold agenda to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The changes required are profound. If you think fixing the harbour bridge is messy, wait till you try converting the majority of our cars to EVs and getting out of the gas heating business. Richard Hills is chair of the council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee. The youngest sitting councillor, Hills helped the plan get unanimous support and remains optimistic, if daunted, by the challenge and excitement of the changes ahead. He spoke to Vincent on the other side of the broken br...2020-09-2842 minThis Climate BusinessLakes, tomatoes and seaweed: what are the 70 best Kiwi climate tech ideas?Jez Weston and Rohan MacMahon are technologists scouring New Zealand to find the best and brightest projects to address climate change. Or more specifically, to find technologies that offer the greatest emissions reductions, for the lowest cost, in the least amount of time. They have identified 70 projects that fit the bill – from renewable energy and carbon capture to electric bikes and algae. Vincent asked them what’s the best, the worst, and what they’re still looking for. About Jez WestonJez has 15 years’ experience in policy and climate advice including translating climate science i...2020-09-2137 minThis Climate BusinessThe Native Trees Conundrum: Adele Fitzpatrick of Trees That CountShould native forests be harvested? Can they compete with pine as carbon sinks? And is biodiversity a better measure than carbon? Adele is the CEO of Trees that Count, an ambitious programme to plant 200 million native trees across NZ in the next decade. With 32 million planted since 2016, it has still got a long way to go but momentum is building with the business, community and government increasingly motivated to use native forests as carbon sinks and conversation projects. Native forests are under, from pests and disease and an emissions trading scheme that actively rewards pine plantations and punishes natives. How ho...2020-09-0745 minThis Climate BusinessHow to get 250K electric vehicles by 2025: Mark Gilbert of DriveElectricWhat if I told you that former head of BMW in NZ now wants gas-guzzling, polluting cars off the road and replaced with low-emissions electric vehicles like the mild-mannered Nissan Leaf? A few years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it myself but Mark is now the chairman of Drive Electric, a consortium of interests from across the transport sector. They say electrifying the vehicle fleet is one of the most effective ways to achieve our goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Their ambition is to make electric vehicle ownership mainstream and have 250000 EVs on the road by 2025. ...2020-08-3133 minThis Climate BusinessHyrdrogen: hype, hope or happening?Hydrogen is a fantastic energy source: abundant, clean, light and highly flammable. But can it overcome its biggest hurdle: cost of production? Andrew Clennett, founder of Hiringa Energy, says an emphatic yes. Hiringa already has a green-hydrogen pilot plant in Taranaki (a JV with Balance Agri-Nutrients) and is rolling out truck fuelling sites across the country. And with trucking firms, vehicle manufacturers and the government (in part) already on board, Andrew says the biggest hurdle for hydrogen is not cost but Kiwi inertia. So we asked Andrew to explain the science, economics and his own journey from an oil...2020-08-2452 minThis Climate BusinessSun, Power and the Todd Corp: The Story of SunergiseThe sun is the greatest source of free energy for the Earth – so why don’t we tap into it more? The team at Sunergise are changing that on an industrial scale. Sunergise is a Kiwi solar energy company that got its start in 2012 by building the world’s largest solar installation for a marina at Port Denarau in Fiji. Since then it has expanded across the Pacific and NZ and has just welcomed a major investment by Todd Generation, a subsidiary of Todd Corp, one NZ’s largest investment companies, famous for its oil and gas business. To talk abo...2020-08-1748 minThis Climate BusinessIreland’s sensational climate change plan: Prof Robert McLachlanThe Republic of Ireland just passed the most ambitious climate change plan of any developed country. With a commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and be net neutral by 2050, the home of River Dancing makes New Zealand look positively flat-footed, says Professor Robert McLachlan. The Massey University mathematician and author of climate change blog Planetary Ecology says Ireland is one the few countries to take the Paris Agreement proper serious. We talked to Robert about Ireland, Antarctica, renewables, maths and cats. About RobertProfessor Robert McLachlan is a mathematician at Massey University. He’s als...2020-08-1036 minThis Climate BusinessKing of the Roads: meet Scott Simpson, National’s spokesperson on Climate ChangeIn the second of our meet-your-next-prospective6-climate-minister series we are joined by Scott Simpson, National Party’s spokesperson on Environment, Climate Change and RMA reform. The Nats have not been natural bedfellows with climate change action, but Scott has been an effective voice, especially as co-chair of the internal ginger group, the Blue Greens. But under the new leadership of Judith Collins, how committed is the party to meeting New Zealand Paris obligations? Does it support Auckland’s Climate Action Plan? Will it allow fracking on conservation land? And bring back oil and gas exploration? And how about those road...2020-08-0340 minThis Climate BusinessAuckland’s bold new climate action plan: Can it do this? Really?Last week Auckland City passed the Auckland Climate Action plan – a bold commitment to halve emissions by 2030. The plan puts into action Auckland’s City’s declaration of a climate emergency and sets it on a path to zero emissions by 2050.So how will it get there? What’s got to start? And stop? And what does it mean for business and the citizens? For answers, Vincent was joined Dr David Hall co-chair of the independent advisory group of the ACAP and by Jenny Cooper QC the president of Lawyers for Climate Action NZ. Read mor...2020-07-2740 minThis Climate BusinessHave you invested in big oil today? Barry Coates can tell you, nowIs your KiwiSaver invested in porn, weapons and ciggies? Does it have a stake in fossil fuels and palm oil plantations? How would you know? And what can you do? Barry Coates founded Mindful Money to dig into such investment conundrums, reveal where the money flows and provide ethical alternatives. The former Greens MP and Oxfam CEO talked to Vincent about radical transparency, the power of investors, the excitement of ideas and his own Damascus Road conversation to a greener, sustainable world. About Mindful MoneyMindful Money provides free insights into the investments o...2020-07-2040 minThis Climate BusinessClimate and Vote 2020: Geoff Simmons of The Opportunities PartyTOP rocketed to fame in the last election off the back of its former leader Gareth Morgan attacking pretty much everything: government, the opposition, the wealthy, the tax system the welfare system and even cats. This time around it’s Geoff Simmons at the helm. The former economist talks to Vincent about prospects for success, climate action, upending the tax system and the future of a value, not volume driven New Zealand.
