We’re on a mission to generate $34 million of investment in nature regeneration work over five years. Working with other charities and government we believe can take investment on these crucial issues into the billions.
That will mark a real turning point. But it will take all of us to make this a reality!
As organisations we have to align our work, our procurement and our investments to this course. We have to prioritise the regeneration of nature and communities. We have to shift beyond the idea of sponsorships and donations. We need to start making strategically aligned investments in action on climate, biodiversity and community.
One of the best things about my job is the opportunity to talk to all kinds of business people every day. Right now, nearly everyone I speak to has complex challenges. Post-pandemic, many are struggling to source supplies and recruit and retain skilled staff.
But they are also very aware of the urgent need to act on climate, design out waste and regenerate nature. Just this week New Zealand King Salmon has been in the news, struggling to save its fish stocks from over-heated seas. The tourist industry is warning that tourism will continue to suffer unless our natural wonders are protected and revived. Farmers are on the front line of climate change, facing droughts, floods and storm damage to their operations. They’re also feeling the pressure to shift to ways of working that repair the damage done and help nature flourish on farm.
More and more organisations are prioritising this. They’re responding to the enormous emerging potential it represents. They're looking forward to a circular economy in which resources are never abandoned to become waste or pollution.
This is challenging stuff, and there’s still a skills gap. We partnered with Oxygen Consulting on a recent annual sustainability professionals survey. Sustainability professionals are not convinced their organisations are investing in sustainability at the appropriate scale.
Here’s where we can help.
Our Network has had a focus on protecting the natural world since its inception. And since 2014 we’ve been working directly with community and mana whenua groups to regenerate nature across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our Million Metres Streams Project is based on a pioneering combination of support from local authorities, government, philanthropy and business. Our work in the Hauraki Gulf aims at some of the root causes of its degradation.
Together we’ve already enabled the planting of more than 750,000 native trees and plants. We’ve supported the restoration of more than a million square metres of land, including 80km of waterway. With our local partners we’ve provided employment opportunities in nature regeneration for 169 people.
But it’s not enough. So we’ve switched up a gear. We’ve secured $6 million of funding from the government’s Jobs for Nature Fund, administered by the Department of Conservation.
We’re now establishing new ways of creating nature regeneration careers within these projects And we've started a massive new project along the Puhinui Stream in South Auckland, supporting mana whenua and community groups.
Our website now has free ‘shovel ready’ guides for nature regeneration. They're perfect for businesses, farmers, growers, and rural landowners ready to do their bit.
We’re also developing and trialing the best ways for businesses to invest in nature regeneration. That includes ensuring those investments provide real returns. That means more long term success, more customers, reduced costs, innovation. It means better staff recruitment, retention and performance.
Through our Regenerating Nature Partnership we’re also exploring the development of ‘nature credit’ systems. We have to embed regenerating biodiversity into our economy, along with action on carbon.
If you’re in our network, you’re already part of this. Five percent of all SBN fees goes directly into our field projects on nature regeneration. (If you’re not, there’s never been a better time to join us). But this is only the start and we are keen to do more with you.
What we need right now is more organisations getting behind this work with serious, appropriate investment. Contact us now if that’s something you can make happen, and we can talk about some amazing opportunities for you. You can email alaina@sustainable.org.nz for an immediate response.