This Climate Business
Episodes
Follow the climate money – Climate VC Fund
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rohan MacMahon and Jez Weston are co-founders of the Climate VC Fund – a fund that invest in emission reductions technologies in NZ and Australia. T...
The End of Smoke on the Water? Michael Eaglen, EV Maritime
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Auckland’s ferries, which burn 13 million litres of diesel every year and produce 20 percent of the city’s public transport emissions, are about t...
Super Clean, Super Green – Cleanery’s Mark and Ellie Sorenson
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1993, school boy Mark Sorenson got 20/20 for an essay about the dangers of plastic packaging. 29 years later Mark and his business partner and wife...
Why, what and who of Auckland Climate Festival - Michelle Kennedy
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Kennedy is the co-founder of the Auckland Climate Festival, a celebration of all things climate change, ranging from bike tours to investor m...
Going nuts for bananas: Simon Coley of All Good and Karma Drinks
25 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Coley is the co-founder of All Good Organics, the pioneering importer of ethical bananas, and also of Karma Drinks, famous for its Karma Cola.Ka...
Climate and Business Conference: Mike Burrell, Sustainable Business Council
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Next week sees the return of the Climate and Business conference, New Zealand’s most important get-together for government, business, and community ...
Facing the food challenge: Peter Wren-Hilton, 2035 Oceania Summit
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
2035 Oceania Summit is an ambitious event combining the food, agriculture, and tech sectors to address the impact of climate change on food. Hel...
A Greener kind of Grass: The Lawnmowing Franchise Operator that went Electric
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If Waikato-based lawnmowing franchise LawnRite has anything to do with it, petrol-powered garden equipment is on the way out. It has replaced its mowe...
Steve Bonnici: Urgent Courier Cargo Bikes
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Auckland-based Urgent Couriers was the country’s first carbon-neutral transport company; if you were in Auckland in the 90’s you’ll likely remem...
A new shoe for you? Why not. Jeremy Bank, YY Nation
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fast fashion is responsible for packaging, energy use, waste and consumerism at their worst. If there was ever an industry ready for a make over, it w...
Building a Circular Economy – Louise Nash, Circularity
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What goes around comes around. The toxins we build into products come back to poison us sooner or later. It’s the circular economy at work. So imagi...
Potatoes to the Rescue! Hamish Dodd about his Plastic Alternative
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are drowning in plastics, in our soil, our oceans, our foodchain, and recently discovered as nanoparticles in our gut. Mmmmm nanoplastics.The gover...
No, it won't destroy your Business: Why Removing Parking is a Good Idea
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Few public debates get heated more quickly than the one around replacing kerbside parking with transit lanes or bike paths. How do we make the convers...
Behind The Plug: Electric Vehicle Smart Charging
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Electric vehicles are on their way, but is New Zealand’s grid ready for them? Christchurch-based Evnex makes clever chargers that refuel your car an...
Carbon Farming on Māori Land - Blair Jamieson, Tāmata Hauhā
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So much farmland – a million hectares according to one estimate – is mostly unfarmable because its erosion-prone, too steep, or inaccessible. In d...
How to sell climate change: Jo Bye, EECA
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most of the population accepts that climate change is real. Most want to do something about it. But what shall we ask them to do? And what’s the bes...
A Circular Economy Turnaround Story: Comvita
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comvita is much loved for its honey products - who doesn’t love bees and their fluffy bums. But a renewed focus on sustainability has seen the compa...
What will farmers commit to on GHGs? Kelly Forster, He Waka Eke Noa
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month farmers are discussing their approach to managing GHG emissions - as the road show for He Waka Eke Noa comes to an end. He Waka Eke Noa is ...
Making a Big Beast Change Direction Quickly: Moving NZ's Transport and Heating Systems to Net-Zero. With Dr. Richard Meade
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand’s transport system relies on fossil fuels. The technologies that heat our homes and businesses aren’t much better. What will it take t...
