It was not too long ago that school leavers were leaving Hawke’s Bay in their droves. Tempted by big city lights and the promise of high-flying careers, the region was, at the time, seemingly lacking the opportunity, and the excitement to keep the twenty-somethings around.
In recent years, however, thanks to some long-term thinking and perhaps risky business moves by many key individuals and Councils, Hawke’s Bay is flourishing.
In part due to the mass migration away from the big cities and the influx of business opportunities that have come with it.
One such business contributing significantly to both the region’s workforce, and its built environment, is local commercial property management software company, Re-Leased.
Founded in 2012 by Hawke’s Bay local Tom Wallace, it has now gone global with offices in Australia, America, UK and New Zealand, but retains its Research and Development hub, employing over 60 people, in Napier.
Released partnership with Dev Academy
“When we created Re-Leased in 2012, the business community and certainly the tech industry was limited within the region,” says Tom. “But being locals, we knew what Hawke’s Bay had to offer from a lifestyle and staff satisfaction standpoint, so we committed to maintaining a considerable presence here to help grow the opportunity and showcase that you can build big business from the regions, and sell to customers anywhere in the world.”
Re-Leased’s commitment to the region has gone a lot further than simply maintaining office space. Recognising that the local tech talent pool was not going to sufficiently meet their growth projections, and having their international pipeline cut off at the knees post the 2020 border closure, the team took a different approach. They doubled down on growing the Hawke’s Bay tech sector by offering the opportunity for locals to train to be coders – free of charge.
Partnering with Dev Academy, New Zealand’s most immersive online coding course, Re-Leased were able to utilise the Government Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF), which supports learners undertaking vocational training without fees.
“While we had already developed, and continue to maintain a successful relationship with EIT, regularly taking on their interns and graduates, we felt the time was right to kick things up a notch and take things into our own hands.”
The 15-week intensive course takes those with an interest in coding and turns them into work-ready developers.
“Hosting the Hawke’s Bay cohorts for the Dev Academy has been fantastic for our Junior Developer pipeline. It has allowed us to offer several full-time placements to graduates every year, and it also contributes significantly to the woefully understaffed tech industry for the region as a whole.”
“The aim really is to create opportunity and options for Hawke’s Bay’s job seekers, so that they don’t necessarily believe they have to leave this amazing region to get a good job.”
This significant growth has seen Re-Leased hit maximum capacity at their Ahuriri Tech Hub offices and hence, they are currently collaborating with local commercial property development company, and family business, Wallace Development, to create something special on Marine Parade.
“Napier CBD has come a long way from a few years ago when there was the mass exodus of commercial business over to Ahuriri.”
“It is now a vibrant and busy town centre, and we are excited to bring the team across the hill and have them make the most of what the town has to offer.”
Located at 126 Hastings Street, the building that formerly housed BNZ is being restored to its former glory, with a stunning Art Deco inspired fit out, ground level retail and hospitality, commercial space, car parking and the long awaited rooftop bar.
With remote working at an all-time high post-Covid, developments such as this are embracing change and evolving our towns into people-centred “experience” hubs.
“What we’ve seen post-Covid is that many people became too comfortable working from their kitchen table. In order to get people excited about coming to work, we need to create environments that people want to be in.”
“Sure that’s the cool office space, but it’s also the amenities around it – how far is the best coffee in town? Where’s a great spot to meet mates for a beer after work? With 126 Hastings Street, we have managed to create that all in one place, with the added value of having a view of the Pacific Ocean from your desk.”
Tom’s commitment to the evolution of the region goes far beyond the success of his own business.
“The hope is that we are contributing to creating a sustainable Hawke’s Bay that locals love.”
A Hastings landmark that closed due to earthquake risk has come alive as a stunning office, retail and hospitality precinct that rivals the best in New Zealand.
Property developers and passionate Hastings’ champions Rob and Barb Hansen have brought life back into the former Hawke’s Bay Herald Tribune buildings, transforming them into a modern social and business precinct that still acknowledges its past newspaper history.
The old red brick building on the corner of Karamu Road and Queen Street, which once housed the paper’s archives, has been strengthened and converted into a retail and café space; the old press printer area is now an expansive sun-capturing atrium with an array of commercial tenants; and the former paper dispatch area is now Brave Brewing Co. and bar.
