Entries Open For 2025 Sustainable Business Awards
Finalists of the Sustainable Business Awards form the Next list an annual list of innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations leading us towards a better future. In 2024, there were 95 organisations and people on the list (the …
Entries are now open for the 2025 Sustainable Business Awards, New Zealand's pre-eminent sustainability awards. Now in their 23rd year, the Awards celebrate outstanding innovation and leadership in sustainability. Entry is free and open to all.
Rachel Brown ONZM, CEO and founder of the Sustainable Business Network, which runs the Awards, says: 'For more than two decades, these awards have recognised people and organisations leading the charge.
'Sustainability alone isn't enough – and that's why these Awards have evolved to showcase those driving bold action and groundbreaking innovation.
'We're looking for a rich diversity of entrants – not just across sectors like construction, energy, food and mobility, but in the way organisations approach sustainability,' she says.
'That includes a range of business models and the integration of te ao Māori perspectives. We need to support sustainable innovators to help them grow and inspire others.'
NZI, the Principal Partner of the Sustainable Business Awards, is dedicated to building a prosperous, sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand.
Garry Taylor, NZI executive general manager, says: 'NZI is proud to support emerging leaders and solutions that showcase the very best in sustainable innovation'.
Finalists of the Sustainable Business Awards form the 'Next' list – an annual list of innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations leading us towards a better future. In 2024, there were 95 organisations and people on the list (the 'Next 95 '), selected by a panel of independent judges.
Rachel says those on the Next list are bringing potentially groundbreaking new ideas across multiple sectors: 'Anyone can have the chance to get on the coveted Next list, or even win, and one simple entry form is all it takes!'
The Award categories are:
Disruptive Innovation – groundbreaking products, services, technologies or business models designed with sustainability and circular economy principles at their core.
Transformational Leadership – visionary leaders (individuals or teams) championing long-term, transformational changes towards a regenerative circular economy.
Entries close on 27 June 2025. The winners will be announced at a celebration in November.
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
I've got cancer so how should I invest my KiwiSaver?
True, you miss out on higher average returns. But you don't need the worry that the markets might be down at the very time you might have to withdraw. If anything, you should perhaps move all your money into a lowest-risk defensive fund. These funds, sometimes called cash funds, typically invest in bank term deposits and the like. Investors' balances usually just keep growing steadily. It's slow but smooth sailing. But if you want to be 'in the market' to some extent, your current mix is fair enough. And perhaps you could encourage other family members to take a bit of risk with their KiwiSaver choices. Note, though, that you may not be able to withdraw your KiwiSaver money when you want to. Inland Revenue says your health reason has to be either: 'An illness, injury or disability that permanently affects your ability to work or poses a risk of death. 'A life-shortening congenital condition that lowers your life expectancy below the age of eligibility for New Zealand Superannuation (currently 65).' Some people have been turned down because they don't quite fit the criteria. You can read about a woman in a similar situation to you on the Financial Services Complaints website, here: You might want to ask your provider about your eligibility before you count on it. I hope the time ahead of you goes as well as possible. Yes, but what about mortgages? Q: We hear much about the need to increase retirement savings, compulsory contributions to KiwiSaver etc – often from obviously self-interested providers. Have you seen any analysis about whether more people are retiring with mortgage debt who wouldn't have previously, or more debt than they would have had if they hadn't been contributing so much to savings? Is everybody truly better off at retirement? It's always presented as if it is a pure win. A: You raise an interesting point. It must be true that at least some contributions to KiwiSaver would otherwise have gone into reducing mortgages or other debt. While it sounds good to reach 65 with, say, $100,000 in KiwiSaver, nothing is gained if the person owes $100,000 more on their mortgage. Actually, that's not quite accurate. Because of the extra KiwiSaver input from the Government and employers, our person's KiwiSaver balance would probably be higher than the extra mortgage debt. But still, encouraging