2020-07-1335 minThis Climate BusinessCan capitalism save the planet? A review of ‘More From Less’Taking a break from interviews this week, Vincent reviews the breakthrough book More From Less, by Andrew McAfee. Describing green growth as ‘Humanity’s Big Surprise’, McAfee argues that we can not only grow our economy through conventional capitalism but that we can simultaneously reduce our impact on the natural world. It’s the miracle of dematerialisation – and it’s happening faster than ever. Is he correct? Can capitalism save the planet? Vincent goes digging. Amazon reviews of More from LessCritical review by Foreign Affairs magazineAndrew McAfee’s Ted Talk about More...2020-07-1217 minThis Climate BusinessThe climate front-line: Eloise Gibson, climate change editorEloise Gibson is New Zealand’s first reporter to be appointed a climate change editor in a mainstream media outlet. The award-winning business journalist joined Stuff.co.nz earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception from the science and business community. But did readers do the same? I spoke to Eloise about her fans and critics, Stuff’s commitment to science and keeping her spirits up on the front line of climate news.
2020-06-2930 minThis Climate BusinessEV Conversion Man: Theo Gibson of the EV PodcastIn this episode I had a great chat with EV converter and enthusiast Theo Gibson (EV Podcast host) about his own car conversion and the direction of EV transport locally and globally. Enjoy! EV Podcast: https://evpodcast.comThis Climate Business: https://www.podcasts.nz/this-climate-business/
2020-06-2229 minThis Climate BusinessThe Gulf War: James Frankham’s crusade for the Hauraki GulfJames Frankham is on a war path. The publisher of New Zealand Geographic and outdoor adventurer is outraged by the decline of the Hauraki Gulf, the so-called jewel in Auckland’s crown. The State of the Gulf 2020 report reveals that overfishing, sedimentation, pollution, political failures and ignorance have combined to push this precious habitat to near collapse. We spoke to James about what can be done, how long the Gulf has got, his work with NZ Geo, virtual reality and his hopes that his children, like he did, will see rays feeding in Waiheke’s rockpools. Abo...2020-06-1537 min
Electric Vehicle Podcast: EV news and discussionsEV Podcast: Theo talks to Vincent Heeringa on This Climate BusinessThis week I was invited on the new Podcast This Climate Business hosted by Vincent Heeringa. We a good chat about EV's, Enjoy.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp2020-06-1531 minThis Climate BusinessChair up! A good news story about us and the USA. Richard Shirtcliffe of NohoNoho is a Kiwi furniture start-up taking Kiwi sustainability to the USA. Noho’s chairs are made of recycled fishing nets and the first of a line of products that CEO, Richard Shirtcliffe, says are rethinking what wellbeing means for home and for the planet. Now based in chilly burbs of Boulder Colorado, the former boss of Tuatara Beer and Coffee Supreme is leading the charge to take Noho to the USA. We spoke to him about riots, rubbish, recycling and reclining his way into success.About NohoNoho – meaning to sit or to dwell in te...2020-06-0831 minThis Climate BusinessTime for a sustainability commissioner? Sir Peter Gluckman and Anne BardsleySir Peter Gluckman says New Zealand is woeful at long-term planning – and the environment suffers as a result. In the latest paper from Koi Tū: The Centre of Informed Futures, Sir Peter and Anne Bardsley argue for a new Sustainability Commissioner to be charged with implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and pressure government, business and councils to factor the biosphere in all decision-making. We ask why, and how, this could happen.
2020-06-0134 minThis Climate BusinessOne billion trees is only half the answer - Marty Verry of Red Stag TimberForests are only part of the answer to dealing with climate change, warns Marty Verry, CEO of Red Stag Timber, NZ’s largest timber mill. He says the government’s One Billion Trees Programme could lead to a dangerous glut unless there’s a wholesale adoption of wood for construction, fuel and other downstream products. Could a ‘Wood First’ policy displace concrete and steel? How reliable are forests for carbon sink? And as a source of credits? And what about all that lost farmland? These questions and more on This Climate Business! About MartyMarty Ver...2020-05-2527 minThis Climate BusinessFossil fuels' funeral: Sir Jonathon PorrittAs if the collapse in the oil price isn't enough, the fossil fuel industry is about to get one massive spanking, says Sir Jonathon Porritt, leading environmentalist and sustainability advisor to Air New Zealand. Financial markets, once the great friends of oil, cars and coal, are shifting focus to renewables, recyclables and electric everything - meaning the fossil fuel industry is in danger of becoming as popular as a French kiss at the family reunion."I hope that this transition can be done smoothly. But we're running out of time. I fear it will be far more...2020-03-2325 min