The momentum for change is building fast. Our latest research shows 70% of the organisations we surveyed are gearing up to boost their nature investments over the next two years – with climate mitigation driving over half of these decisions. Businesses are recognising that nature-based solutions deliver multiple benefits for climate, biodiversity and communities, while securing their social license to operate.
That momentum was obvious at the Symposium with 95 pledges to take action for nature. It was a pivotal moment. Commitments ranged from volunteering on community projects to giving te taiao (nature) a voice in the board room and inviting rangatahi (youth) to the table. Here are some of the key insights, inspiring examples, and actionable recommendations that emerged from the day.
Challenges and opportunities
Stephanie Vercoe from the Sustainable Business Network’s Regenerate Nature team opened the Symposium by grounding us with the scale of the biodiversity crisis and the opportunity it presents for our economy, our communities and our collective wellbeing.
“Aotearoa is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in nature positive action, drawing on our rich biodiversity, mātauranga Māori and our strength in innovation.”
Steph reminded us that nature isn’t separate from our businesses and there is an opportunity for us to rethink nature and business.
“Imagine a CFO who tracks river health as well as revenue. A boardroom where the mauri of the whenua is discussed alongside profit. A CEO who speaks for the forest, the awa and the soil. A Head of Nature on your leadership team.”
Recommended action: Start by understanding your interface with nature - including the ways you depend on it and impact it both positively and negatively.
Give te taiao a voice
Keynote speaker Manu Caddie followed by sharing how business structures can, and should, be designed to restore nature. He explained how nature can be embedded into governance models by representing it through kaitiaki entities or listing it as a shareholder. These structures ensure te taiao has a formal voice in decision-making.
Manu also emphasised the importance of creating commercial models that don’t rely solely on grants or credits. Instead, they embed nature restoration as a core part of the business model, designed to generate impact and value over the long term.
Recommended action: Explore governance structures or advisory roles that include nature’s perspective. Work with mana whenua to understand how nature can be represented in your ownership, decision-making and partnership frameworks.
Nature positive
The theme of what it means to be "nature positive" was central throughout the day and sparked wide-ranging conversations. Nature positive is increasingly viewed as nature's equivalent to climate’s net zero. It’s not about offsetting previous harm to be impact neutral. It’s about contributing more to the regeneration of nature and doing it in partnership with those who know the whenua best.
As Josh Barclay of Whitehaven Wines put it, “There’s a difference between being less negative and more positive”.
True nature positive action means supporting regeneration beyond your operations - through your supply chains, catchments and communities both locally and internationally.
We heard from businesses across sectors that are beginning to define what nature positive looks like for them. They’re restoring degraded land and ecosystems, reintroducing native species, bringing together their communities to restore nature, collaborating with catchment groups and co-developing projects with mana whenua.
Recommended actions:
- Invest in restoration beyond your direct operations to help reverse biodiversity loss.
Partner with mana whenua and community groups. - Co-create projects that align with mātauranga Māori, environmental and social outcomes.
Measuring nature impacts
One of the most consistent challenges raised at the Symposium was how to measure and track nature impacts in a meaningful way. As Robyn Haugh from Trees That Count shared, meaningful measurement takes time, investment and collaboration. Louise Saunders, from Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust, reminded us, “Ecologists are the first to say that the more you know about nature, the more you realise how little you know”.
Tools like remote sensing, eDNA, and habitat monitoring are increasingly available but the goal we need to aim for is insight that drives action. It’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about making better decisions. As Jamie Cook from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei noted, it’s not about finding a single defined methodology. Rather, it’s about combining observation and mātauranga Māori - tracking the return of taonga species and monitoring the growth of recently planted rākau - alongside technology and monitoring systems.
Levi Watene from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei also highlighted the importance of grounding the work in the social and cultural co-benefits.
