Creating decent work and economic growth is the
primary sustainability goal for socially responsible organisations in New
Zealand. That’s the key finding for New Zealand in the Annual
Review of the State of CSR in Australia and New Zealand 2016 prepared by
the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR).

Creating decent work and economic growth is the
primary sustainability goal for socially responsible organisations in New
Zealand. That’s the key finding for New Zealand in the Annual
Review of the State of CSR in Australia and New Zealand 2016 prepared by
the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR). 

The Review analyses the views of more than
1,000 respondents from organisations with a commitment to CSR, who were asked,
among other things, to nominate their top goals from the United Nations’ 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-2030, launched last September.

It’s the fourth year New Zealand businesses have
been involved, and this year the Review drew 226 responses from New Zealand CSR
managers and other corporate employees, a fifth of the total response, and a 25 per cent increase on last
year’s response. 

Nikki Wright, Managing Director of Wright
Communications, who coordinated the New Zealand participation in association
with the Sustainable Business Council and Massey University, says the increase
in New Zealand business responses also enabled the Review to identify for the
first time the Top Three CSR organisations for New Zealand in terms of
awareness in the organisation of sustainability and the SDGs. 

Those organisations are BNZ, Toyota NZ and Z Energy.

Z Energy Sustainability Manager Emily Watt says her
company saw attainment of the SDGs as a logical extension of Z’s sustainability
strategy. “We see the Goals guiding us as to what we should be focusing on.”

Nikki Wright says top priority for the next year
among New Zealand participants was the building of stronger relationships with
stakeholders, and the kiwi companies also rated Stakeholder Engagement as their
strongest management capability. “What that highlighted to us was the
importance of communication on sustainability issues and the SDGs, and the very
good progress kiwi businesses are making in that area.”

The Review
also showed that overall awareness of the SDGs was high at 85 per cent and the
Goals are already being incorporated into many organisations’ strategic
planning and activities, a finding that delighted SBC Executive Director Abbie
Reynolds. “That was very welcome news and a big lift on previous years that
shows kiwi companies are striding ahead.”

Z’s Emily Watt says a key focus for her
organisation was to work with other stakeholders to influence change.  “We
ask the communities what their priorities are for our investment programmes, we
ask our stakeholders what they want to measure us against, and we ask our
customers what is important to them. Their responses inform our whole
sustainability programme.”

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