Adapting for Tomorrow: New Zealand’s Leadership in Sustainability and Trust.

by Peter Chrisp, Chief Executive, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

You have had such a varied career, but what is it personally that inspires you to be committed to the environment?  

I was born and bred on the East Coast and for some reason, that's always felt important to me. My family arrived on the East Coast in the 1860s and they have always been very committed to the region and to the environment.  I also lived in Kawerau for a long time, learning the importance of good quality work. I saw what happens to communities when there's not sustainable economic activity and that clarion call of good quality work has been a massive driver in all the roles that I’ve undertaken.   

What concerns you about our environment?  

Through my work with NZTE and EXPO, I connected to the story of the Whanganui River. “Kō au te Āwa, kō te Āwa kō au, I am the river; the river is me.”  It resonated with me because it was about people and the environment as one entity. I worry when that gets out of balance. Clearly, we're facing some existential threats with the climate, so we must face into that dilemma either by how we mitigate or how we adapt. 

The Circle’s ESG report by Chapman Tripp Protecting New Zealand’s Competitive Advantage found that 80% of our exporters (by value) are going to markets that have mandatory ESG reporting in force or proposed. How was that valuable? 

When that statistic came out, it was part of the cacophony of sound around what is going on globally around sustainability and was a useful indicator to back up a lot of what NZTE was hearing and feeling. 

Before Covid, NZTE was working with a whole range of companies who were seeking premiums from consumers who would pay more for sustainability credentials.  But Covid put a huge dent in that with rampant inflation.  Since then, there’s been an emergence of governments prepared to regulate around sustainability, and large multinational retailers, banks and investment houses also applying pressure.  

So how does that cascade back to New Zealand?  

You can put a normal curve over New Zealand businesses and divide it into the vanguard, the middle of the curve and those who are not there yet. There’s a pretty big group in the middle who are focusing on more pressing issues. It's moving, but it's not there yet. As a generalisation, the more an exporter is exposed to premium international markets, especially food, beverage and consumer goods, the more they will be progressive on their sustainability credentials. 

Reflecting on NZTE’s work with Te Hono. What has it taught you?  

The importance of scaling trust.  There was a certain authenticity to the engagement that people needed to have in that environment and it's through authenticity and vulnerability that you start to build trust amongst people.  When you have trust of that depth and magnitude, then you can start doing a lot together.  I think The Aotearoa Circle is a good vehicle for that. You've got people who share cause, purpose and passion. I'm always very conscious of the fact that we're on an island in the South Pacific and all of us are duty bound to reach out into the world and understand best practise, so scaling trust, bracketed with outside-in competency, is the recipe for action. 

In 2020, you described Aotearoa as one of the best countries in the world and for the world, citing many progressive achievements. Do you still feel optimistic about this given today's global and economic challenge? 

Yes, I am still optimistic because I believe New Zealanders are inherently ingenious. I also believe we have a deep sense of care. Many companies are innovating for good. Just look at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare making infant respirator technology, Sealord designing nets that let small fish go free, Halter innovating around geo-fencing, with big environmental applications.  I go back to the Whanganui River as an example of innovation. When the river was given legal personhood, it was the first time in the world that had been done. Now many other parts of the world have adopted this innovation. I think this combines the two dimensions of our country’s story – that we innovate, and we care, and in fact we innovate because we care.  So, do I still feel optimistic that we're a good country and that we're good for the world? Yes, I do. I feel optimistic because there's a lot of inherent innovation, a lot of ingenuity and there's a lot of care. 

There are some signs of progress, but also ongoing doubts about whether we can fix things in time, what do you think? 

It makes me think of an episode of Our Planet where Sir David Attenborough visited Chernobyl.  There were vines growing all over the old Chernobyl buildings and trees growing through the concrete in the courtyard. Sir David said, “What do you see here? Nature is recovering.”  I think the dilemma is that it’s not the threat to nature here, but the threat to the human species. Given enough time, nature will adapt, but the challenge for us is to also adapt. Those who are least able to afford adaption will probably be the most deeply affected. I think things will be fixed, but who will be the casualties, and how will these be distributed?