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2016 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards: Who won big?

The 2016 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards took place last night at Shed 10 on Auckland’s waterfront. Now in its 14th year, the awards are the longest-standing sustainability awards in New Zealand, celebrating the country’s sustainability superstars in all business sectors – both within their industry and the wider community. Here are the winners for 2016. 

Air New Zealand has been named the overall Supreme winner of the 2016 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards.

Judges said the company had demonstrated true corporate leadership in sustainability since launching its Sustainability Framework a year ago, which sets out social, environmental and environmental goals, priorities and targets for six areas: Our Communities, Our People, Carbon, Nature and Science, Tourism, and Trade and Enterprise.


Air New Zealand’s electric vehicles

The company transitioned its existing car fleet to electric vehicles (EVs), saving 65,000 litres in fuel each year, and furthermore, the company challenged other New Zealand corporates to follow suit, which stimulated sustainability conversations throughout the country.

Air New Zealand recently teamed up with Mercury, supported by Westpac, to launch an initiative to encourage the uptake of EVs in corporate fleets in New Zealand. So far more than 30 organisations have pledged to transition at least 30 per cent of their corporate fleets to electric in the next three years. This total private sector commitment of more than 1,450 vehicles will increase the number of EVs on New Zealand roads by more than 75 per cent. This could remove almost three million kilograms of carbon emissions annually.

Sustainability is at the forefront of Air New Zealand’s business practices: from the purchase of fuel efficient aircrafts to recycling and repurposing old uniforms, diversity workplace programmes, identification of Te Reo speakers on board aircraft and environmental programmes to preserve New Zealand’s natural environment. Find out about all of the airline’s sustainability initiatives here.

This year’s NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards recognised 22 other organisations’ and leaders’ sustainability efforts at tonight’s awards. For more, visit sustainable.org.nz/awards. Here is the full list of winners and commendations.

NZI  Greatest Contribution to a Sustainable New Zealand

Winner – Air New Zealand
​Commendation – Ceres Organics 

Barry Coates

Sustainability Champion

Winner – Barry Coates, Green Party, formerly Oxfam and The University of Auckland
Commendation – Gareth Morgan, The Morgan Foundation

As the Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand for 10 years, Barry championed and led campaigns around climate change, fair trade, the extractives industry, organics and the shift to sustainable agriculture. He has done an immense amount of advocacy with decision makers, both in New Zealand and overseas. He attended many of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conferences, lobbying on the complexities of the agreements. Barry recently worked at Auckland University, setting up a sustainability programme for the 21st century. He is now an MP for the Green Party, where he is influencing national policy to have significant positive changes, while using his prodigious energy, intelligence and amicable style to change minds and behaviours.

Better NZ Trust took out the Cadence Communications Communicating Sustainability award
The Ecotricity team, who won the EcoPro Cleaning Co Community Innovation award
Kiwi Experience won the Auckland Council Mega Efficiency Impact award 
Sustainability Trust won the Airbnb Community Impact Award. 

Cadence Communications Communicating Sustainability

Winner – Better NZ Trust

EcoPro Cleaning Co Community Innovation

Winner – Ecotricity
Commendation – Kiwibank and Banqer
​Commendation – Little Yellow Bird

Airbnb Community Impact

Winner – Sustainability Trust
Commendation – Good Neighbour Trust

Ricoh Mega Efficiency Innovation

Winner – Ecotricity
Commendation – Energy and Technical Services
Commendation – Method Recycling

Auckland Council Mega Efficiency Impact

Winner – Kiwi Experience
Commendation – Fulton Hogan/Tauranga Airport Authority

Renewables Innovation

Winner – NZ Bus
Commendation – Scion
Commendation – Flick

Renewables Impact

Winner – Air New Zealand
Commendation – ChargeNet

Yealands Family Wines Restorative Innovation

Winner – Ekos
Commendation – Junk Run

Restorative Impact

Winner – Ceres Organics (the Ceres Organics farm is pictured in the hero image for this article)
Commendation – We Compost Commendation – ZingBokashi

EECA Business Energy Management

Winner – NZ Bus
Commendation – Fonterra Edendale site

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