Adele Rose, 3R Group
Adele has been a driving force behind product stewardship in Aotearoa New Zealand for 17 years, as Chief Executive of 3R Group. Under her leadership, the organisation has designed and implemented several product stewardship schemes. They include Tyrewise, Auto Stewardship NZ, Resene Paintwise, Dulux Paint and Packaging Take Back, SeatSmart and more.
Amber Craig, Te Whare Hangahanga
Amber established Te Whare Hangahanga, a kaupapa Māori enterprise focused on designing and implementing sustainable, affordable and healthy housing solutions for whānau and communities. The initiative integrates digital technology with traditional Māori knowledge.
Andrea Edwards, Eco Choice Aotearoa
In less than a year in her role as Head of Standards at Eco Choice, Andrea phased in modern slavery and social accountability criteria into the ecolabel’s standards. She has elevated building and construction standards and helped transform Eco Choice into a holistic mark of sustainable leadership.
Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari
This tourism business incorporates scientific data collection, knowledge sharing and environmental outcomes into daily tourism operations. Since 2000 it has been collecting and sharing research data from over 11,000 marine mammal and megafauna encounters.
Charissa Snijders Architect CSA
Charissa Snijders Architect has created ‘Reverence Architecture’. This shifts away from a linear model to one that works through an indigenous lens. It integrates regenerative practice, Living Buildings, biomimicry, sacred form and Tikanga Māori.
Daniel Fasnacht, Peekaboo Backyard Eatery
Daniel Fasnacht created four thriving hospitality venues in the Far North built on regenerative values and local partnerships. He empowers young people through mentorship, revitalises supply chains through iwi and micro-producer partnerships and leads by example with solar-powered, zero waste innovation.
EcoMatters Environment Trust & Auckland Transport
EcoMatters’ bike hub network in Auckland is a community-led partnership operated with support from Auckland Transport which helps fund and coordinate the service. The bike hub network develops skills in the community to prolong the life of bikes, including harvesting used parts.
ecostore
For more than 30 years, ecostore has made safe products for people and the planet. It has evolved into a company that pushes the boundaries of innovation, leading conversations around sustainability and advocating for the environment.
Eden Juice
Eden Juice is a growing fruit juice business that only uses upcycled fruit, pays growers fairly and sticks to 100% pure ingredients. Since 2017 it has saved four million kg of cherries, blueberries and stonefruit from landfill.
GoodSense
GoodSense is an ethical marketing company. It’s a certified B Corp, advocates for change and is the first communications/marketing company in NZ to ‘Comms Declare’ it won’t support fossil fuel companies.
Greenbox
Greenbox gives IT hardware a second life through reuse, refurbishment and recycling. This reduces carbon emissions and toxic waste, as well as helping social equity.
Jasmine Faulkner, Phoenix Recycling Group
Under Jasmine Faulker’s leadership, Phoenix Recycling Group has set up a recovery programme for the safe collection of all types of batteries, including hazardous lithium batteries. This forms the backbone of a nationwide circular economy for batteries.
Jonathan Mountfort, Autex Acoustics
Under Jonathan’s leadership, Autex Acoustics launched Embrace, a Nature Positive-certified acoustic system made from NZ wool and timber. He champions systems that enable people and nature to thrive.
Kate Meyer, The Planetary Accounting Network
Kate established the Planetary Accounting Network to address the lack of information people need to make environmentally-sound decisions. She founded a non-profit to help people use this information and a tech start-up to scale it.
Krissy Bishop, Te Pu-a-Nga Maara
Krissy is the powerhouse driver behind Te Pu-a-Nga Maara, a rangatahi-led taiao collective in South Auckland. Kaupapa-driven to her core, she is growing the next generation of environmental leaders from the ground up.
Levela Deconstruction
Levela Deconstruction replaces conventional demolition with a manual deconstruction process that salvages valuable materials for reuse.
Louise Saunders, Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust
As CEO of Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust, Louise is rethinking short-term conservation funding. Her vision centres on biodiversity credits as the pathway to long-term financial models, where iwi and hapū groups become self-sustaining kaitiaki of their ancestral lands.
