From business to biodiversityFinding new ways to invest in nature
“How can businesses take meaningful action for nature?”
That was the question at the heart of the Sustainable Business Network’s Nature & Business Symposium, attended by around 160 people at Akarana Yacht Club on Tāmaki Drive in early August.
The event brought together people from business, conservation, government and community organisations to explore how we can move from talking about nature to taking practical action, and how new partnerships and investment models could help accelerate that change.
The Forest Bridge Trust’s General Manager, Michelle Worth, attended the symposium and took part in a breakout session exploring one of the most emerging areas of nature finance: Biodiversity Credits.
Understanding our connection to nature
The day opened with kōrero from Isabella Penrose of Friends of Te Wairoa and regeneration ecologist Kate Meyer of Planetary Accounting.
Isabella spoke about the whakapapa of nature through the relationships among Parawhenuamea, atua of freshwater, Tāne Mahuta, Tūparimaunga and Kiwa. Her kōrero was a powerful reminder that our forests, mountains, freshwater, coastlines and communities are deeply interconnected.
Kate explored how environmental accounting can help us better understand the impacts that products and services have across the nine planetary boundaries. a framework for understanding the limits within which humanity can safely operate.
Planetary Accounting has also developed Planetary Facts, a labelling system inspired by the nutritional information we see on food packaging. The concept is to make the environmental footprint of products and services easier to understand, helping consumers and businesses make more informed decisions.
Turning good ideas into practical action
One of the standout examples for Michelle came from Caleb Sjardin of Contact Energy, who shared the company’s work to improve fish passage for tuna/longfin eels around hydroelectric dams.
What stood out was the practical approach. The team initially tested a simple prototype using piping and a chilli bin to see whether elvers could successfully navigate past the barriers. Once they knew the concept worked, they developed a more permanent system.
It was an encouraging example of how businesses can identify a nature-related challenge, test solutions and then scale up what works.
New opportunities to invest in biodiversity
Michelle’s breakout session, Unlocking Nature Market Opportunities, explored the emerging biodiversity credit market and what it could mean for conservation organisations, businesses and others working to deliver positive outcomes for nature.
There are growing numbers of businesses looking for credible ways to support biodiversity. At the same time, conservation organisations and landowners are delivering real, measurable improvements for ecosystems.
The challenge is finding effective ways to connect the two. The session included insights from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, which has developed a biodiversity credit programme in partnership with Ekos and has begun selling credits.
Participants also explored what is needed to make these emerging markets work in practice, including the roles of buyers, such as businesses wanting to invest in nature; sellers, including conservation groups and others delivering nature outcomes; and enablers, such as government agencies and councils.
The discussion built on the opportunities identified in the 2026 report Connecting nature, climate, and capital: How to unlock domestic and international market potential for voluntary nature-based credits from New Zealand, produced by Deloitte New Zealand, The Nature Conservancy and Bank of New Zealand.
Building resilience through nature
The importance of nature-based action closer to home was also highlighted by Lisette Dawson from Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR), who contributed to a panel on Growing Business Resilience with Nature.
Lisette spoke about the mahi farmers are undertaking across the Kaipara catchment through fencing and planting projects.
This work delivers multiple benefits. It helps build resilience on farms, reduces sediment entering waterways and contributes to protecting the health of the Kaipara marine environment and its valuable snapper fishery.
She also highlighted how the support provided to landowners has evolved in response to major weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary floods.
Connecting people, business and nature
For The Forest Bridge Trust, these conversations are particularly relevant.
Conservation is not something that can be achieved by one organisation or sector alone. Protecting and restoring the forests, wetlands, waterways and landscapes of northern Rodney and the southern Kaipara requires collaboration between landowners, communities, conservation organisations, government and business.
As interest in biodiversity investment grows, there is an opportunity to develop new partnerships that can help direct resources towards meaningful, measurable outcomes for nature.
The Nature & Business Symposium was a valuable opportunity to listen, share ideas and explore what those opportunities could look like in practice.
The challenge now is to turn growing interest in nature into action and to find new ways for investment to support the restoration of the natural systems on which we all depend.
At The Forest Bridge Trust, that means continuing to look for opportunities to connect people and the land and build partnerships that deliver lasting benefits for nature and communities.