people – or forcing them by compulsion – to increase their KiwiSaver contributions would probably make people better off at retirement only if there are added KiwiSaver incentives. And they need to be genuine incentives, not increased employer contributions – as in this year's Budget – that Treasury assumes will largely come out of people's future pay rises. There doesn't seem to be any research specifically on this issue. NZIER says 2022 research shows 66% of people 65 and over own their homes mortgage-free, 13% have a mortgage and 20% rent. It adds: 'Less than half of Māori seniors and about one-quarter of Pacific seniors own their homes outright.' It also says: 'The number of people 65 and over with mortgage debt has grown from 118,000 in 2018 to 134,000 in 2022.' Associate professor Susan St John, of the University of Auckland's Pensions and Intergenerational Equity (PIE) research hub, doesn't link that trend to KiwiSaver. 'While I think that we see more people coming into retirement renting, or with a mortgage, I don't think there is evidence to attribute that to KiwiSaver contributions.' However, Treasury seems to disagree. It assumes about 80% of the 2025 Budget increase in employee contributions to KiwiSaver 'will come from a redirection of other forms of saving (eg, lower mortgage repayments or contributions to other investments)'. Either way, St John sums up the situation: 'Saving for retirement should not be viewed as an alternative to home ownership. It may mean that homes have to be more modest. It may mean governments have to increase attractiveness with subsidies rather than reduce them.' Hear, hear! Tax break for homeowners? Q: In a Q&A last week you pointed out that the mortgage interest rate was, say, 5.5% and that the return on savings is 'unlikely to be anywhere near 5.5%' – after tax and fees. True indeed. However, the equation is probably even worse. Mortgage interest is paid with tax-paid money – so if the person's top tax marginal rate is, say, 33%, the 5.5% mortgage rate is really 8.2%. You need to earn $8200 to have the $5500 after tax to pay the interest on $100,000. The mortgage interest rate is always way worse than it looks. Unfortunately, mortgage interest is a case of the miracle of compound interest – but in reverse. A: I think your point is that mortgage interest is not tax-deductible in New Zealand. A 2023 OECD report on tax relief for home ownership lists 17 countries as giving some kind of tax relief for homeowners' mortgage interest. They are Austria, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovak Republic, Sweden and the United States. Should New Zealand do the same? Wikipedia points out: 'Most economists believe mortgage interest deduction is bad policy and is counterproductive. They note that it increases inequality, is an unnecessary market distortion, and contributes to housing unaffordability.' While the idea has strong appeal for homeowners, New Zealand doesn't really need to further encourage home ownership, which is already overrated as the only way to do well financially. Nor do we need more tax dollars flowing towards generally better-off people. So I'm afraid I'm not on that particular bandwagon! Your final comment is really a different issue. But you're right – interest on any debt compounds in the same way as interest on savings. It's not uncommon for people to take out, say, a $400,000 mortgage and end up paying more than twice that over the years. It's always a great move to cut any debt as fast as possible to reduce the compounding. Go with lowest fees Q: With so many index funds tracking the same index, such as the S&P500, why don't investors just invest with the fund offering the lowest fees? What other points of difference do funds offer? A: I reckon the lowest fee should be the main basis on which you choose a fund. However, if you're investing in KiwiSaver, there's also data on which providers offer better services and that could sway your decision somewhat. Here are the KiwiSaver providers that have told the Retirement Commission, in its regular services survey, that several or all of their funds are 'passively managed in their entirety and track an index': AMP, InvestNow, Kernel, Koura, Sharesies, SuperEasy and SuperLife, Also, NZ Funds' Balanced Fund is passive. Of these providers, NZ Funds got the highest score for services. Then came AMP, SuperLife, Koura, Kernel, Sharesies and, in a draw for the bottom slot were InvestNow and SuperEasy. But of course many of their services might not interest you. If there's a particular issue for you – perhaps ease of deposits or withdrawals – you can always ask providers if they offer it. Email or phone them, and if they don't reply within a few days, cross them off the 'good services' list. You can compare the different funds' fees using the Smart Investor tool on Or use Sorted's KiwiSaver Fund Finder to get an estimate of the total fees you will pay in each fund until you