Deloitte Top 200: Contact Energy wins Sustainability Leadership Award (NZ Herald)

Deloitte Top 200: Contact Energy wins Sustainability Leadership Award (NZ Herald)

Contact is dedicated to playing its role in creating a more sustainable future for New Zealand by leading the country’s decarbonisation efforts, and is making significant progress to achieving net-zero carbon by 2030.

This long-standing commitment to sustainability from the gentailer, coupled with the actions it has made, made it a stand-out winner for the Deloitte Top 200 Sustainability Leadership Award. The award recognises exemplary governance, leadership, accountability and long-term perspectives from companies as they evolve and adapt their business models to support and drive sustainable development.

The Deloitte Top 200 judges commended Contact for its significant efforts to decommission assets that generate electricity from fossil fuels, signifying a clear shift towards renewable energy sources and a clear intent to help decarbonise New Zealand, despite the absence of an overarching national energy strategy.

“We are impressed that Contact’s efforts in the space are driven and supported by leadership and filter across the national business. They have created a galvanising framework for decarbonisation that attracts diverse talent and genuine innovations for sustainability actions,” said Katie Beith, one of the judges in this award category.

Contact is actively investing in the future of sustainable energy with $1.2 billion in renewable generation currently under construction. This pipeline of projects includes geothermal, solar, wind and grid-scale batteries, which will see it not only reduce its carbon profile but also assist its customers in their decarbonisation efforts.

Contact chief executive Mike Fuge is enthusiastic about what this means for the future of New Zealand. “These investments are key to enabling Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its decarbonisation goals,” he says.

“We expect our generation portfolio to be more than 95 per cent renewable by FY27 and have set the ambitious goal to achieve net-zero emissions from our generation operations by 2035.”

Contact’s efforts have already boosted its renewable energy capacity to more than 80 per cent and led to a remarkable 33 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from generation since 2018.

Its world-class geothermal development near Taupō, Tauhara, will come on-stream in 2024.

It will be Contact’s sixth geothermal power station in the Taupō area.

Contact now has a pipeline of projects ahead of it in Taupō, including an expansion of its Te Huka geothermal plant and a replacement of the 1950s-era Wairākei geothermal power station.

“The wonderful thing about having a pipeline of projects around Tauhara is we can attract the workforce in for a project, and they get the opportunity to roll off on to the next project,” says Fuge.

The judges say a particularly commendable aspect of Contact’s sustainability efforts is its commitment to meaningful engagement with iwi and hapū, especially at the Tauhara plant, which shows a deep respect for indigenous involvement in sustainable energy projects.

In addition to its geothermal projects, Contact is pursuing other renewable energy projects, including a solar project at Christchurch Airport which will have around 300,000 solar panels on 300 hectares of land adjacent to the airport’s runways.

It is looking to develop a wind farm on the elevated land east of Wyndham in Southland.

This would be Contact’s first wind farm project and, with a plan for about 55 turbines generating as much as 300 megawatts of power, it would be New Zealand’s largest.

US Business Summit 2023: Call to Order, Tim McCready

CALL TO ORDER

MC: Tim McCready

United States Business Summit 2023 30 November 2023 at Cordis, Auckland. Brought to you by NZ INC. and Auckland Business Chamber.

US Business Summit 2023: How Brand NZ shows up in the USA and how we can build our value

HOW BRAND NZ SHOWS UP IN THE USA AND HOW WE CAN BUILD OUR VALUE

David Downs, CEO of the New Zealand Story, an ambitious organisation marketing New Zealand to the world presented insights from the latest U.S. research.

Moderator: Tim McCready

United States Business Summit 2023 30 November 2023 at Cordis, Auckland. Brought to you by NZ INC. and Auckland Business Chamber.

US Business Summit 2023: Prize draw

PRIZE DRAW

Prize draw: Two return business class flights to New York City courtesy of Air New Zealand and a selection of meats from Silver Fern Farms.

Auckland Business Chamber event director Katy Riddell with Air New Zealand senior manager Mark Kennedy.

United States Business Summit 2023 30 November 2023 at Cordis, Auckland. Brought to you by NZ INC. and Auckland Business Chamber.

US Business Summit 2023: Summit close

Tim McCready, Summit MC closes the 2023 US Business Summit. — United States Business Summit 2023 30 November 2023 at Cordis, Auckland. Brought to you by NZ INC. and Auckland Business Chamber.

US Business Summit 2023: Summit Summary

SUMMIT SUMMARY

Summit co-chairs Fran O’Sullivan and Simon Bridges summarise the United States Business Summit with Summit MC Tim McCready.

United States Business Summit 2023 30 November 2023 at Cordis, Auckland. Brought to you by NZ INC. and Auckland Business Chamber.

Sustainability: Is it at risk of becoming a fair-weather friend?

Sustainability: Is it at risk of becoming a fair-weather friend?

It was only 10 months ago that New Zealand suffered two of its most costly weather-related disasters.

The Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle resulted in insurance claims of more than $2 billion. Climate change was a top concern of the nation. Ipsos’ New Zealand Issues Monitor ranked it the fifth-most-significant concern for New Zealanders in February and May 2023.

But you just have to look to the recent election to see how much has changed since then.

Climate change was barely mentioned on the campaign trail or during the debates by the two candidates vying to be Prime Minister.

