Climate Action Marlborough - Carbon, Energy, Waste and Innovation

The Marlborough of the future needs to start within our imaginations to get creative about the future that we want to be a part of and will be proud to share with our next generation.

A Marlborough that is thriving with bio-diversity, is wild and abundant, that is sprawling with wildlife corridors, that has heaving foodscapes, that is regenerative from the soil, to the sky, to the mountains, to the rivers, is filled with prosperous, healthy and thriving people and organisations that are living as one community. 

This is the Marlborough we are transitioning to for now and to the future.

Climate Action Marlborough was designed to create awareness, enhance education, and to support organisations and businesses to take action on the things that were important to them and their stakeholders that would impact the wider community.

Whether that be relating to creating a low carbon emissions economy, creating renewable energy, accessing clean water, enabling bio-diversity, optimising waste or being innovative to design solutions for the future that would create positive impact, Climate Action Marlborough brings diverse expertise together to facilitate presentations, round table discussions, immersion experiences, partner match making, collaboration sessions and fuelled by locally sourced and curated produce.

Our next event will be hosted in August.

Part 1 of the day: Lansdowne Pavilion, Lansdowne St, Mayfield (thanks to the support of Marlborough District Council)

Thursday 29th August 2024

8:45am - 9:15am - Gather, connect, learn and listen

9:15am - 9:30am - Opening, Catherine van der Meulen & Andree Piddington, Yealands Estate Wines

9:30am - 10:45am - Collaboration Sessions - Exploring Project Drawdown Table of 100 solutions for our region

Over the last 12 months we have been exploring and creating projects relating to Native Seaweed, Net Zero Buildings and Plant Rich Diets on a collective mission to enable new industries for our region that support in creating a low carbon emissions economy, highly thriving and productive community.

In this session we will be working on three diverse solutions relating to Reduced food waste, Silvopasture and On shore wind turbines.

10:45am - 11:45am - John Berry, Co-Founder, CEO & Wayfinder, Pathfinder Asset Management 

"Caring for what kind of future your investments deliver"

John Berry and Paul Brownsey co-founded Pathfinder in 2009. After years of experience making and managing money, they turned their expertise towards making and managing good money. 

By 2018 they had five different ethically invested managed fund options but wanted to bring this new way of investing to a wider audience. Enter Alvarium, a 100% New Zealand owned wealth management boutique based in Auckland (with strong global connections). 

Inspired by a future where investing was ethical, they acquired Pathfinder to support its new product launch: the Pathfinder KiwiSaver Plan (originally called CareSaver – the name has changed but the focus on care endures).

Powered by Alvarium, Pathfinder continues to balance the rational need to make money with the emotional desire to do good. Join Pathfinder on its mission of generating individual wealth and collective well-being.

11:45am - 12:15pm - Luscious and nutritious morning tea. We are committed to enabling Plant Rich catering which is supplied by Sander and the team at Karaka Kitchen.

We take a Zero Waste approach with the support and wisdom of our partners at EnviroHub Marlborough to ensure we have limited waste that goes to landfill at our events 

12:30pm - 2:00pm - Immersion Experience at Tiraki Wines, NZ's first BCorp Wine (411 New Renwick Road, Fairhall) hosted by Josh Hammond to learn more about their focusses on People, Community and Environment and a deep dive into grape marc composting, conversion to organics, integration of natives, partnerships with key community initiatives, water protection and soil development.

Transfer to Karaka Kitchen for lunch

2:15pm - 2:45pm - Luscious and nutritious lunch. We are committed to enabling Plant Rich catering which is supplied by Sander and the team at Karaka Kitchen.

2:45pm - 4:00pm - Round Table Discussions

Round Table 1: Alistair Schorn, Development Advisor, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce

Resilience through disclosure - the growing need for ongoing verification of ESG performance with credible up-to-date data, the growth of ESG performance and disclosure requirements from non-government actors in export markets 

Focused on 

- Research on business knowledge of ESG disclosure

- Support to Chamber members and the wider Marlborough business community on addressing ESG issues

- International requirements regarding ESG performance & disclosure

Round Table 2: Sydney Straver, &BLOOM Sustainability & ESG, Founder & CEO

"We're on a mission to advance ESG and sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand. With global experience in markets leading in ESG integration, we focus on exchanging best practices with Kiwi investors and businesses to strive for a future-proof economy."

Focused on

- The relationship between ESG and sustainability
- What is driving ESG integration, and why we are behind in NZ
- How we integrate ESG, and the hierarchy to it

"&BLOOM provides advisory services that empowers businesses to assess, report on, and elevate the ESG aspects, fostering continuous improvement in sustainability performance. Our services are adaptable and tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients, regardless of where they stand on their sustainability journey."

Round table 3: Bryony Greenhaigh, Pathfinder - Corporate and Community Relationships Manager

Awarded Most Ethical KiwiSaver 2021, 2022, 2023, Pathfinder are on a mission to generate individual wealth and collective well-being. The first fund manager in New Zealand to achieve B Corp™certification.

This round table is focused on financial literacy & wellbeing to empower people by providing them with education to grow both individual wealth & collective wellbeing, ethically.
By encouraging transparency & values-based decision making in the financial services, to support in finding ways to deepen the holistic business sustainability journey.