retire. What if you want to invest outside KiwiSaver? Many of the above providers also offer non-KiwiSaver funds. And Smart Investor also ranks fees on non-KiwiSaver managed funds. Another option is to use overseas-based funds. But that introduces complications with tax, settling estates and so on. It's much simpler to use a New Zealand-based fund that invests in overseas indexes. Many baskets? Q: Interesting stuff in last week's column about low fees and index funds. I note you do though also emphasise diversification. I recently switched from a major bank to a fund that allows me to split my KiwiSaver over several providers. So I can invest with Generate, Milford, Pathfinder and Nikko to name but four, and can do so in a mixture of conservative, balanced and growth funds. Thus my eggs go into many baskets. The trade-off is of course higher fees. Would it be better to go with a pure index fund that has low fees? I like Buffett's idea of 20% bonds and 80% index funds for people like me who are total amateurs. Which KiwiSaver provides this option? A: Several KiwiSaver providers enable you to invest in a range of funds run by other providers. And it's true that would give you further diversification. But that comes at the price of simplicity. And you won't necessarily get a higher total after-fees return, or less volatility. The providers you name tend to offer actively managed funds, as opposed to the passive index funds discussed above. And their fees are almost always higher, sometimes a lot higher. In any given year, some actively managed funds will perform better than the always middle-of-the-road passive funds, while some will do worse. But over time, it doesn't tend to be the same ones that outperform. Looking at what has done well so far doesn't guarantee their success will continue. Passive funds, with their lower fees, tend to be the best bet. Choose one that follows an index with many shares in it, such as the MSCI world share index, and you will have wonderful diversification. Rentals in retirement Q: I was surprised when you stated that most people invest in rental properties for the capital gain. We purchased a two-bedroom, cross-lease property in 1986 only to provide extra income on retirement. If we sold the property now for the Auckland Council capital valuation we would receive more income from a term deposit at 4% than we do from our rental, even before deducting expenses, rates, insurance, agent's fees, maintenance etc. A: At the risk of sounding mean, why don't you sell then? I don't really understand using rental property as a retirement investment – unless you are wealthy and enjoy being a landlord, or regard the property as your children's inheritance. But if you're having anything less than a financially comfortable retirement, it doesn't make sense to tie up all the money in a property when you could be gradually spending the proceeds from selling it, along with returns earned on that money in the meantime. On your first sentence, I've looked through recent columns and I don't think I've said that. I have, though, written that many new landlords find their expenses exceed their rental income, so they have to top up mortgage payments. Presumably they hope this imbalance will ease over time. But my guess is that many also hope to sell at a gain. Exempt employers Q: The Financial Markets Authority administers the register of exempt employers of KiwiSaver. The full list is available to view on the FMA website. A: You're right. You can see the list here: However, that list includes only employers who had qualifying employee superannuation schemes back in the early days of KiwiSaver, before November 2009, says the FMA. 'A scheme offered to employees by the employer had to have a minimum contribution rate of 4% of gross base salary of the member, which could be from either the member or the employer or a combination of both. 'Today only a new employee who joins the employment of an employer who holds exempt employer status and who is not already a KiwiSaver member would be covered by these provisions.' The FMA list does not include employers discussed in last week's Q&A, such as an employer that is not a New Zealand resident or does not carry on a business 'from a fixed establishment in NZ'. Mary Holm, ONZM, is a freelance journalist, a seminar presenter and a bestselling author on personal finance. She is a director of Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL) and a former director of the Financial Markets Authority. Her opinions do not reflect the position of any organisation in which she holds office. Mary's advice is of a general nature, and she is not responsible for any loss that any reader may suffer from following it. Send questions to mary@ Letters should not exceed 200 words. We won't publish your name. Please provide a (preferably daytime) phone number. Unfortunately, Mary cannot answer all questions, correspond directly with readers, or give financial advice.