More than 150 people across 25 businesses will be based at Tribune, bringing to life what had sadly become an eye sore since media outlet NZME moved to new premises many years ago.
“Right from the start we wanted to create a precinct with personality and heart that shows pride in the community of Hastings. That has remained our primary motivation while striving to create an attractive, aspirational place that attracts people from all over Hawke’s Bay and visitors to the region.
“We have always felt that Hastings has beautiful character buildings that haven’t been given the love and attention that has been seen in other parts of Hawke’s Bay,” says Barb Hansen.
“We had worked 100 metres down Karamu Road for many years and walked past the site every day.
“We acquired it in late 2018 but at that stage had no plans, consents or tenants.
There were six separate building projects at different stages so it has been hard to determine an actual completion date,” she says.
The dynamic couple have always loved the challenge of transforming character buildings into beautiful functional spaces and could see the potential for a mixed-use precinct of hospitality, retail and office spaces established in character settings with lots of greenery.
“We had many ideas for what the precinct could become and were inspired by some beautifully created urban spaces such as Britomart, Morningside, Osborne Lane and City Works Depot in Auckland, and there are many great examples in cities around the world.”
Barb says the project has been a real labour of love, more so with disruptions thanks to COVID-19 as well as convincing prospective tenants of their vision.
“We had a very strong vision of what we wanted the end result to be so it has been about constantly chipping away to get the right tenant mix to create it.
“We have seen it as an opportunity to create something amazing in Hastings but we have also had a real sense of responsibility to do it justice.” The precinct has progressively opened over the past 12 months, with Brave Brewing Co.
opening its doors first through to the latest (as of June) being organic baker and café OMGoodness Specialty Breads.
Businesses within Tribune include:
Kindred Road, BAZAAR, Brave Brewing Co., Morgan Lane, The Dental Institute, OMGoodness Specialty Breads, Tu Meke Don, Glenn Cook Technologies, GHD, Willis Legal, Midlands Mortgage Trust, Real World, Creative Marketing, Digital Circus, HPG, Animals Like Us, Gannon Fire, Advice 4 Life, HB Foundation, RWR Health, Goodman Rural, Extra- Mile Consulting, Atrium at Tribune, and two more yet to be announced!
Barb says completion is close with just a couple of premises to fill. “We’re almost there, just a few more tenancies to complete and lots of planting and lighting to soften the environment, which will give it more personality.”
For Barb, her favourite part of the precinct is the laneway between Kindred Road and BAZAAR/Morgan Lane running off Karamu Road.
“The mix of the new cedar building, the recycled brick of Kindred Road and the exposed concrete beams shows the integrity of the original building.”
Meanwhile, Rob is thrilled with the outcome of the challenging atrium roof.
“This was a real challenge in trying to make it work, including the use of glazing products that would ensure that there wasn’t massive heat build-up from the Hawke’s Bay sun, and ensuring that it had good sound insulation properties for events. The end result is really cool with interconnecting triangular shapes.”
Rob and Barb have worked tirelessly and been very hands-on. Barb says Rob’s vision for the project and tenacity to see it through to completion has been inspiring.
“Rob is an incredibly hard worker who has been all over every single part of the project, from design, consenting, tenants and financials to being relentless with optimism and a can-do attitude.”
Rob attributes Tribune’s success to Barb’s determination to get the right tenants that have bought into their vision.
“Barb has been amazing in her ability to work with a wide variety of people, to articulate our vision and convince them to come on our journey. She has been really successful in securing a large number of Tribune tenants and has been a fantastic sounding board, always coming up with logical solutions.”
Successful marketer pivots to provide career advice and coaching.
It might sound like an unusual move to retrain as a career advisor and coach whilst running a successful marketing business, but for Julia Kay the pivot was borne of a desire to help others find their ‘right fit’ career pathway.
Providing a comprehensive career service for teenagers from Y12 was the start point for her business, as that’s when decisions need to be made for the future. Julia works with her clients to identify individual skills, personality traits, strengths and interests before considering career options.