A plant-based future for NZ: Jade Gray, Off-Piste Provisions
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The job of transitioning the primary sector from cows to plants will be a long but necessary journey. So if you were looking for someone to show the w...
How we can transition to an equitable and low-carbon transport system with
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, New Zealanders drive 35 billion kilometres by car – the equivalent of Earth to Mars and back 325 times. Māori and Pasifika miss out far...
Bees to Bioplastic – Veronica Harwood Stevenson, Humblebee
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a thing called the SIN List. Standing for Substitute It Now, the list identifies the chemicals in our textiles, furniture, food, and daily l...
Tackling building waste – Dr Teri-Ann Berry
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I speak with Dr Terri-Ann Berry, Associate Professor at Auckland’s Unitec and the co-founder of the Environmental Solutions Research Centre and the ...
IPCC Report Part 3 – The insider’s guide, with Prof Dave Frame
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Vincent is joined by Professor Dave Frame, Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (CCRI) at Victoria University and a...
Streetscape reallocation with Dr Kirsty Wild
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In more than 150 cities around the world, Covid 19 has been what you might call a shot in the arm for walking and cycling. To encourage social distanc...
Building for Zero - Andrew Eagles, Green Building Council
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Buildings are responsible for around 20 percent of New Zealand’s carbon footprint. Which makes the building sector a critical part of the ambition t...
Live from COP26 - Olivia Wannan, Stuff
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Olivia Wannan is one of a handful of New Zealand journalists to attend COP26 in Glasgow, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful to watch as the ...
E-Biking On a Roll – Mike Tritt, Electrify NZ
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you think you're seeing more e-bikes on the roads, you're not wrong. In New Zealand, their sales are soaring. But it wasn't always this way; the e-...
James Shaw’s Rotten Week – with Dr David Hall and Dr Victoria Hatton
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Climate Change Minister James Shaw’s announcement was met with stinging criticism. Generation Zero said it was a ‘disgrace’. Forest&Bi...
Hydrogen at the Docks - Rosie Mercer, Ports of Auckland
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you kickstart New Zealand’s hydrogen fuel network? Enter Ports of Auckland. It is one of the world’s first ports to open a hydrogen refuell...
Rethinking suburbia with Eloise Gibson, Stuff
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Suburbs are the invention of another era. Far flung from the city centre, removed from places of work and largely made of stand-alone houses, suburbs ...
Remodelling Meal Kits - MenuAid’s Toby Skilton
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If your family is like Vincent’s, then you’ll love meal kits but hate the packaging –polystyrene meat trays, foil bags and more plastic wrap tha...
The Love Oat - Morgan Maw, Boring Oat Milk
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand grows great oats and makes excellent oat milk, in Sweden. Yes NZ oats are shipped to Sweden where they are processed and returned to our s...
Vote Climate! The Team aiming for the Vector Board, via Entrust
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coming up: an election you probably won’t vote in for an entity you’ve probably not heard of. That’s right, it’s the tri-annual vote for the E...
IPCC Report Part 3 – The Insider’s Guide, with Professor Dave Frame
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Vincent is joined by Professor Dave Frame, Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (CCRI) at Victoria University and a...
IPCC Report: Rod Oram on Business Laggards and Leaders
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Vincent asks Rod Oram to explain the implications of the latest IPCC for business. Does the stark reality set out in the report change what...
Unpacking the IPCC with Dr Victoria Hatton, Marc Daalder
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why has the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) –said human influence on climate is now unequivocable? Didn’t ...
The new era of farming with Melissa Clark-Reynolds
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What future does sheep and beef farming have in a climate changed world? Serial entrepreneur and relentless optimist, Melissa Clark-Reynolds sits on t...
Investing in Climate Ventures - Rohan MacMahon and Dr Jez Weston
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Climate Venture Capital Fund is a new venture investment fund that invests in, you guessed it, climate ventures. It’s the first of its kind in New Z...
