Inbox: Shaping up a green strategy

A new report from the New Zealand Initiative identifies three lines around which New Zealand could develop national environmental strategy.
In “Navigating an uncertain future: Environmental foundations for long-term success” (see report at www.nzinstitute.org) authors Rick Boven, Catherine Harland and Lillian Grace suggest New Zealand considers adopting “no-regrets” and “mini-max” strategies, and developing NZ’s capability in selected areas.
No regrets strategies, they say, would allow New Zealand to take advantage of, or respond to, expected changes in ways that realise benefits or have only low costs if changes do not occur as anticipated.
Such strategies should include growing high-value agri-food based exports, developing more technologically advanced economy and growing the green economy.
Mini-max strategies would protect against catastrophes by minimising the maximum loss.
“Such strategies should be prepared in case there are more catastrophic outcomes. They include ensuring supply chain security for critical inputs, selectively investing in self-sufficiency for essential technologies and other inputs, and reviewing security and foreign policies,” says the report.
Boven, Harland and Grace also advocate developing New Zealand’s capability to manage and adapt to expected and uncertain environment futures.
“New Zealand should establish futures-focused institution, build organisational capabilities to anticipate, navigate and respond to unexpected eventualities, broaden economic performance metrics, pursue institutional innovation and build public understanding.”
Rick Boven and Lillian Grace are respectively director and associate of Stakeholder Strategies. Catherine Harland is research fellow with The New Zealand Initiative.
For more information see NZ Management magazine’s July 20 Executive Update. www.management.co.nz M