Video updates from Mike Burrell, Executive Director.
18 June: Video update Week 12
Hello, welcome back. I hope you are all well and that Level 1 is treating you well.
This marks my 12th video update. I originally started these as as a way of keeping in touch with you during the lock-down and to update you on what SBC and its members have been up to.
After 3 months, it would be good to hear from you if you found them useful and whether I should continue with them. Let me know what you think, drop us an email or a message.
By now you will have received a draft version of our 5-year strategy and the deadline for feedback is next Tuesday the 23rd. There are online workshops on Friday and on Monday where you can tell us what you think.
I want to talk a bit about what’s in the strategy, as this document will help guide us to make some pretty big decisions over the next five years. It will show us what to focus on, and what we will have to pass up in order to keep that focus.
We’ve heard from you that you want SBC to provide leadership on business sustainability, climate action and the transition to a just future, and that sustainability should be at the heart of the economic recovery.
We have come up with a new vision which is that by 2050 we are all thriving in a zero carbon New Zealand. Our purpose is work with you to mobilise New Zealand’s most ambitious businesses to create a thriving, zero carbon future for all of us.
Business leadership is going to be at the heart of this, and we want to provide you with the platform to demonstrate that leadership.
We think that an important part of being a New Zealand organisation is to listen to the voices of Māori business on sustainability, so this will be a key part of our strategy as well.
The strategy will be accompanied by an implementation plan which will include an impact framework that will allow us to measure our progress.
So please do take the chance to have your say on the draft. I’d love to hear what you think. Once we have the feedback, we’ll be launching the new strategy at the Annual Council Meeting on 19 August, and we hope to see you all there.
Also today I am sending out an email to all our members for nominations for 5 vacancies on our Advisory Board. These are very important positions and if you are interested in that leadership position, please do put yourself forward.
Nominations open today and close on Friday the 10th of July.
I hope you have a great week and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this vlog.
Talk to you next time.
11 June: Video update Week 11
Transcript
Hello everyone – well we made it. I’d like to start by celebrating the immense achievement of all of us as a country on making it to level 1.
I know there has been hard work and sacrifices by many of our members, but we can all be very proud of how we have pulled together and played our part on flattening the curve.
I’d also like to acknowledge those front-line workers in our healthcare system, our supermarkets, those who are cleaning and maintaining facilities, or are on the road making deliveries, and countless others who have kept everything functioning at this time. They are the MVPs in our team of five million.
Planning for the recovery has been underway for some time, and this week is Visionweek, where we can all contribute to a national vision on how New Zealand can emerge from the Covid-19 crisis.
Yesterday I was part of a panel with Alison Andrew, CEO of Transpower and Ian Proudfoot, the Global Head of Agribusiness at KPMG, talking about Sustaining New Zealand. I encourage you to check out all the content on the Visionweek website and join in the conversation.
Last week I was part of a workshop, organised by The Aotearoa Circle, as part of the Fenwick Forum Working Group, and today the Fenwick Forum is holding its sessions for a wider audience. The Forum will produce a report to inform Covid-19 recovery plans, talking in particular about what changes will have the most impact for food, transport and energy.
This week we have published our member review. Every two years, we go through a process to see how members are tracking against our SBC member commitments. In the review document, we talk about the overall trends and the lessons learned, to help members on their sustainability journey.
Next week, we’ll be sharing our 5-year strategy with you for your feedback, and holding some online workshops where you can tell us what you think.
Please do register for those, and details are in Pānui.
I’d just like to acknowledge the strategy reference group, our Advisory Board members who have helped us shape both the strategy and the process to support our ambition for sustainability in New Zealand.
This week I also met with the Climate Leaders Coalition steering group to discuss a parallel strategy refresh process with them. They have agreed to the process and the goal of ensuring strategic alignment between CLC and SBC.
As always, do get in touch if you want to chat about any of this. I look forward to speaking with you next time.
4 June: Video update Week 10
Transcript
Hello everyone
I hope you had a relaxing long weekend. It’s hard to believe we are now officially in winter and this month will see our shortest day.
Even though it’s nearly mid-winter, I’ve been struck by a very real sense of optimism this week through our members and wider stakeholders clearly focussing on the longer-term future and what’s next.
In this week’s meetings, panel discussions and presentations, it’s been great to see collaboration and partnerships in action – all with a collective vision towards investing in a sustainable recovery and transitioning to a low-emissions future.
I encourage all of you to read Beca’s excellent think-piece featured this week on decarbonising for a prosperous New Zealand.
It sets out the key transition opportunities for New Zealand, including in transport, industrial product manufacturing, electricity, built environment, agriculture and social infrastructure. You’ll find details in Pānui.
We have continued to make excellent progress on the first draft of our 5-year strategy. We’ve been working on it as a team this week, refining our vision and looking at how it will work in practice. This will go out for feedback and discussion mid-June.
I met with my Visionweek panel colleagues this week, Alison Andrew, CEO of Transpower and Ian Proudfoot, the Global Head of Agribusiness at KPMG, to film our Sustaining New Zealand session.
Our conversation is part of next week’s wider conversation on a national vision for New Zealand coming out of the Covid-19 crisis.
I’m really looking forward to listening to the insights from all the speakers taking part and I do hope you can join in some of various ways you can participate in the conversation. You can see more on this in Pānui.
We’ve continued to work without borders with our global partners.
Yesterday I was part the New Zealand panel of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s Net Zero Future webinar series, along with two of our members Steve Killeen, CEO of New Zealand Downer, and Rosie Mercer, GM of Sustainability at Ports of Auckland. We will send you a link to this when it goes online.
In collaboration with more than 20 global member companies of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development we developed a set of shared business principles putting people first – more on that in Pānui.
And tomorrow I will be attending a workshop, organised by The Aotearoa Circle, as part of the Fenwick Forum Working Group, named in honour of a truly visionary sustainability leader, Sir Rob. More on that next week.
I continue to be inspired by our members’ stories of great work and fabulous innovation.
As always, do get in touch if you want to chat about any of this.
I look forward to speaking with you next week.