“Many of my teenage clients are a bit anxious and overwhelmed when we first meet as they’ve put off making any decisions, plus some feel pressure from their parents which can end up causing extra stress at home… The goal is for my client to understand themselves better when making choices. I want them to feel in control of what comes next, ideally so that they don’t waste time or money progressing down the wrong track.”
Over time it became clear there was also a need for a careers service for adults who were looking for support to achieve goals within their current role, or on the flipside were feeling unfulfilled in their job, were going through a restructure, or were looking to define the next step in their career.
Julia’s career service for adults is quite different to working with teenagers, as adult clients have built up a toolkit of transferable skills over the years and have the benefit of personal experience and hindsight.
“My adult clients usually have a pretty good idea of what’s important to them; they’re looking for unbiased support to explore their options and make wise decisions when taking their next steps.”
The missing piece of the puzzle was for Julia to gain qualifications as a coach, in addition to her career guidance qualifications. Although still in its infancy in New Zealand, coaching is incredibly popular overseas, with many progressive companies across the USA and Europe including coaching as an integral part of employment packages for staff at all levels.
“Coaching is not counselling or therapy. It’s a proactive way of addressing challenges whilst looking to the future and taking action to achieve goals. Overseas, businesses use coaching on an ongoing basis to support their employee’s health and wellbeing.”
It’s no surprise that the current situation with Covid, increased cost of living and geopolitical situations around the world are affecting stress and anxiety levels, which can have a flow on effect into the workplace.
A growing number of Julia’s clients are employers who want to provide impartial support and mentoring for their staff. Many staff find it helpful to be supported by a trusted outsider and, considering the challenges with the current tight job market, coaching can be a beneficial way to offer support and resolve any issues rather than lose a staff member.
“It’s fairly easy to say ‘this is what you should do, go do it’ but the real benefit is in providing impartial one-on-one support to the employee, listening objectively and helping to find solutions. I can bring fresh eyes to a situation and provide a perspective they may not have considered before. Providing this type of support to employees on a regular basis will help them to feel more valued.”
As an employer who has worked with SMEs, large corporates, government departments and not-for-profits, Julia understands the realities of the world of work from ‘lived experience’ rather than through an academic lens. She aims to provide pragmatic, practical advice and recommendations that support her clients to thrive.
“Let’s face it, we spend a huge amount of our waking hours at work, more time there than we do at home with our families and friends, so it’s important to get it right” says Julia. “If you want to find the best fit career direction for your teenager or yourself, or have staff who are in need of impartial support or guidance at work, I can help.”
Anthony Norris is sure he has made the RITE decision to take on the Hawke’s Bay franchise for Wash Rite, which is New Zealand’s largest exterior cleaning business with 23 franchises and growing.
Anthony is up for the challenge and he’s not daunted by taking on the exterior cleaning of large-scale buildings in any weather elements, as he loves working outside, something he did in his former career in the New Zealand Navy.
He spent 17 years as a Navy officer specialising in navigation and warfare and although Wash Rite is a land based business, it requires a similar set of skills of tackling projects that require good planning and implementation. He’ll probably be a pretty good aim with the water blaster as well!
“Wash Rite appealed as I wanted to be working outside and I love being able to help people and leave them with a smile on their face.
“I truly believe I can accomplish that and leave customers happy and also surprised at the difference we can make with our services.
“Wash Rite also appealed as it is a high profile award winning franchise which has excellent procedures in place and a proven track record with franchises and after speaking with other business owners and Troy (the founder of Wash Rite) I could tell this would be a good fit for me with good people, who are always willing to help each other out.”
Wash Rite was established in August 2015,by Troy Hillard and it has quickly grown to 23 franchises in operation in 26 cities in New Zealand, from Whangarei to Auckland, Hamilton to Wellington and from Christchurch to Dunedin and is also expanding into Australia.
Wash Rite NZ services both the residential and commercial markets, providing building cleaning services, including window cleaning, roof washing, deck and fence cleaning, pest and insect control, driveway and concrete path cleaning.
Over the past 7 years, Wash Rite has become known for high quality wash trucks within the exterior cleaning industry. So much so other exterior cleaning companies have tried to copy the Wash Rite design with various amounts of success.