Live at Spark Innovation Studio: Annabell Chartres and Vincent Heeringa
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Vincent spoke alongside PWC’s Annabell Chartres at Spark Innovation Studio about Sustainability in Tech, one in a series put on by the Spa...
Organic Fantastic: Chris Morrison, Founder All Good Organics and Karma Drinks
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Morrison does not stop. He’s the founder of Phoenix Drinks, All Good Organics and Karma Drinks (makers of Karma Cola). He co-founded the Susta...
The insider: Pippa Coom on the gap between Auckland’s climate words and actions
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pippa Coom is a rare Auckland Councillor who is championing climate change action and a faster shift to active transport. So how does she rate the cou...
Green, keen and clean: EcoStore’s Tony Morpeth
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
EcoStore’s Tony Morpeth has been making environmentally friendly household cleaners for more than 20 years. Back then he was a pioneer, working for ...
The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the heart of Mt Albert, Auckland, is one of the oldest gardens in NZ. The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden was first planted by Maori in pre-...
NZ food done like it should be: The Chia Sisters
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Chia Sisters is the kind of food company we dream of in New Zealand. Lovingly created by a family business and bottled in a solar-powered factory,...
#Liberatethelane! The Auckland Harbour Bridge Protest
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last Sunday a remarkable thing happened. Along with 2000 of my best friends I rode over the Auckland harbour bridge on my bicycle. I was surpirsed how...
Transport Policy just went off the Rails. WTF? Paul Winton, 1point5
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Transport represents almost half of CO2 emisisons in NZ. In Auckland, its higher, at 67%. After agriculture with our burbing cows, transport is the mo...
Will Carbon Farming get us to Net Zero? Dr Sean Weaver, Ekos
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Sean Weaver, CEO and founder of Ekos, is a pioneer in using carbon credits to fund indigenous forests, at scale. Which is handy, because we need th...
Do Happy Cows Burp Funny Gas? Glen Herud, Happy Cow Milk Company
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Vincent talks to the indefatigable Glen Herud, dairy pioneer and founder of the Happy Cow Milk Company – where cows keep their young, the ...
Making Waste Pay: Toby Skilton of Mutu and Oliver Hunt of MedSalv
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Where there’s muck there’s brass. In this episode Vincent talk to two entrepreneurs using technology to address waste problems at source. Oliver ...
The advantage of native forests: Sir Stephen Tindall, Dame Anne Salmond and more!
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Vincent attended the launch of O Tātou Ngāhere, a joint venture between Tāne’s Tree Trust and business lobby group Pure Advantage. They...
The Future of Transport is Small – Micromobility Co-Founder Oliver Bruce
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change sucks, but there are some upsides. Electric skateboards being one. E-scooters being the other. In fact the whole micromobility revoluti...
Is He Happy Now? James Shaw on the Climate Change Commission and COP26
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the co-leader of the NZ Greens and the minister for Climate Change, James Shaw has defied his critics to get climate change on the government agend...
Is the Climate Change Commission ambitious enough? Rod Oram and Marc Daalder
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The NZ Climate Change Commission released its landmark report late January. The 650-page discussion document sets an agenda for how New Zealand could ...
What is Project Drawdown? With Rohan MacMahon
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the en...
What is Climate Justice? With Jo Spratt, Director with Oxfam NZ
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the en...
Who Cares About Methane? With Eloise Gibson, Stuff.co.nz
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the en...
What is Climate Finance? With Alex Jonston, Oxfam NZ
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the en...
What is shareholder activism? By Barry Coates, Mindful Money
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the en...
Auckland’s Transport Emissions Challenge: Shane Ellison, CEO, Auckland Transport
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Auckland Climate Plan sets a target of reducing GHG emissions by half by 2030. Now, we know that largest single chunk of Auckland’s emissions –...
Jacinda declares climate emergency! So what does that actually mean?
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Prime Minister Jacinda Adern declared a Climate Emergency. In Parliament she said: “This declaration is an acknowledgement of the next gen...