Round table 4: Joanna Santa Barbara, Nelson Tasman Climate Forum

We have much to learn from our neighbours over the hill in Nelson and the extensive work that they have been doing to educate their community on biking, regenerative agriculture, plant based nutrition, climate change, systems change, connecting to nature, behaviour change and circular economy to name just a few.

This session with Joanna will be focused on "Work Travel Plans"

"This is about companies developing systems of reducing employee use of single car commuting to work. It can involve a variety of tactics: Work from home; top-ups of public transport cards; lease-to-own electric bikes; car-pool apps and incentives; walk-to-work incentives; company car for child emergencies for parents at work without a car; provision of covered bike parking and showers and more. Some of these are being used by companies and organisations in Nelson Tasman." 

"I’d like to enthuse Marlborough companies with this initiative, which has obvious carbon emission benefits, also health benefits and improves employee retention and establishing a ‘community of practice’.

Round table 5: Kim George, Flick Energy - The Future of Energy in Aotearoa New Zealand through shared energy

"Flick is here to shake up Aotearoa’s electricity market and make things better for Kiwis and the planet. We’re putting pressure on the Electricity Authority and Government to fix the broken market by calling out the rule breakers, petitioning for the split of gentailers, and pushing hard for regulatory change."

"Energy that's affordable shouldn’t be a privilege. Times are tougher than ever for many Kiwis, and the current electricity market and its flawed design allow those that generate power to dominate the market and keep prices high across the board. We’re a voice for New Zealanders, and we’re pushing hard for reform. To meet net zero goals, it’s critical we end our reliance on fossil fuel and make the transition to green electricity for energy. That means it's more vital than ever that power is affordable and that we build more renewable generation to meet demand. But right now the price of power is putting that energy transition at risk - so we're demanding change."

Round table 6: Angel Cooper, Selmes Garden Charitable Trust

Selmes are committed to the long term sustainability and leadership in the disability employment sector to create a  sense of belonging and purpose, inclusivity in impactful decision making.

Focused on:

The importance of native revegetation initiatives in conserving New Zealand's unique biodiversity while being mindful of species that are indigenous to specific ecozones. Ways to achieve increased involvement through close community partnerships and collaboration. The importance of education and awareness of potential barriers in employment and volunteer opportunities in underrepresented groups. 

4:00pm - 5:00pm - Partner Matching through Speed Dating supported by Yealands Estate Winery

This agenda will continue to evolve, grow, shape and transform but there are always things that are consistent. Meaningful connections, brought together with healthy food, enabled by dynamic experiences to watch our community of Marlborough lead the way with diverse approaches to the status quo.

Afternoon nibbles by Karaka Kitchen and drinks shared by Yealands Estate Winery and non alcoholic beverages.

A few things to note 

- The Humanitix booking fee will be donated to children's charities such as Manaia Kalani https://www.manaiakalani.org to support closing the education gap in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

What to expect from an Immersion Experience

Each of our partner organisations will host an immersion experience in Marlborough. Through a tour of their facilities, you will see, feel, taste, smell and hear about the work they are doing and have done on their journey to create an environmentally and financially viable business that reflects the needs of their consumers, while paying close attention to the footprint they leave on this world and in our communities.

Hosted by the founders and leadership teams, you will get the opportunity to learn and be inspired directly by the leaders in Aotearoa, New Zealand in activating this meaningful work. 

What to expect from the days activities

Our Climate Action activities, collaboration sessions, round table discussions and presentations have been designed to create interactive and meaningful educational experiences to further enable your learning and action oriented journey.

What to expect from our meaningful meals?

Each food experience will be a celebration, showcasing the amazing produce found right here in Marlborough. Each meal will delight & surprise, using locally sourced and produced ingredients. We are committed to enabling and educating aligned to Plant Rich Diets so our food shared will be grounded on the principles for plant rich foods.

Who’s behind Climate Action Week?

Founded by Catherine van der Meulen from THINK Business, Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose and Girls who Grow, Catherine connected with the community of Marlborough to support the initiatives and has quickly developed a tribe of locals who are keen to support and drive the activities, initiatives and awareness in our community.

Steering Committee

Andree Paddington - Yealands Estate Wines, Heather Donachie - Export Logistics, Edwin Massey - New Zealand Wine Growers,  Tom Powell - Climate Karanga Marlborough, Kylie Matthews - AWWA Period underwear and Tayla Hayes - Graeme Dingle Foundation

As we know, it takes a village! And this is no different. As individuals it can often feel overwhelming on where to start, but as a community we can approach it differently to have a greater impact.

Founding Sponsor

Yealands Estate Winery. 

“We are not going to make the collective changes required to address climate change by making people feel guilty.  The way to success is to positively engage people, share and promote positive examples and to work together to tackle key issues.  I am looking forward to working with Catherine and the team to deliver a focussed event to highlight our environmental champions, educate and encourage action across the region.” Yealands Estate Wines

Community Partners 

EnviroHub Marlborough, Climate Karanga Marlborough, Mission Zero and Marlborough Chamber of Commerce.