Wash Rite’s 3rd generation wash trucks were designed with input from many of the franchisees and a key modification has been to place both engine and pumps on the passenger side of the truck, freeing up deck space while also improving operational safety.
“It means the operator did not have to go into the traffic lane to start the motors.
However the largest change to the trucks is a fabricated aluminium chemical drum holder mounted under the deck that allows 6 x 20lt water drums to be carried and freeing up deck space.
Troy sees huge potential for Anthony and Kim’s Wash Rite franchise in Hawke’s Bay and some large building jobs have already been priced up and the brand gaining strong interest due to Wash Rite’s innovations in cleaning products, soaps, and water run off covers that catch water, preventing run off into storm water drains.
“This is very appealing for many businesses, especially local councils and central government agencies that are committed to the environment, but also want to protect their biggest assets.
Troy says the same approach can be taken with residential homes and the importance of maintaining the exterior paint condition and their 10 year warranties.
“A house is usually someone’s biggest asset and it’s important to look after it, whether that’s a soft clean that protects the paint or cleaning gutters.
“We are also undertake a lot of pre-sale exterior cleaning as a first impression is very important.
Troy is excited about Anthony and wife Kim joining the Wash Rite franchise family. He says they are keen to learn and bring with them good work ethic and a desire to develop great client relationships.
“The Wash Rite brand is fortunate to have such experienced and qualified franchisees joining our brand and Anthony and Kim are a fantastic addition to our franchise family.
Anthony is looking forward to getting around Hawke’s Bay and quickly building a great reputation for quality workmanship that in turn grows his business.
“We will be starting off with just ourselves but we have goals which will require us to expand in due course and we’re willing to do that as soon as we can.
The doors shut to Hutchinson’s eight years ago, as well as the Municipal Building and beloved Assembly Hall, due to the building being earthquake prone.
Now the Municipal Building (‘Muni’) is springing back to life as part of the overall Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre rebuild project that began in 2016, costing over $45 million.
The ground floor has been transformed into three hospitality offerings, as well as being home to Hastings District Council’s new i-site visitor centre and a contemporary art gallery. After a nationwide promotion to attract new hospitality offerings, three well respected local hospitality identities have stepped up to the main stage.
They will showcase the best of local food, wine and craft beer in modern, chic venues more commonly enjoyed while in the big smokes of Auckland, Wellington or Melbourne. As well as street frontage onto Heretaunga Street, the Muni also opens out onto a newly created outdoor laneway connecting to the Hawke’s Bay Opera House.
Kristy Isaacson’s Long Island Delicatessen is nestled on the corner of Hastings Street and Heretaunga Street, alongside Akina Gallery, a new entrance foyer, Master of Wine Michael Henley’s Cellar 495 boutique wine cellar and bar, and then Damon McGinniss’ Craft & Social at the western end.
Damon McGinniss is raring to go and share his passion and craftsmanship as the owner and chef of Craft & Social.
“I’m really passionate about my industry and always look at all aspects of it as a craft, whether that’s creating food or being front of house with customers. Ultimately, people get together to enjoy well-crafted food and drinks in a social environment.”
Damon says he was prepared to significantly invest in establishing a new hospitality style with the confidence of the CBD’s revitalisation and council’s investment in the stunning Municipal Building.
He has eyed a gap in the market and likens Craft & Social to well-known celebrity chef Al Brown’s Depot Eatery in Auckland.
“The food will be flavour-driven small plates to share; it’s a style that I love doing.
“The Hastings CBD is going forward big time; more and more is happening and people now have a much wider choice and I’m ready to give it my all.
“I wanted to create a cool place to enjoy some food, beer or wine, where people can chill and have a good time.”
Kristy Isaacson experience and success in ‘ready to go’ food has led her to creating the Long Island Delicatessen which will offer takeaway lunch options such as a fresh salad bar, proteins, baked goods and sandwiches along with Havana coffee, sodas and smoothies.
Kristy has established a couple of other café and food offerings in the past and says that the Municipal Building setting is like no other in the Bay, replicating funky hospitality precincts usually found in larger CBDs in Auckland and Melbourne.