Replace the plastic bag with a better bag! Kate Bezar, The Better Packaging Company
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Starting with replacing those awful one-use plastic courier bags, the company now offers alternatives to plastic gloves, gift wrap, sticky labels an...
Why do more women (than men) choose ethical investment?
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
More women than men choose ethical investments. Why? John Berry is the founder and CEO of Pathfinder Asset Management, an investment fund and manager ...
Hey Jacinda: it’s time to walk your talk on climate action. Russel Norman, Greenpeace
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With a mandate to rule and all the tools in place, this Labour government has everything it needs reduce New Zealand’s emissions. So, what’s the h...
The Outrageous Waste of Food: Deborah Manning, Kiwi Harvest
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every year New Zealand food industry sends 103,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill. Some 60% of that food going to landfill is edible. Burying food ...
How to Stop Owning a Stupid Metal Box: Erik Zyderfelt, Mevo
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you sick of owning an expensive, polluting metal box called a car? Me too. Mine sits in the garage taking up real estate and costing me bomb in ma...
Labour’s Big Mandate: here’s how they should use it. Gary Taylor, Environmental Defence Society
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Few names have been associated longer with conservation and environmental protest than Gary Taylor. The executive director of the Environmental Defenc...
Is Sheep and Beef Farming already Carbon Neutral? Possibly, Dr Brad Case, AUT
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s a surprise for you. It’s possible that sheep and beef farms could already be net carbon neutral in NZ. According to a new report, sheep and...
Farming sustainably, at scale. Can it be done? Forbes Elworthy, co-founder of Craigmore Sustainables
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Craigmore Sustainables is the only New Zealand land manager that operates at scale in each of New Zealand’s three core primary sectors: horticulture...
Creating a 1000m water spout for renewable electricity? Yes, says tech investor Brent Ogilvie
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Could a water spout almost a kilometre high be harnessed to create electricity from waste industrial heat? Yes, says tech investor Brent Ogilvie. Bren...
Auckland’s Bold Climate Plan: Can it halve Emissions in just 9 Years?
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Auckland Climate Action Plan sets out a bold agenda to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The changes required are profound. If you think fix...
Lakes, tomatoes and seaweed: what are the 70 best Kiwi climate tech ideas?
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jez Weston and Rohan MacMahon are technologists scouring New Zealand to find the best and brightest projects to address climate change. Or more specif...
Labour’s promise for 100% renewable by 2030: smart or cynical?
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the Labour Party unveiled an election promise to bring forward by five years the goal of 100 percent renewable electricity generation to 2...
The Native Trees Conundrum: Adele Fitzpatrick of Trees That Count
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Should native forests be harvested? Can they compete with pine as carbon sinks? And is biodiversity a better measure than carbon? Adele is the CEO of ...
How to get 250K electric vehicles by 2025: Mark Gilbert of DriveElectric
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What if I told you that former head of BMW in NZ now wants gas-guzzling, polluting cars off the road and replaced with low-emissions electric vehicles...
Hyrdrogen: hype, hope or happening?
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hydrogen is a fantastic energy source: abundant, clean, light and highly flammable. But can it overcome its biggest hurdle: cost of production? Andrew...
Sun, Power and the Todd Corp: The Story of Sunergise
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The sun is the greatest source of free energy for the Earth – so why don’t we tap into it more? The team at Sunergise are changing that on an indu...
Ireland’s sensational climate change plan: Prof Robert McLachlan
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Republic of Ireland just passed the most ambitious climate change plan of any developed country. With a commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and ...
King of the Roads: meet Scott Simpson, National’s spokesperson on Climate Change
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of our meet-your-next-prospective6-climate-minister series we are joined by Scott Simpson, National Party’s spokesperson on Environmen...
Auckland’s bold new climate action plan: Can it do this? Really?
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Auckland City passed the Auckland Climate Action plan – a bold commitment to halve emissions by 2030. The plan puts into action Auckland’...