By August, the Ipsos survey saw climate change slip out of the top five concerns for New Zealanders and making way for worries about the cost of living, crime, housing, healthcare and the economy.

Sustainable Business and Finance: An enduring local partnership

Sustainable Business and Finance: An enduring local partnership

ICBC NZ acted as lead arranger and joint sustainability co-ordinator for Wellington City Council’s new facility at Moa Point.

ICBC NZ is deeply focused on long-term growth through infrastructure development and committed to being a cornerstone partner in New Zealand’s progress towards its emission reduction targets.

Kevin Xu, deputy head of corporate & institutional banking of ICBC NZ, says that by providing funding in utilities, ports, highways, airports and the energy sector, the bank envisions an enduring relationship with the local economy, firmly grounded in sustainable financial practices.

This aligns with the bank’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the pivotal role of infrastructure in shaping a greener, more efficient world.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of ICBC operating in New Zealand as a fully owned subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank by total assets.

Taumata Rau Conversation pushes cybersecurity up the agenda (University of Auckland)

Cybersecurity concerns aired in a Taumata Rau Conversation add to the discussion New Zealand needs on national security issues.

Tony Lynch, the head of the National Security Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, speaks at the University
Tony Lynch, the head of the National Security Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, speaks at the University

Two years ago, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into a terrorist attack in Christchurch challenged the government to build a conversation with New Zealanders about national security challenges.

An expert discussion on cybersecurity at the University on 24 October was a contribution to that goal. “We need the sorts of conversations that we’re having now,” Tony Lynch, a top national security official, told the audience.

Fellow panellists in the Taumata Rau Conversation, hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater, were:

  • Professor Giovanni Russello, the head of the University’s School of Computer Science
  • Lisa Fong, deputy director-general, National Cyber Security Centre
  • Amber McEwen, the chief executive officer of Research Education Advanced Network New Zealand, which runs a data network for researchers and educators collaborating across New Zealand and the world.

The background included cyber-attacks which have targeted nationally significant organisations including Parliament and universities. A ransomware assault crippled the Waikato District Health Board in 2021 and last month electronic ticketing for Auckland public transport was similarly taken out of action.

Lynch, the head of the National Security Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, walked the audience through the nation’s first national security strategy Secure Together – Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki, issued in August by the Ministry of Defence.

Malicious state and non-state actors are a persistent cyber threat to all New Zealanders,

How far do we lock down New Zealand and stop that free flow of information? You can go too far and then you end up with the Great New Zealand Firewall.

Amber McEwenHead of Research Education Advanced Network New Zealand

Individuals and private organisations are key in fending off the assaults since the bulk of cybersecurity capability and effort lies outside of the government.

Asked about his biggest concerns, Lynch highlighted the increasing interconnectedness of critical infrastructure, as powerfully demonstrated in Hawke’s Bay during Cyclone Gabrielle when electricity and communications failed after the flooding of a power station, impeding emergency responders and cutting services such as EFTPOS and ATMs.

Critical infrastructure needs more of a “system” approach, sharing information across sectors, he said. Likewise, Fong was focused on vulnerabilities from the intertwining of physical and digital infrastructure and reliance on the global digital supply chain.

In Russello’s view, New Zealand is “not where we should be” on cybersecurity for reasons including a lack of investment, a shortage of cybersecurity specialists, including in academia, and businesses treating digital security as a late-stage add-on.

Cyber panel, from left, Lynch, Fong, McEwen and Russello
Cyber panel, from left, Lynch, Fong, McEwen and Russello

Burnout of cybersecurity workers was a topic and moderator Tim McCready prompted a discussion about the potential for minimum standards and mandatory reporting.

Issues with critical infrastructure seemed to support a regulatory move in that direction, away from New Zealand’s traditional principles-based approach, according to Lynch. However, Fong cautioned there were no “silver bullets.”

The audience learned from McEwen of issues facing a digital network linking our scientists to the world.

The Research Education Advanced Network New Zealand, which she heads, is a Crown-owned company operating a network which lets researchers collaborate on data-intensive projects and is used by entities including universities and Crown Research Institutes.

In instances such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the Taliban’s grab for power in Afghanistan, should the global community of research and education networks cut off those nations’ scientists and researchers?

“That’s been the big debate for us,” said McEwen. “We’ve come to the point where we keep collaboration going but we pull off research programmes where necessary.”

Risks from interconnected infrastructure were demonstrated in Hawke’s Bay during Cyclone Gabrielle when electricity and communications failed along with services such as EFTPOS and ATMs.

In Europe, Russian scientists were cut off from the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, because research could be weaponised, she said.

Another conversation in McEwen’s world is the balance between security and information flow.

“How far do we lock down New Zealand and stop that free flow of information?” asked McEwen. “You can go too far and then you end up with the Great New Zealand Firewall.”

Taumata Rau Conversations will continue into 2024. The series aims to spark meaningful discussions from multiple perspectives on the major issues confronting Aotearoa New Zealand.

The cybersecurity event was the second in the series, following a discussion of the future of the health workforce.

Political commentary: National Party Leader Christopher Luxon (Country TV)

In the lead-up to the 2023 election, this 10-part political series hosted by Mark Leishman shines the spotlight on the big issues facing rural communities around New Zealand. Tim McCready provides commentary for today’s guest, the National Party leader Christopher Luxon.