It was a pleasure to again sponsor and meet the recipients of the Next Generation 2025 scholarship at the Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland this year. We’re excited to see these aspiring young professionals grow their careers and their impact in the field of sustainability!
Below are some of their reflections from the two-day event on 8-9 September, where they had the opportunity to mingle with hundreds of sustainability professionals and industry leaders and listen to keynotes, workshops and panels that showcased action from around New Zealand and the globe.
Hien Nguyen | Palmerston North
Hien is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development Goals at Massey University, driven by her strong interest in advancing sustainability within business contexts.
"I particularly resonated with the insights of Heather Peacocke, Chief Advisor at the Ministry for the Environment, on the role of storytelling in enabling better climate decisions. She highlighted three essential elements that stuck with me; identity: when climate action becomes part of who we are; agency: when people feel empowered to contribute and see themselves as change agents; and narratives: when we shift the conversation toward what we can build together, not just what we must give up."
Rohit Gunasekaran | Wellington
Rohit is a Climate Change Science and Policy Graduate.
"The sessions were inspiring, like hearing Cynthia Houniuhi, a young climate activist from the Solomon Islands and the current President of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), talk about how she and her classmates pushed for an ICJ advisory opinion on states’ climate obligations, or Climate Change Commissioner Andy Reisinger's sobering take on what happens if we overshoot 1.5°C. I also enjoyed the range of ideas on everything from low-carbon buildings to financing clean tech and even how AI could play a role in climate action."
Penelope Goertzen | Auckland
Penelope is a graduate analyst at Vector
"Over two days I was hit with so much: SAF fuel for Air NZ, farming, forestry and methane, the science of extreme weather events, global politics around the Paris Agreement - from the superpowers like the US and China to smaller Pacific nations like Vanuatu. I learnt how New Zealand fits into this global puzzle. The biggest shift for me was hearing the challenge set by Shay Schlaepfer from the Environmental Defence Society: 'When political leadership falters, business can lead.” Another idea that stuck was “clean your own backyard first.' These words made me realise that we don’t get to sit back just because politics is messy, we can lead through our work, our choices, and a million small actions."
Luca Harris | Auckland
Luca is an Analyst at Motion Capital
"What stuck with me was how often solutions were framed as growth opportunities rather than costs. To me, the key is making climate solutions economical, that's how we unlock, scale, accelerate mitigation, and create transformational change…Overall I'm hopeful that it has now become in the interest of corporates to improve the way they approach climate change."
Muhammad Shah Zaib | Hamilton
Muhummad is a Master’s student in civil engineering
"I was encouraged to see how seriously different sectors are taking climate action. I saw how powerful it is when policy, business, and activism come together. It reminded me that real change is possible. This gave me more energy to keep pushing my mission at my own business Green Upshot."
Abigail Spratt | Dunedin
Abagail is a law and arts student at the University of Otago
"Attending the Climate Change and Business conference was an inspirational yet sobering opportunity. The conference touched on the social, economic, health and political aspects of climate change - and how interconnected these ultimately are. The time for climate action is now, and as Dame Therese Walsh eloquently put it 'if you try to do business without cognisance of climate change you will fail' - which echoes the value in sustainability-oriented individuals. This conference widened my perspectives, connected me to like-minded individuals and left me optimistic of the collective work that is sparking change across sectors."
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