Have you invested in big oil today? Barry Coates can tell you, now
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is your KiwiSaver invested in porn, weapons and ciggies? Does it have a stake in fossil fuels and palm oil plantations? How would you know? And what c...
Climate and Vote 2020: Geoff Simmons of The Opportunities Party
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TOP rocketed to fame in the last election off the back of its former leader Gareth Morgan attacking pretty much everything: government, the opposition...
Can capitalism save the planet? A review of ‘More From Less’
12 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a break from interviews this week, Vincent reviews the breakthrough book More From Less, by Andrew McAfee. Describing green growth as ‘Humani...
The climate front-line: Eloise Gibson, climate change editor
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eloise Gibson is New Zealand’s first reporter to be appointed a climate change editor in a mainstream media outlet. The award-winning business journ...
EV Conversion Man: Theo Gibson of the EV Podcast
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I had a great chat with EV converter and enthusiast Theo Gibson (EV Podcast host) about his own car conversion and the direction of ...
The Gulf War: James Frankham’s crusade for the Hauraki Gulf
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
James Frankham is on a war path. The publisher of New Zealand Geographic and outdoor adventurer is outraged by the decline of the Hauraki Gulf, the so...
Chair up! A good news story about us and the USA. Richard Shirtcliffe of Noho
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Noho is a Kiwi furniture start-up taking Kiwi sustainability to the USA. Noho’s chairs are made of recycled fishing nets and the first of a line of ...
Time for a sustainability commissioner? Sir Peter Gluckman and Anne Bardsley
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Peter Gluckman says New Zealand is woeful at long-term planning – and the environment suffers as a result. In the latest paper from Koi Tū: The...
One billion trees is only half the answer - Marty Verry of Red Stag Timber
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Forests are only part of the answer to dealing with climate change, warns Marty Verry, CEO of Red Stag Timber, NZ’s largest timber mill. He says the...
Budget 2020: The Missed Opportunity
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How green was the Budget? Billed as transformational it contains big dollops of cash for the environment, rail, ferries, housing and insulation. So ...
Vaughan Fergusson – Kids, climate change, billionaires and school camps
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Vaughan Fergusson (formerly Rowsell) is the founder of Vend, the Kiwi tech success. Last year he started the Institute of Awesome, based on a rambling...
Julie Anne Genter – On bikes, trains and automobiles
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Covid-19 ‘rebound’ is the perfect opportunity to create a low-emissions transport system, right? Julie Anne Genter thinks so. The Green MP and...
Rod Drury and Roger Dennis: a post-Covid-19 plan for NZ
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What if there was a plan for a post-Covid-19 recovery – and not just a plan but an ambition? Rod Drury and Roger Dennis want to create a cross-secto...
The new era of farming with Melissa Clark-Reynolds
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What future does sheep and beef farming have in a climate changed world? Serial entrepreneur and relentless optimist, Melissa Clark-Reynolds sits on t...
The Offset Business with Jan Czaplicki of CarbonClick
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
JanCzaplicki was one of the guys behind Air New Zealand’s carbon offsetting technology. But Jan and his business partner Paul Brady experienced an e...
Vehicles are the low-hanging fruit: Dr Paul Winton
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To rebuild a post-Covid economy and meet our zero emissions targets, where do we start? After trees and agriculture, there’s one sector that would m...
Inside the mind of denial: Dr David Hall
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people deny facts that are plain to everyone else? Whether it’s about Covid-19, climate change or vaccines, some will defy the scientifi...
Fossil fuels' funeral: Sir Jonathon Porritt
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As if the collapse in the oil price isn't enough, the fossil fuel industry is about to get one massive spanking, says Sir Jonathon Porritt, leading en...
Electric Ferries with Michael Eaglen of EV Maritime
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When he’s not working every hour that he’s been given, you’ll find Michael Eaglen out on the Hauraki Gulf with his wife and two sons, in a keele...