Setting a Goal for New Zealand
21. Given its favourable starting point, New Zealand ought to be well-placed to position itself on the green wave, especially in areas of traditional strength such as the pastoral sector. Recent research by MED on New Zealand's innovation system concludes, among other things, that opportunities for innovation in the future are likely to come from areas where New Zealand has done well in the past.
22. To date, much of the attention in New Zealand has focussed on responding to issues such as food miles (possible avoidance of New Zealand food products because of concern about the environmental cost of transporting them compared with local alternatives) and travel miles (possible avoidance of travel to New Zealand because of concern about the environmental cost involved). These concerns are not being orchestrated by governments, at least in the United Kingdom where they are currently most strongly expressed
23. The approach taken with food miles to date has been to ensure that the debate is well-informed and takes into account the environmental cost of producing as well as transporting food (since on the whole New Zealand is an environmentally-efficient food producer and supplier compared with competitors). Lincoln University has been commissioned to produce an objective report on the subject and this is being used in discussions in the United Kingdom.
24. MFAT convenes an informal government/industry group to share information about developments. Increasingly, this includes discussing how the government's sustainability initiatives can provide a way for producers to respond comprehensively to food miles arguments.
25. Along with MFAT, TNZ, Air New Zealand, Meat and Wool and Fonterra, NZTE is currently investigating the viability of establishing a sustainability centre in London. NZTE is also commissioning a food miles communications strategy for use in key markets, particularly the United Kingdom.
26. Air New Zealand is working towards the "greening" of the airline, and a greater emphasis is being placed on sustainability under the New Zealand tourism strategy which is in the process of being updated.
27. MfE is also working in partnership with other New Zealand business interests across a broad front to encourage more sustainable business practices. Examples of this work include the packaging and clean streams' accords and a programme to "green the screen".
28. Such work would be made more powerful by an overall positioning strategy that clearly links sustainability with the government's economic transformation agenda, underpinned by potentially transformative actions. From an economic transformation perspective, the challenge is not only to preserve our clean, green image and our reputation for business integrity but use these to leverage new opportunities for growth.
29. Ministers could set a relatively neutral goal such as helping New Zealand firms use environmental integrity for economic advantage. Alternatively, Ministers could adopt a goal with more stretch, such as helping to position New Zealand as a world-leading exponent of smart, innovative and business-savvy practices in response to environmental issues. Officials favour the second formulation which is more consistent with the underlying nature of the economic transformation challenge and not an unrealistic objective for New Zealand over time.
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