Newsroom
3 days ago
- Newsroom
Geothermal Strategy can be catalyst for transformational change
Opinion: The launch of the Government's draft Geothermal Strategy, 'From the Ground Up – a draft strategy to unlock New Zealand's geothermal potential', a first for our country, is a watershed moment. It signals that geothermal energy is no longer the quiet achiever in our energy system – the revived focus on its potential recognises that geothermal can be central to our national vision for a sustainable, resilient, and economically empowered future. We have worked in the geothermal sector with engineers, scientists, Māori trusts, and industry leaders for decades, here and globally, and it's clear his strategy is welcomed with enthusiasm and optimism. The direction is right. The language is ambitious. And the need is urgent. At the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland, we see this as more than a policy milestone – it's a long-awaited catalyst for transformational change. Hearing Ministers Shane Jones, Louise Upston and Shane Reti tell it, educating our young people and providing compelling career opportunities in geothermal needs to be at the heart of it. The importance of signals One of the most powerful aspects of the strategy is what it signals: that geothermal matters. That it has a future that can rival its storied past. That government sees the long-term opportunity and is willing to put its weight behind it. That's no small thing. As any developer or technology innovator will tell you, long-term certainty is the foundation of long-term investment. This strategy builds on tangible commitments already made – particularly in the Government's investment to accelerate research-backed supercritical geothermal technology development. This technology aims to harness extremely high-temperature fluids from deep underground to generate renewable energy more efficiently than conventional geothermal technology. That backing will keep New Zealand at the forefront of technology to tap ultra-hot geothermal fluids to produce radically more energy per well. This is complex science and engineering with high stakes and high rewards. If we get this right, we not only unlock more clean energy, but also more industrial process heat, more energy-dense sites, and more export opportunities for our solidified globally leading expertise. The ripple effects for regional economic development are significant: the creation of highly skilled, highly paid jobs in engineering, geoscience, subsurface modelling, advanced manufacturing and programme and environmental management in regions including Taupō, Kawerau and Rotorua, from Northland to the Central Volcanic Plateau. The students at the Geothermal Institute will be the first to tell you: these are real jobs that future-proof careers and bolster local economies. From field to frontier – the role of innovation, research and education Geothermal is a mature sector, but it's also a frontier sector. What struck me at the New Zealand Geothermal Week in Taupō this year wasn't just the technical excellence on display, but the dynamism. I had conversations with rangatahi curious about career pathways, with iwi-led developers eyeing up direct heat projects, with engineering consultants pitching AI-assisted reservoir models, and with international visitors in awe of the collaborative NZ Inc spirit in the room. Future skills were a strong emerging theme throughout, where the message was loud and clear: the sector is hungry for talent, and young people are hungry for purpose. We need to meet them in the middle – with curriculum pathways, internship pipelines, scholarships targeting local communities and a long-term commitment to Stem education throughout the education value chain. But building a globally competitive innovation pipeline requires sustained support. Training world-class geoscientists and engineers doesn't happen overnight. It needs the right investment and long-term partnerships. And to meet the Government's ambition to double geothermal energy use by 2040 will require scaling up education and training. That's why the strategy's success will ultimately rest not only on the high-level vision of geothermal growth, but also what sits behind it to fuel that growth. Reinforcing New Zealand's global leadership New Zealand already enjoys a stellar reputation in geothermal internationally. Our engineers and consultants are in demand in Southeast Asia, East Africa, North America, Latin America, the Pacific, Europe and beyond. Our training programmes and postgraduate education programmes have produced alumni who now lead geothermal policy development, regulation, production and scientific research on every continent. This strategy, if paired with smart investment and coordinated delivery, could elevate that leadership to the next level. We could be the first country to commercialise supercritical geothermal knowhow. We could be the global centre for geothermal workforce training, standards and certification. We could supercharge the export of integrated geothermal solutions, from power plant designs and drilling capability to stakeholder partnering frameworks, carbon capture innovations, critical minerals extraction, cutting-edge digital modelling and real-time assessment tools, and more. This is the soft power of geothermal – and it's rooted in decades of practical excellence, technical ingenuity, and manaakitanga. A call to action The Government's draft Geothermal Strategy establishes a clear framework for the growth of geothermal. At the launch this week, ministers set a challenge for our geothermal community to turn it into a bold, coherent vision for the future. The geothermal sector is ready – meeting challenges is what we do.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Kiwibank Gets Green Light To Grow
