New opportunity for Northland businesses to tackle sustainability

27 November, 2008

ENTERPRISE NORTHLAND : MEDIA RELEASES 2008

Northland businesspeople have been eager to find out more about a new opportunity to explore the benefits of thinking and operating in a sustainable way.

About 100 businesspeople attended events in Whangarei and Kerikeri this week to launch the Northland Sustainable Business Club.

The club is being co-ordinated by Enterprise Northland in partnership with the Sustainable Business Network, and with support from a range of other organisations, including the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), the Ministry for the Environment and Qualmark.

Northland is the first region where the Sustainable Business Network has formed a partnership with the economic development agency.

Enterprise Northland strategic development manager Jo Douglas said the Northland Sustainable Business Club would take an approach proven over a range of projects, bringing businesses together to make use of national and international resources that are available and combining these with the local experience of iconic Northland companies that have already put sustainability measures in place.

She said the club had its beginnings in a previous project which focused on sustainable tourism but many solutions were applicable across other sectors.

“We have some companies in Northland that have done very well and gained an incredible amount of profile from a sustainability perspective.”

Speakers at the two launch events included Living Nature founder Suzanne Hall and the company's current general manager of sales, Jason Vokes, as well as Jeroen Jongejans of Dive! Tutukaka, which recently became the country's first activity operator to achieve a gold rating under the Qualmark Green system.

All speakers emphasised that sustainability did not have to come at the expense of profit, with the Sustainable Business Network's David Clendon commenting: “It's about people, the planet and profit.”

The speakers also highlighted the importance of engaging staff in sustainability initiatives.

Suzanne Hall noted: “It's not about making one giant step overnight, it's about slowly looking at each of the areas that you can make a change around.”

The Sustainable Business Network will initially operate cells in Whangarei and Kerikeri, meeting every second month. There is also potential for cells to develop in Kaitaia and Kaipara over time.

The first three meetings scheduled for next year will focus on energy use, waste management and valuing people.