Te ao Māori and authentic communication
Māori business and matauranga informed practices will continue to flourish and win more visibility here and overseas. This is flowing from international interest in indigenous practices, the accelerated paths towards tino rangatiratanga catalysed by government backsliding on Te Tiriti obligations and the powerful intergenerational sustainability focus within te ao Māori.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi informed approaches and demonstrable cultural competence are increasingly important for non-Māori business who want to supply or partner.
Marketing and promotions which are authentic, crafted and relational will triumph over the AI generated slop flooding search results and social media. Think email, high quality video, blogs and podcasts, events, publications and websites that share knowledge and build dialogue, rather than selling straight out of the gate.
Pre-bunking will become more necessary as offshore disinformation continues to wash up here and the public becomes increasingly wary and worn out.
People will adopt affordable and better ways to do things that make sense to them, to their communities and whānau, and to the rest of nature. Accessible content featuring real people and solutions will triumph over generic doom-saying.
Katherine Dewar
Founder and Managing Director
GoodSense
Greater transparency
In 2026, I believe Aotearoa New Zealand will see a surge in businesses and communities calling for greater transparency in our food systems, stronger protection of native biodiversity and a shift away from practices that compromise long-term ecological health. As conversations around GMOs, chemical use and monoculture land management intensify, I expect more organisations to champion regenerative, locally grounded models that honour Mātauranga Māori and the integrity of our natural ecosystems. Purpose‑driven businesses will increasingly collaborate to safeguard what makes Aotearoa New Zealand unique, recognising that true competitiveness in global markets comes from authenticity, not compromise.
Helen Paul-Smith
Co-founder, Sales & Marketing Manager
ŌKU New Zealand
New approaches to innovation
In 2025, there were many rollbacks at a regulatory and policy level in relation to climate. I hope that despite that purpose-driven startups and businesses will move towards more transparency and disclosure of their impact, even if not legally required.
We should also explore new approaches to innovation. Companies are legal fictions, so we can reinvent how they operate. For example, we could explore new concepts and approaches like “Nature as Shareholder” outlined here.
Impact investing, which combines financial return with impact, will increasingly provide funding for those who want to do things differently.
Steven Moe
Partner at Parry Field Lawyers and host of Seeds Podcast
Climate and nature
Sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand will get much more interesting – and much more commercial. Climate and nature directly shape strategy, access to capital, insurance and customer trust. The organisations pulling ahead aren’t just “doing sustainability” or telling better stories, they treat carbon and nature metrics as business intelligence – using credible data to test assumptions, price future risk and make sharper strategic choices. In 2026, sustainability and carbon impact move out of the report and into the engine room, where resilience and long-term value are built.
Rebecca Mills
CEO
The Lever Room
Nature focus
Sustainable businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand will treat nature as core infrastructure. Businesses will invest directly in restoring wetlands, forests and waterways because their dependence on, and the economic value of, thriving nature will be undeniable. The market will start rewarding those who regenerate rather than simply mitigate harm. Unified environmental reporting will give buyers a clear understanding of businesses' impacts on Te Taiao. And we’ll see a stronger push for Māori Data Sovereignty and Māori Data Governance, empowering kaitiaki and supporting Tiriti-aligned mahi across the motu.
Corey Ruha & Dr Kiri Joy Wallace
Directors
Eco-index
Climate solutions to thrive
We will hear a lot more about climate change. Unfortunately, this will be due to our hottest summer ever, more devastation caused by climate events and global pressures. These conversations will be happening against the backdrop of our general election campaign, during which we'll hear more about the climate failings from the existing government.
This setting will amplify the businesses that have been working on climate solutions for years to thrive in the mainstream, as proven solutions are no longer seen as a 'nice to have' but a 'must embrace’.
The pinch of the cost of living crisis, unfortunately, won't be eased, but with more climate news, consumers will be more aware of where they are spending their money. As a result of the economy, food rescue will continue to play an important role both to support people experiencing food insecurity, but through Foodprint, giving access to discounted kai.
Michal Garvey
Founder & Director
Foodprint