Long Island Delicatessen opens in mid-July and Kristy says it will be a fun place to call into and pick up something fresh and tasty to eat or drink to take back to the office, or to enjoy in the window seating or in the laneway.
“The building is awesome, and I really bought into the vision of council and councillors to create a new place to gather in town. The brick laneway is a stunning addition and will be well utilised.”
She is also excited about the complementary offerings of the new wine bar and Craft & Social.
“We are all different but will benefit from each other. I’m not licenced but the other two hospo offerings are, so together we offer a mix of healthy takeaway food options through to places that you can sit back and enjoy a meal or drink.”
Council group manager corporate Bruce Allan, who was the project lead for the Municipal Building restoration, says council is delighted at the range and quality of the businesses that have signed up as foundation tenants.
“We have secured world-class businesses run by people who are experienced leaders in their fields and council looks forward to introducing them in detail in the coming months.”
Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says the introduction of the new tenants heralded another fantastic step forward for Hastings.
“Our city centre already has a stellar line-up of hospitality and retail businesses and we know these exciting new additions in the Municipal Building will appeal to Hawke’s Bay locals and visitors, and further enhance our great central city offering.”
Local wool scourer business WoolWorks received more than $4 million in co-funding from GIDI Fund to convert gas and coal boilers at their Awatoto (Napier) and Washdyke (near Timaru) sites to more modern and efficient hot water heat pump technology.
The new hot water pump at Awatoto, which will be one of the most sophisticated and largest in New Zealand, will replace the site’s natural gas-based hot water generation system, including a hot water boiler and steam heat exchangers.
WoolWorks will invest $2 million into the Awatoto project, with EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) contributing $455,000 through GIDI funding.
WoolWorks, which employs 150 people, is the largest wool scourer by volume in the world and handles 76 percent of all New Zealand wool.
The project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from scouring operations at the plant by 1,700 net tonnes per year, 24 percent of the total energy-related emissions from the site.
Every year, the company’s three sites wash more than 100,000,000 kilograms of wool, ranging from superfine merino to crossbred. Prior to processing into garments or carpets, wool needs to be cleaned and this is an energy intensive process reliant on coal boilers.
“We were on a path to reduce our dependence on coal but it would probably have been closer to 2030 before we got there,” says WoolWorks chief executive Nigel Hales.
The funding will be used to install an electrode boiler to produce steam and an industrial heat pump to generate hot water, reducing over 11,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, the equivalent of removing 3,021 cars from the road.
Nigel says the company has made significant gains in improving the efficiency of its world-class scour operations, leading the way globally for the total useful energy usage per kilogram of wool and reducing its carbon footprint.
EECA also funded an energy audit for the Awatoto site in 2020. The audit identified many opportunities that could be implemented to reduce energy consumption, and resulted in installing new low carbon technologies for process heat decarbonisation.
WoolWorks actively manages its energy consumption at its sites and through EECA has been able to appoint a process engineering graduate to focus on energy modelling, simulation and sustainable options.
Other energy efficiency initiatives at Awatoto include the insulation of high-temperature surfaces, including steam and condensate piping and modifying flow-down systems to maximise heat recovery. Every part of the scouring process is monitored, with water usage carefully controlled and waste streams recycled and re-used where possible.
“We will provide the New Zealand wool sector with a unique low-carbon start to the global supply chain, which will support increased demand for New Zealand wool. Rather than planting our way out of the climate change problem by purchasing pine trees to offset our greenhouse gas emissions, we are choosing to do the right thing by the environment and actually reduce our emissions,” says Nigel.
If reducing carbon emissions wasn’t a goal for your business before 2022, it certainly will be now, since the New Zealand Government released its first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) in May.
Hawke’s Bay has felt the impact of climate change with a severe drought in the summer of 2020/21 and then major rain events along the East Coast during our most recent summer.
The drought impacted our farming community, while the rain and humid weather took its toll on the wine, apple and cherry growing sectors.
As local business owners, we know a poor harvest season sends economic ripples throughout the community as smaller crops and inferior produce hit profitability and wallets are tightened.
The ERP is the government’s move to place greater responsibility on businesses to take measures to reduce their environmental footprint, including setting emission reduction targets for specific sectors.
