What does it look like when we put wellbeing at the centre of National economies?

Recorded with the backdrop of the COP15 UN Biodiversity Convention, Matt sits down with two pioneers shaping the way Nations approach economic development. Michael Weatherhead, Development Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, and Gary Gillespie, Director and Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government, share their experiences of navigating more inclusive policy and finance structures. From a Future Generations Bill to Natural Capital Accounts and Quality of Life Frameworks, we look at the innovative levers for positive change in national governance.

A few links for further enquiry:

https://www.weallscotland.org/

https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/chief-economist-directorate/chief-economist/

https://weall.org/wego

https://www.ted.com/speakers/nicola_sturgeon

Danish design culture meets multi-sector collaboration in Uruguay - How do Regions position themselves for new competitive and collaborative advantages Post-2020?

In a conversation that connects Global South and Global North, Claire and Matt explore how Cities and Regions can share their impact superpowers for the sake of our Planet’s future. They’re joined by two very special guests: Julie Hjort, Program Director of Sustainable & Circular Transition at the Danish Design Centre (Copenhagen), and Mercedes Viola, Co-Founder & Director, 4D Lab (Montevideo). From childhood memories of Nature to everyday working life rituals and big bold ideas, this episode is an audio journey not to be missed.

Links:

4D lab - https://4dlab.uy/en/

Inclusive Economy Festival - https://economiainclusiva.net/

Danish Design Centre - https://ddc.dk/projects/the-mission/

Research calls for decision-makers to embrace young peoples’ perspectives in shaping Victoria’s tourism future

Building upon over three years of successful advocacy, the Young Tourism Network (YTN) has released its 2022 Workplaces Report. Designed to inform strategic decision-makers in Victorian tourism, events and hospitality, the research results are based on engagement with 141 people in Victoria’s visitor economy through an online survey, focus sessions, 1:1 meetings and desktop research.

Supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, the work seeks to further the insights from the 2021 Young Voices in Tourism report which like this research, was delivered in partnership with B Corp-certified consultancy Regeneration Projects. Hope is growing, with 56% of young people indicating that they would recommend their peers start careers in the Victorian tourism, events & hospitality industry, but there is long way to go.

“This is a call to decision-makers to hear what young people see as important for the future of the tourism industry. To unlock industry innovation, today’s leaders need to be genuine about empowering the leaders of tomorrow. What’s clear in the Workplaces report is that young people demand purpose beyond profit, meaningful career opportunities and to feel secure and represented throughout the industry – this report gives us practical steps on how.” Madeleine Sawyer, 2022 Chair of Young Tourism Network

Listen in!

What business dependencies and impacts really are worth accounting and budgeting for post-2020?

Can accountants even measure things like Natural Capital? It turns out that it’s not only possible, but the tools needed have been around for decades. Their recent use in both public and private settings is changing the game of how organisations see the value they bring into the world. In the fifth episode of the Market Conditions for Impact series, we’re joined by three amazing leaders from around the Planet - Rosimeiry Portela (Conservation International), Ian Dickie (Economics For The Environment Consultancy) and John Finisdore (Point Advisory, an ERM Company). This dynamic trio are like family and carefully guide us through a labyrinth of definitions and standards, as well as practical examples of governments and corporates leading the way. You might also be surprised to hear how their childhood experiences of Nature have informed where they are now. 

Here are a few of the resources discussed on today’s podcast:

“Pitch for Nature”, a 2:23 video on why nature matters to business

Natural Capital Protocol, an introductory guide to help corporations can generate value from natural capital, that Rosimeiry and Ian helped write  

Time to Take Stock,  a technical guide to corporate natural capital accounting which Rosimeriy, Ian and John all helped produce

BIS 8632: Natural Capital Accounting for Organisations, the British Standard for corporate natural capital accounting that Ian helped write  

Biological Diversity Protocol, a corporate natural capital accounting standard which John was a co-author of

United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting, the global standard for public sector accounting of nature, Rosimeiry sits on the SEEA EA Technical Committee

As the business community becomes increasingly aware of its relationship with people and the planet, we're seeing a big trend towards communication. Impact-led businesses want to tell their stakeholders what they are doing, and why it matters. This episode welcomes Grace O’Hara (Small Fires) and Erin Morris (Young Folks) to explore the role of storytelling and reporting in impact-led business. Erin and Grace share practical tips, tools and frameworks for quality communication that combines robust evidence with emotional connection.

Learn more about Young Folks on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Explore the stories Small Fires are helping bring to life over on their website or Instagram

Check out the guidance and tools shared by Grace and Erin:

Climate Active: https://www.climateactive.org.au/what-climate-active/how-it-works

Storytelling canvas: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Storytelling-Canvas%3A-A-Visual-Framework-for-and-Kernbach/8fdf3013e394d5749f090dddc843cbfb774fd4dc

Program logic: https://aifs.gov.au/resources/practice-guides/how-develop-program-logic-planning-and-evaluation

Recent years have seen a significant shift in the investment sector. Society is paying far more attention to where investors - like superannuation funds and banks - are putting their money, and we're seeing words like 'sustainable', 'ethical' 'responsible' and 'impact' being tacked onto investment terms. As a result, more and more investors are taking accountability for their positive and negative impacts on communities, cultures and our Earth. But will this create the step change we need for a regenerative economy, or are we just tinkering around the edges?