Minister of Finance Kiwibank has been given the green light to compete more vigorously with the big four Australian-owned banks that dominate the New Zealand banking sector. Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today that, following a market testing process, Cabinet had approved Kiwibank's parent company raising up to $500 million of capital to fund the bank's growth. 'Allowing Kiwibank to raise up to an additional $500 million is the first step towards giving Kiwibank access to the capital it needs to truly compete with the big four Aussie banks while retaining its intrinsic New Zealand identity. 'The Commerce Commission reported last year that New Zealand's four largest banks did not face strong competition when providing personal banking services. 'Advice to the Government is that an additional $500 million of capital could support up to $4 billion of business lending or $10 billion of home lending. 'To assess interest in Kiwibank, Kiwi Group Capital (KGC) engaged with New Zealand KiwiSaver funds, investment institutions and professional investor groups including Māori institutions. 'KGC has advised there is sufficient interest from professional New Zealand investors groups to proceed.' Nicola Willis says a future government may choose to publicly list Kiwibank on the stock market, but that won't occur without an electoral mandate. Irrespective of any future decisions, the Government has approved measures to safeguard the bank's New Zealand identity. These measures include maintaining at least 51 per cent government ownership of KGC for the foreseeable future and, through a Kiwi Share to be held by the Crown, requiring, among other measures: a majority of the directors of KGC to be normally resident in New Zealand; and Kiwibank maintaining its principal place of business in New Zealand. KGC has until 30 June 2026 to complete a capital raise, subject to final approval of terms and conditions from shareholding Ministers. Note: Kiwibank Capital Q&A What is the reason for increasing Kiwibank's capital? There is insufficient competition in the New Zealand banking sector. This has been confirmed by the Commerce Commission's market study into personal banking services. It found that New Zealand's four largest banks do not face strong competition when providing personal banking services. Will increasing Kiwibank's capital increase competition in the banking sector? The advice provided to Government demonstrates that providing Kiwibank with reliable access to growth capital will support it to continue to grow at above market rates and make it more competitive with the major banks. Is the government intending to publicly list Kiwibank on the stock market? In the long-term the most accessible source of capital for Kiwibank is through a listing on the public markets. This will not occur without an electoral mandate. Is there a danger Kiwibank could lose its New Zealand identity or be sold to offshore buyers? No. Irrespective of any future decisions, the Government has approved measures to safeguard the bank's New Zealand identity. These measures include maintaining at least 51 per cent government ownership of KGC for the foreseeable future and, through a Kiwi Share to be held by the Crown, requiring: the Government to maintain at least 51 per cent ownership of KGC for the foreseeable future a majority of the directors of KGC to be normally resident in New Zealand Kiwibank to retain its current company name and trading name Kiwibank to maintain its principal place of business in New Zealand any potential future foreign investors to be limited to owning a maximum of 20 per cent of Kiwibank's shares; and Kiwibank's head office to remain in New Zealand. How was interest in investing in Kiwibank assessed? KGC engaged with leading New Zealand KiwiSaver funds, investment institutions, and professional investor groups including Māori institutions. The study concluded there was sufficient interest to proceed to the next phase of the process. Is this a state asset sale? No. The type of capital raising being contemplated is not an asset sale as all the funds raised are for Kiwibank's future business growth. There is no return of capital to the Crown to deploy elsewhere and the Crown itself would not sell any shares. How will the value of investors' stake be assessed? The final price will be determined through a competitive process, so a positive result depends on sufficient investor participation and demand. When will the capital raise take place? KGC has until 30 June 2026 to complete the transaction, subject to final approval of terms and conditions from shareholding Ministers. This flexibility will allow KGC to take account of market conditions, investor feedback, and Kiwibank financial results releases. Shareholding Ministers will only approve the transaction terms and conditions if risks have been appropriately managed and the transaction is consistent with the Crown's interests.