“Regenerating our whenua isn’t just about putting plants in the ground, it’s about restoring connection…Everything we do is guided by the bigger vision, that our people are reconnected with the whenua, with purpose, and with each other.”
Businesses are starting to take different approaches. Annabel Davies said Pāmu was trialling innovations that help get more value from every hectare while increasing biodiversity and reducing emissions. For Ed Massey from New Zealand Winegrowers, data is fundamental to maintaining market access. Its sustainability programme gives vineyards and growers the tools to track water, chemical use and waste. This helps them to meet consumer expectations while reducing costs and improving operational efficiency.
Erin Swanson from Comvita talked about a partnership with Plant & Food Research and the University of Auckland to develop a pioneering Ecological Impact Monitoring (EIM) Tool. The tool gives Comvita a holistic, science-based way to track the health of its forests over time. It measures indicators like water quality in nearby streams, diversity of birds, bats, and invertebrates, forest growth and soil health, and the presence of native and invasive species. Erin’s ultimate goal is for “Kiwi thriving in our mānuka forests”.
In the built environment, Goodman Property has started to integrate biodiversity measurement into its projects. As Sam Parsons said, “Traditionally we make cities really accessible - for cars - and easily maintained, we push the water out, we put the roads and concrete in. But we need to bring nature back”. The Goodman Property team is working with the University of Otago to adapt a biodiversity factor tool for tracking improvements in permeable areas, street features and vegetation. The post-development results showed an 8.8% net gain.
Recommended actions:
- Identify what nature metrics matter most for your business. Focus on the data that aligns with your environmental impact and nature positive goals.
- Collaborate to build capability. Partner with ecological experts, mana whenua, universities and communities to ensure data supports your goals and drives meaningful action.
Closing the nature finance gap
The final panel explored how businesses can play a central role in closing the nature finance gap. This is the significant shortfall between current investment levels and what’s required to restore and protect ecosystems. Kayla Kingdon-Bebb from WWF reminded us that while the gap is vast, the opportunity is greater. Protecting nature could save the global economy more than $270 billion over the next 50 years. This is not a challenge governments can solve alone. Business investment is essential.
Z Energy is linking nature investment to its climate strategy. It is working in partnership with the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and local groups, such as Te Pu-a-Nga Maara, to fund long-term restoration, provide certainty for delivery partners and help raise awareness through media.
Westpac has launched a $250m three-year wholesale Sustainability-Linked Bond (the first in Australasia to include a nature-based target) with Auckland Council committing to planting 1 million native ngahere (forest) stems by 31 December 2027. This is an example of a finance instrument supporting a nature positive outcome.
Recommended action: Integrate nature into your financial strategy by investing in place-based partnerships, developing adaptable funding models and treating nature as a core value driver, not a cost.
A voice for rangatahi
The final moments of the day weren’t about strategies or business cases, but about reconnecting with the heart of why this work matters. Rosie Sommerville, Project and Partnerships Manager in SBN’s Regenerative Nature team, brought the room to its feet with a closing kōrero that was part story, part challenge and all heart.
She reminded us that nature isn’t separate – it is everything around us.
“Nature is not separate. It’s your laptop, your lunch, the carpet beneath your feet. Nature paved your commute and built your office.”
She spoke of whakapapa – tracing a paper bag back to the tree, a tin can to iron-rich black sand, a plastic container to crude oil, a non-renewable resource pulled from deep beneath our moana. Her message was about perspective and connection, not blame. It challenged every person in the room to act as kaitiaki.
And it called on us to make room for rangatahi whose voices are needed now more than ever. As Rosie said, “Te taiao and te tangata won’t give up”.
Recommended action: Bring rangatahi and a youth advisory panel into your decision-making. Create space in your boardrooms, project teams and strategy for the next generation – their clarity and courage are essential for shaping a thriving future.
If you attended the Nature & Business Symposium, please complete the evaluation survey. We’d love to hear what your ‘now for nature’ pledge is and what actions you hope to take.