Matt and Claire welcome two guests who are breaking new ground in the investment landscape. Alex Hannant (The Yunus Centre, Griffith University) and Jackson Rowland (Obama Scholars programme) join us for an unapologetically bold conversation that throws our pre-conceived ideas about investment right out the window.

Links:

More about Alex – here

More about Jackson - here

McKinsey report ‘The net-zero transiton’ - here

Griffith University Yunus Centre ‘Design Foundations for Systems Capital’ - here

Picture systems thinking inside an Italian B Corp pharmaceutical company. Imagine te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) shaping businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand. Claire and Matt are joined by special guests Massimo Mercati (CEO at Aboca Italy) and Qiulae Wong (Aotearoa New Zealand Manager at B Lab AANZ) as we learn how organisational design and governance can influence a team’s capacity for impact.

Let’s take another step into our Market Conditions for Impact series.

About our guests

Massimo Mercati was born in Città di Castello, Italy, in 1971. After graduating in law, he devoted himself to managing the family business, Aboca, where he is now CEO. He founded the Apoteca Natura pharmacy network and is president of the Municipal Pharmacies of Florence. He has published the book “The business as a living system” (Aboca Edizioni, 2020). He lives in Sansepolcro, Italy. More: https://abocaedizioni.it/autori/massimo-mercati/

Qiulae is the Aotearoa Manager for B Lab - the non-profit organisation which oversees B Corp certification. Certified B Corps are businesses that seek to benefit all stakeholders and hold themselves accountable to using business as a force for good. Qiulae's background is in impact measurement and systems change, and she has recently returned from the UK where she worked for similar industry bodies supporting businesses to align profit and purpose. In her role at B Lab she is working across the private and public sectors to make impact measurement and stakeholder governance the new norm. More: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qiulae/

Resources & Tools:

B Impact Assessment - https://app.bimpactassessment.net/get-started

NZ Living Standards framework -

https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/nz-economy/higher-living-standards/our-living-standards-framework

Aboca Italy’s Impact Report - https://www.aboca.com/company/for-the-common-good/

The business as a living system, Massimo Mercati:

Book Republic - https://www.bookrepublic.it/ebook/9788855230834-the-business-as-a-living-system-aboca/

Apple Books - https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-business-as-a-living-system/id1531079055

Encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on care for our Common Home - https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

One of the simplest building blocks of Australia and Aotearoa’s economies are exchanges of goods and services between organisations. You see it in your everyday life when you stand in the dairy aisle of your local grocer and you contemplate which cheese you’re going to buy. As the end beneficiary, you’re weighing up the pro’s and con’s using your own personal criteria … which could be anything: How much does it cost? Where was it made? How far has it travelled? Will my organics-loving partner approve? And of course, does it taste good?!

But if you go upstream, someone within the grocer organisation has had to make a call about which blocks of cheese to source. Once again, the criteria by which they make that decision has a significant impact on the benefits to their stakeholders - customers, community, environment, workers and potentially shareholders.

Sit back and relax because you’re in for a treat, as Jas Qadir (PhD- systems approaches, public investment and broader outcomes, and Principal Procurement Specialist at New Zealand Government Procurement) and Dr Seán Barnes walk us through the potential and power of procurement.

Links:

PhD- systems approaches, public investment and broader outcomes, Jas Qadir (https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/15233/TrichurKhabeerAbdulQ.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)

Professional Services Broader Outcomes Framework: Professional services broader outcomes | New Zealand Government Procurement and Property (https://www.procurement.govt.nz/contracts/consultancy-services/professional-services-broader-outcomes/)

akina.org.nz/

regenprojects.earth/

Let’s face it, conversations about "economic systems change" can be heavy and inaccessible. Talking about the soil conditions of your home veggie patch however are much easier. Carrying excess kitchen resources into the compost and seeing those worms and bacteria go to town is so satisfying!

The thing is that market conditions and soil aren’t so different.

Groups of plants with shallow roots are going to be far less resilient in tough times … and the same goes for business communities. Flip that and if you get the market conditions right, whole new industries can start emerging and increase the diversity of your region’s current economy.

So, here Claire and Matt are stepping into catalysing forces like procurement, governance, investment, budgeting and reporting … all of those contributing factors to a thriving economy that is delivering social, ecological and economic returns for its community.

Roll up your sleeves, it’s time to explore Market Conditions for Impact.

More info:

regenprojects.earth/

Regenerative agriculture presents a major opportunity to achieve the "Fix our Climate" Earthshot. In the final episode of our Earthshot series, we welcome Clare Buchanan from Align Farms in Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand. Clare shares her experience with regenerative dairy farming, and how regenerative farming practices can contribute to a resilient, diverse and productive environment. From the carbon cycle, to soil, to energy use and nutrition, we explore the complex relationship between our food system, society, the economy and our environment.

Learn more:

https://alignfarms.co.nz/regenerative-study/

https://www.quorumsense.org.nz/

https://www.quorumsense.org.nz/case-studies/regenerative-winter-grazing-innovations

https://sustainabledish.com/

https://www.landtomarket.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te6D3y3EyGg&ab_channel=QuorumSenseFarmerNetwork%2CNewZealand

https://www.farmingsecrets.com/mentor/dr-christine-jones/

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/