Emissions from energy and industry sectors make up 27 percent of total emissions and the plan will lead to estimated emissions reductions during the first budget period of:
● From Transport: 1.7 to 1.9 Mt carbon dioxide equivalent
● From Energy: 2.7 to 6.2 Mt carbon dioxide equivalent
● From Agriculture: 0.3 to 2.7 Mt carbon dioxide equivalent
● From Building and Construction: 0.9 to 1.7 Mt carbon dioxide equivalent. Overall, the plan aims to meet the nation’s first emissions budget of 72.4 million tonnes a year, reducing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 11.5 million tonnes of carbon in the next three years.
The policies will be backed by $2.9 billion in proceeds of selling carbon credits to polluters under the Emissions Trading Scheme over the next four years, and Hawke’s Bay businesses can apply for funding support to launch their decarbonisation journey via the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund.
The fund has had a cash injection due to the launch of the ERP, jumping from $69 million to around $650 million to partner with major process heat energy users and help them cut costs as well as emissions.
The ERP announcement also included targeted investment at a regional level for projects that optimise low emission fuel use; funding for electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure upgrades to support fuel-switching; and the early adoption of high-decarbonisation energy technologies.
The original fund is regarded by government as a huge success funding fund 53 major industrial decarbonisation projects and estimated to save 7.46 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over a lifetime – the equivalent to taking 134,800 cars off the road.
Wool scouring business WoolWorks was one of the first to get GIDI funding, convert gas and oil boilers to efficient hot water heat pump technology – see story on page 11.
Unison powers up to meet business demand for decarbonisation initiatives
Already in Hawke’s Bay, power lines company Unison is providing support to some large processing and manufacturing businesses and is anticipating an increase in interest by other local businesses looking to reduce their reliance on industrial processed power, such as from coal, oil or gas boilers.
“From an electricity perspective, the direction of travel is very clear. Electricity is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of decarbonisation of transport fleets and converting industrial processes – especially those that rely on coal, oil or gas boilers – to electricity,” says Unison general manager commercial Nathan Strong.
“To the credit of many local businesses and industry, they have been thinking about de-carbonisation for the last three years, and maybe longer and we have already had a few knocks on the door in terms of our customers wanting to look at options to decarbonise as well as get an understanding of infrastructure impacts of any transition.
Unison relationships manager Danny Gough adds that the types of businesses introducing decarbonisation initiatives is very diverse but mostly include those within the production and manufacturing sectors who are looking to get away from utilising thermal heat.
“We’ve also seen interest from government agencies, as well as district health boards, schools and the residential retirement sector.”
Danny says businesses aren’t just looking at reducing their carbon footprint as ‘doing their bit’ to improve the environment, but also as part of their growth strategies and promoting their sustainability actions.
He says Unison is working closely with those organisations and their consultants to support their decarbonisation aspirations and sustainability goals.
“Our role is to provide relevant information and advice on fitfor-purpose optimal electrical solutions, and to assist them in determining their electrical requirements and the upfront and ongoing costs associated with infrastructure upgrades.”
Nathan says the GIDI Fund offers a major opportunity for local businesses as they consider how to fund their emission plan.
“The government has injected 10 shots of adrenaline in the arm with the fund, which will get businesses thinking about how they can afford the cost of accelerating the likes of a boiler replacement, so one of the challenges for Unison will be to manage demand from businesses that want to get underway quickly.
“One of the things we are doing as a business is making sure that we are resourcing up to meet expected demand while making sure that we are in front of the change.
“Our message is, talk to us early or risk joining a queue at some point in terms of getting the hardware and the infrastructure in place.”
Regional council adopts climate action network
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has launched a Hawke’s Bay Climate Action Network for businesses, a shared platform for peer-to-peer learning for businesses committed to reducing emissions, which will feed directly into council planning.
It meets every six weeks to discuss emissions reduction, sustainability and adapting to the changing climate.
The council is also aiming to launch its Regional Climate Action Plan by July 2023, outlining how the council will be carbon neutral by 2025 and the region by 2050.
The network and plan is being led by the council’s first climate action ambassador, Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau.
