It’s that time of year again, Santa. The pōhutukawa trees are blooming, homemade decorations are going up and here in the office, we’re planning a low-waste party to celebrate with friends.
But apart from some magical abilities to keep our office plants alive and a very cool cornhole set made by our friends at saveBOARD, we’ve been thinking about what else we’d like this Christmas. Things that could make a real difference, not just for us, but for all of Aotearoa. So, if you’re taking a break from checking your naughty-and-nice list, here’s what we’re wishing for:
1. Climate Literacy in Leadership
Santa, navigating a changing world takes good leadership – and good leadership stems from knowledge. To build a truly climate-resilient future, we need leaders who not only understand the facts but are also equipped to turn that knowledge into smart, sustainable decisions. Climate literacy needs to be as fundamental to leadership training as finance or governance so more leaders can make well-informed decisions about the future and realise that climate action is not at odds with profitability – it’s the key to resilience, innovation, and long-term success.
Resources like Climate Zero’s Climate Forum Reader, or insights from the He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission can provide invaluable direction. And Santa, if you could sprinkle some magic dust on leadership training programs, we’d love to see climate education become as standard as knowing how to balance the books.
2. Sustainable Public Procurement
We know you’re no stranger to supply chains, Santa (coordinating all those elves and reindeer is no easy feat). What if public procurement took a page from your book and focused on creating lasting value for the planet?
The New Zealand Government spend around NZD$51.5 billion on goods and services each year. But its advice on doing so sustainably is vague and lacks meaningful targets.
By integrating ecolabelling into public procurement, suppliers will have to rise to the challenge if they want to secure valuable contracts and tenders. Aside from limiting supply chain risk, sustainable procurement offers a fast-track to achieving environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals – ultimately keeping banks, shareholders and consumers happy.
Back in June, we launched a Sustainable Procurement Toolkit in partnership with Procurement Excellence Forum to help businesses buy better. We highly recommend checking it out to learn how you can use every dollar to contribute to a thriving Aotearoa.
3. Better legislation in NZ around greenwashing
Greenwashing is the fruitcake of climate progress – misleading, crumbles under scrutiny and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth afterwards. Kantar’s 2024 Better Futures Report revealed that 52% of consumers claim to have been exposed to greenwashing and 57% of people feel that it is really hard to tell which products are ethical/sustainable or not. Stronger legislation like the EU’s Green Claims Directive would help protect consumers, restore trust, and encourage brands to back up their claims with credible data and real action.
In the meantime, businesses must be encouraged to take proactive steps. There are some amazing organizations out there working tirelessly to combat greenwashing, providing clear guidelines, certifications, and educational materials to help businesses get it right. Some of our favourites include DLA Piper’s guidelines to avoid greenwashing and Edge Impact’s handbook to communicating with confidence. Planet Tracker’s Greenwashing Hydra is also an excellent resource to help understand tactics.
4. Right to repair bill passing
Kiwis deserve to have the right to repair their goods. Progress on the right to repair bill would not just divert thousands of tonnes of waste from landfills, but create more jobs and ultimately fix our take-make-waste mindset.
Eco Choice Aotearoa has been working with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Consumer NZ, Sustainable Business Network and businesses (including BLUNT, Macpac, Kathmandu, Kowtow, Yumei, Edwards & Co and Zempire) on a repairability label/ index. This solution would help businesses scale repair services, pool resources and incentivise extended producer responsibility. However, for it to succeed, it needs government endorsement and support. Maybe a nudge in the right direction, Santa?
This Christmas, donate to support the work of Repair Cafes across Aotearoa. You can also check out our webinar on this topic and show your support for the right to repair legislation here.
5. Strong public input on NDC 2
This one’s a big one. New Zealand’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 2) consultation is open, and this is our collective opportunity to shape the nation’s climate goals. An NDC is a national climate action plan that outlines how a country plans to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. In this case, meeting the global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C and adapting to the climate crisis.
New Zealand’s second Nationally Determined Contribution will cover the period from 2031 – 2035 and must be a progression on our first target. The government is now asking New Zealanders for feedback on setting targets for NDC2 through a short survey.
We know how overwhelming it can be to wade through the jargon and terminology, but it’s extremely important that we make our voices heard. Our friends at Lawyers for Climate Action have put together a handy guide explaining NDCs are New Zealand’s obligation under international law for setting new targets. There is currently no proposal on which to provide feedback, but we highly recommend checking out the Ministry’s summary of the Climate Change Commission’s advice.
6. Support for small, sustainable businesses
This year’s been tough for everyone, Santa. And while we’re not one to advocate for overconsumption, we do believe in the power of supporting businesses that are doing the right thing. But how do we know which businesses are really walking the talk? Thankfully, there are some wonderful organisations doing the hard yards for us.
The fair&good Ethical Christmas Gift Guide has compiled a list of more than 80 products that focus on fair trade and empowering farmers, makers and artisans. For gifts with a more environmental focus, we suggest browsing gift guides by the Sustainable Business Network or Ethically Kate (which has more than 100 products listed!)
And if you’re looking to purchase essential items for your next renovation project or essential supplies for your cupboard, you can use our nifty product finder to search for heaps of Eco Choice Aotearoa certified products.
So, Santa, we hope you’ve got some space in your sleigh for these wishes. They might not fit neatly into a stocking, but they could mean a whole lot for Aotearoa.
Meri Kirihimete,
The Eco Choice team
This wishlist is inspired by our Head of Strategic Partnerships, Stella, who wrote a similar one on her blog, Entangled Curiosities.
