September 2026 project update
There are easy ways you can support the health and wellbeing of the natural world. You can choose to walk, bike or bus once more per week. You can refuse to waste food, clothing. You can take another step toward managing waste and reducing pollution. You can support your local iwi, and kaitiaki, by investing time or resources in growing nature. You can support your family, peers and colleagues to undertake climate action. You can lead the promotion of health and wellbeing of ecosystems and the planet within your chosen career. You can teach others about the need for environmental and planetary health and sustainability.
It's very likely that you already are making a climate positive difference but may not realise how important your individual actions are!
When we multiply every action by billions of people or places that commit to climate positive change, we change the dial on global warming and reverse biodiversity decline, promoting social justice and economic resilience.
Whilst the United Nations September news release informs us that we will likely overshoot to two degrees global warming, we have the chance to reverse warming back to below 1.5 degrees quicker when we continue to work together because every action does count.
Remember the collective power of countries when they unite to form a global alliance to mitigate climate change. Remember the hardship when we phased out single-use plastic bags in our supermarkets. It was relatively easy in the end, second nature now and made possible by the NZ government. Tens of thousands of people looked forward to what happened when we collaborated across society for strengthening populations of kiwi! Generations now enjoy seeing threatened NZ species thriving in the wild. We achieved this. Imagine what it will be like to see kākāpō thriving once more! Magnificent achievements are possible, plausible and offer genuine hope.
We wish to thank you for the positive choices you make for nature!
One of the least labour-intensive choices you can take to support nature to thrive is the making a decision to vote for a political party who prioritises the conservation, protection and regeneration of Te Taiao. Please remember you need to check you are registered to vote or register by midnight 25 October 2026.
September heralded significant climate action outcomes and seminal conservation moments regionally, nationally and globally.
Close to home, tens of thousands of people living in Tāmaki Makaurau protested the limitations of the amended Conservation Bill. Protestors claim the recent legislative proposals do not go far enough to ensure conservation land is protected in perpetuity and not sold for economic gain.
The protest was set against a backdrop of recent legislative change within the environmental health, climate change, Māori sovereignty, social equity and employment societal sectors. The changes in law include but are not limited to an expedited consenting programme enabling fast track approvals that could have a high impact on endangered endemic species and places of high ecological value, repealing of the RMA reform, amendments to suit economic growth at the expense of transitioning to renewable energy and decarbonising including the removal of incentives to transition to EVs, the reduction in te reo Māori and climate change in the NZ school curriculum, the prioritising of English over te reo Māori in the public domain, the merging of NIWA and GNS and loss of intellectual capital, the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, a forced public vote for keeping local government Māori Wards, the Treaty Principles Bill progressing to Select Committee, and the repeal of Fair Pay agreements.
These recent legislative changes could negatively impact environmental justice and social equity. This is a concern because greater inequity, poverty, reduced biodiversity and environmental health, and a reduced ability for kaitiaki to have a voice that is heard could directly impact greenhouse gas emission mitigation, making it harder to manage and adapt to climate risks and regenerate Te Taiao.
Political parties are beginning to release the policies they will campaign on for the upcoming election. Greenpeace has released a helpful nature and climate policy scorecard to help voters find out which parties have the best policies on conservation, oceans, freshwater, climate, and environmental law. Read the latest scorecard here. Parties are still releasing their major policy portfolios and the score cards could alter.
Regardless of anyone’s election priorities, we encourage everyone to vote, and wish to support people to have their voices heard.
This month, Te Hōnonga a Iwi was thrilled to be selected as one of five New Zealand restorations to be backed by BUPA Healthy Cities campaign to scale greening our catchment and industrial heat island. We also learned we are a finalist in the Sustainable Business Network Sustainability Awards, making the Next List, a group of national innovators who have the capability and proven outcomes to influence global awareness of Aotearoa’s outstanding sustainable business pioneers.
We are focused on rolling out five new traplines across the Albany Basin scheduled for completion by November with funds made available from the Auckland Council Regional Environment and Natural Heritage (RENH) grant. Significant time has been spent in September producing evidenced-based collateral for scaling organic waste management across the Business North Harbour BID region, securing our first waste hub host. Crown Relocations’ commitment to sustainability is already significant and becoming a waste host hub will enable the organisation to support up to nine other local businesses to convert waste biomass to high grade compost to grow food or rākau to support greening the Albany Basin.
We thank all these entities for their leadership and support of the kauapapa we share.
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