Otaki Kids Market
The Ōtaki Kids Market is a thriving community hub that empowers young entrepreneurs (aged 5-19) to showcase their products, develop business skills and understand sustainable practices. More than 600 young entrepreneurs have participated and more than 70% have adopted sustainable practices.
Pact Group
Pact Group is creating smarter ways of reducing waste through reusing and recycling resources, to keep them in circulation well into the future. It focuses on circular packaging innovations and industry stewardship programmes.
Patrick Moynahan, Echo
Patrick has grown Echo from a small local recycler into New Zealand’s largest e-waste processor, diverting more than four million kilograms of e-waste annually and achieving New Zealand’s first carbon positive certification in the sector.
Planetary Facts Steering Group
Led by the Planetary Accounting Network, the Planetary Facts Steering Group is simplifying how environmental performance is measured and communicated across the food and fibre sector. The group brings together business executives and subject experts to resolve complex, systemic challenges and accelerate access to data.
Rangi Ruru Girls' School
This school’s Te Ara programme has enabled students to implement school-wide and community initiatives. Students are mentored as leaders, and initiatives include a reuse depot, a native nursery, mentoring for other schools, and hosting international events and regional hui.
Reclaim
Reclaim’s annual Recycling Week campaign has become New Zealand’s flagship waste minimisation campaign. It includes free resources to inspire behaviour change and more than 500 organisations take part.
Replay NZ Charitable Trust
Replay collects and redistributes new and used sports gear for families who need it, making physical activity more affordable. It has a network of donation points and community partners. So far 48,000 items have been reused and reconnected into the community.
Slash for Cash
Slash for Cash is a grassroots response to the climate crisis and community hardship. Born from the cyclone-impacted East Coast, it transforms hazardous wood slash into biochar and clear fuel.
Stella H Jeon, Eco Choice Aotearoa
Since joining Eco Choice Aotearoa in 2022, Stella has played a key role in growing the value of certified products by 25%. In her role as Head of Strategic Partnerships, she works closely with businesses to reduce their environmental impact. Her storytelling skills and strategic insights have played a big part in lifting the ecolabel’s profile.
Stephanie Martin, The Repurpose Project
As founder of The Repurpose Project, Stephanie has worked with councils, builders and waste providers to help transition the construction and demolition industry towards circular practices. She blends grassroots action with academic research.
Steven Moe, Seeds Podcast & Parry Field Lawyers
As a Partner at Parry Field Lawyers, Steven has helped set up dozens of legal entities at the forefront of innovation. He is Chair of Community Finance, which has raised more than $400 million for social housing. Plus, he runs the Seeds podcast and has shared 450 conversations focused on innovation and regeneration.
Te Whangai Trust
Adrienne and Gary Dalton of Te Whangai Trust have transformed their farm over two decades into a social enterprise. There, rangatahi and those excluded from employment gain life and work skills growing native plants for ecological restoration.
TechCollectNZ
TechCollect has created New Zealand’s first national e-waste stewardship scheme. Through a network of 39 collection sites it has diverted almost 600 tonnes of e-waste from landfills.
The Bond Store
The Bond Store is a small distillery on the Kāpiti Coast that produces small-batch spirits using botanicals from the whānau farm. It collects and reuses bottles and minimises waste, and hosts multiple community events.
The Hotel Britomart & Velskov
Nourishing Nature is New Zealand’s first hotel-led regenerative tourism experience. Created by The Hotel Britomart and native forest farm Velskov, it immerses guests in forest ecosystems through foraging, forest-cooked meals and native tree planting.
Trent Fulcher, Starboard Maritime Intelligence
In just two years, Trent Fulcher has guided Starboard Maritime Intelligence from a research tool into a globally accessible platform. Today, it supports maritime decision-makers around the world to protect ecosystems and manage risk.
Waikato RiverCare
Waikato RiverCare leads long-term river restoration by combining science, community and mātauranga Māori. It co-develops practical capacity-building programmes for iwi kaitiaki - empowering future environmental leaders.
Zak Shaw, Development West Coast
Zak leads the Nature Economy Project at Development West Coast. This is a regenerative, community-driven project that puts nature at the heart of economic development. Zak unites and inspires businesses, iwi, farmers, educators and community groups behind a shared vision.
