On 5 August, the Sustainable Business Network hosted the third Nature & Business Symposium in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. It brought together business leaders, iwi and mana whenua, funders, technologists, academics and conservation practitioners from across Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a summary of the key themes and insights from a truly inspiring day.
Nature is a relationship, not a resource
Nature supports everything we do in business, but the natural world is in crisis and it’s time to ask ourselves how we are showing up for nature.
No matter your world view, work to protect and support nature starts with relationships. Isabella Penrose (Friends of Te Wairoa) reminded us that in te ao Māori, we are the teina (younger sibling), not the tuakana (older sibling), and that humans are dependent on the natural world, not separate from it. CJ Gilbert (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) challenged us to co-exist with the past, present and future when making business decisions.
Isabella reminded us that every business is already connected to nature and success isn’t just about reducing harm; it’s about strengthening the relationships that make success possible.
Kimberley Savill from the Sustainable Business Network put it plainly: we need to understand that we are nature and everything we do is nature.
From compliance to competitive advantage: the business case for nature
Protecting nature is a business strategy that can take your organisation beyond compliance to competitive advantage. Paul Button from Rotorua Canopy Tours and Laura Barroso from L’Oréal each explained how their work for nature boosts customer engagement, supports staff retention and drives innovation, all while protecting the natural systems that their businesses depend on.
Understanding your business’s dependencies on nature is crucial for strategic investment. James Roper reminded us that primary sector businesses like Zespri depend directly on healthy natural systems, and that climate risks to orchards, pack houses, communities and infrastructure are already here.
That work also needs us to better recognise value that's often invisible on a balance sheet. Raymond Chang from Beca encouraged us to recognise the natural infrastructure and ecosystem services that are already protecting our operations, communities and supply chains. Once we can see that value, we can start to support and strengthen it deliberately, rather than assume it will always be there.
Financing nature needs new instruments and trust
We know nature investment pays off, so why are we under-investing in nature? Cat Rowe from Silver Fern Farms insisted that it's time to kill the narrative that nature finance is “too hard” and start treating nature as a genuine asset class, not a discount on business as usual. Robin Mitchell from Nature Positive proposed that bridging that nature finance gap will require tools and approaches from all areas of the economy. Buyers, sellers and system enablers all have a part to play because no single organisation can build a credible nature market alone.
But new instruments alone won't get us there. Louise Saunders from Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust offered a critical reminder: the form that finance takes is almost academic; what matters is trust and partnership. That's especially true when financing and delivering at scale; we need to genuinely work to the aspirations of the communities who hold decades of knowledge of the whenua, not just move past them.
Data and storytelling unlock strategy and capital
If we want nature in the boardroom, we need data and storytelling that will do it justice. As Caleb Sjardin from Contact Energy put it, if you don't have data, you don't have a strategy and you can’t unlock capital.
Funders, decision-makers and politicians all rely on solid data to back nature investment. That means the evidence base we build to convince our own leadership will also support the case we put in front of a funder, a policymaker or an investor. Our data and storytelling therefore need to be robust enough to survive both internal and external scrutiny.
There are many ways to source data and develop your nature story. During the symposium field trip, Taiao Rangers at Te Pu-a-Nga Maara explained that the tohu, or signs they use to monitor their restoration progress include the return of tūī and timing of flowering. Paul Button from Rotorua Canopy Tours shared that soil carbon studies showed 45 per cent soil carbon in their restored forest while nearby unrestored forest has only 5 per cent.
Technological opportunities
Technology is already changing what's possible for nature. Makere Jenner from Tū Mai Taonga (led by Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust) on Aotea (Great Barrier Island) shared how AI trail cameras cut feral cat detection from weeks to hours, turning good intentions into fast, effective action. But there is a tension underneath: tech developers need profitable products and conservation practitioners can only spend on what demonstrably works. Perhaps the opportunity isn't always building something new; maybe it's about asking what already exists that could be repurposed for nature.
Just get started, together
Tua Karalus from Deep Dive Division reminded us that the issues you choose to overlook are the standard you are willing to accept. Instead of accepting the current state of nature, Tua challenged us to connect with people who are willing to take real action and make a start.
But starting doesn't mean rushing past what matters. Reconnecting to why we're doing this mahi is worth the time it takes, and that begins inside our own organisations, where we heard real acknowledgment of the tension between our purpose and the KPIs we're measured against. The two don't have to be in conflict: a business case for nature built on solid evidence and a clear understanding of your dependencies will help align nature work with organisational KPIs.
Sarah Holden from Oxygen Consulting highlighted that breaking down any barriers between operational and corporate staff is essential if we want genuine idea sharing that generates practical, deployable solutions.
We heard from many speakers about the importance of seeking mentors and partners who've already walked further down this road. Or as Sam Hill from Auckland Council summarised: think creatively, act boldly and partner widely.
None of us are starting from zero, and none of us need to do everything alone. So just start: what's your next step for nature? Where are your dependencies? How could you collaborate?
Momentum starts with the next thing we do together.