Pippa says climate change is already impacting our way of life, from being able to swim in the waterways we love to where we live around the coast.
“Successful adaptation to climate change is not only essential for economic resilience of our region but also for the wellbeing of our communities.
“This role is about climate action. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council already has an excellent science base and team of scientists, so it will be about turning that knowledge into practical solutions for our community.
Pippa says the ERP offers businesses and organisations a significant financial commitment to support the transition to lower emissions activities.
“This plan marks the first steps to create the conditions we need for a long delayed journey towards a fairer low emissions and a more secure future for everyone.”
“Farmers are crying out for solutions to help them lower their agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and respond to a warming climate, so the investment and acceleration of research and development is welcome.
“But we cannot rely on breakthrough technology solutions to reduce emissions by the rate they need to be to keep warming under 1.5 degrees.”
Pippa also sees potential to create added value roles within traditional sectors such as construction.
“There is also no funding to retrofit houses with better insulation to reduce energy needs and make homes healthier, and it would be good to see a focus on shifting economic paradigms to support more sustainable models with lower inequality and greater social cohesion.”
Product stewardship firm leads by example
Hastings-based business and sustainability programme developer 3R introduced a carbon reduction plan in 2014, and reduced its greenhouse emissions by 32 per cent (129 tonnes) in the first year, surpassing its goal of 20 per cent by 2020.
It also gained accreditation to CEMARS (Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme), the world’s first internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme to ISO14065.
3R chief executive Adelle Rose says much of the initial reduction was largely achieved by opening a depot in Christchurch, which meant material it collected in the South Island was no longer sent to the North Island.
3r Group – Adele Rose – Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, July 2020. Photo by John Cowpland / alphapix
“The following year we went a step further and gained carboNZero (now Toitū net carbonzero) certification through Toitū Envirocare. This certification isn’t simply about measuring emissions and offsetting them through carbon credits, but rather identifying and taking actions to reduce emissions.”
Adelle says with freight being its largest source of emissions, 3R constantly reviewed travel routes and alternative freight service options, overlapping collections and where possible collaboration across stewardship schemes. Efficiency in these aspects helps drive down our emissions even as we grow the volume of materials we collect for recycling.
“However, our next step to reduce emissions is a big one – changing our fleet to low-emissions options – and this requires significant investment along with infrastructure to support it, which isn’t necessarily available nationally at present.
“This means we need to focus on small incremental changes that can help such as minimizing employee travel, using other Toitū net carbonzero certified suppliers like power provider Ecotricity, driver training and regular vehicle maintenance, improving web conferencing technology, and staying on top of our organic waste to landfill.”
Adelle says 3R is the only Hawke’s Bay based member of the Climate Leaders’ Coalition , which has a highly ambitious commitment to accelerate our transition towards a zero carbon and resilient future.
As part of commitments, 3R is also starting to work with staff and suppliers to reduce their emissions.
Adelle says the ERP is a step in the right direction, adding its mostly up to government and industry to do the hard yards in tackling climate change.
“While the actions of individuals to tackle human contribution to climate change are important, the most impactful and far-reaching are those taken by government and industry. It’s therefore significant that the plan released by government sets out a way forward for reducing the country’s emissions but shows that climate action is the new business as usual, as well as showing New Zealand’s leadership on the issue on the global stage.”
Going forward, Adelle is looking for a greater partnership between government and the private sector with the introduction of an advisory group.
“For us and our work designing product stewardship schemes, partnerships are essential, and we would have liked to see a closer relationship between government and the private sector when developing the plan.
“Government still has the opportunity to improve this aspect as it moves forward with the implementation of the plan.
An advisory group that allows the private sector to have its voice heard and included in the conversation would be very welcome.”
The ERP also offers 3R an opportunity to help other businesses in Hawke’s Bay and around New Zealand by introducing new product stewardship programmes, such as a new recovery programme for synthetic refrigerant gases – one of the most potent greenhouse gases, thousands of times more so than carbon dioxide.
Having achieved its own targets five years earlier than planned, 3R has now reset its targets to a 12 percent reduction of total emissions (excluding air travel, waste and freight) by 2025 and 38 percent by 2030, and a 12 percent reduction of all emissions by 2030.
