New Zealand falling behind in sustainable business practices

New Zealand falling behind in sustainable business practices

There is a growing demand by New Zealand businesses for a return to government intervention in sustainable development issues, says one of the keynote speakers at tomorrow’s Sustainability Symposium at the University of Waikato, being hosted by Waikato Management School.

Professor of Management Communication Juliet Roper says the New Zealand government has taken a hands-off approach to the environment and climate change, by claiming that too much regulation would economically disadvantage New Zealand businesses relative to international Yet despite initial relief from the business community, her research shows some businesses are now concerned about the repercussions for New Zealand’s ‘clean, green’ brand image.

“New Zealand is falling behind the rest of the world in regulating for sustainable business practices, especially in comparison to European countries,” says Professor Roper. “We have been warned of the flow-on consequences of this for years by major UK retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer.”

“There needs to be more stringent legislation and that needs to be monitored for compliance. We all benefit from New Zealand’s clean, green image, so we need to back it up with some overarching policy,” says Professor Roper.

The sustainability symposium, being held at the University of Waikato on Tuesday, February 24, has attracted about 50 researchers from across campus to examine sustainability from a wide range of economic, social, education, health and cultural perspectives.

About half of the academics presenting papers at the symposium are from Waikato Management School, which was the first business school in New Zealand to place a strong focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Other topics to be discussed at the symposium include:

Why sustainability is not enough. Keynote speaker Professor Les Oxley, from the economics department at Waikato Management School. Professor Oxley is one of only four economists to have been made a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. His recent work includes the drivers of innovation in New Zealand, the knowledge economy, and alternative measures of economic wellbeing.

The internal conflicts faced by food manufacturers when it comes to accurately testing and marketing how healthy their food products really are. Dr Alison Henderson, senior lecturer in management communication at Waikato Management School, and Professor Linda Putman, from the University of California.

A snapshot of recent research that shows why economists are not “the bad guys” in the environmental debate, and how economics can help New Zealand to achieve better environmental outcomes for everyone. Dr Dan Marsh, chairperson of the economics department at Waikato Management School.

Why New Zealand’s network of 11 small international container ports is not sustainable long-term, despite our heavy reliance on shipping exports, as more and more global shipping lines move towards a hub-and-spoke structure. Dr Abraham Zhang, senior lecturer in supply chain management at Waikato Management School.

How New Zealand’s largest businesses can help empower small businesses towards adopting sustainability practices – Dr Geeta Duppati and Abhishek Mukherjee, both from the finance department at Waikato Management School.

Why the exploitation of foreign workers is a growing problem in New Zealand, as more companies are now outsourcing contracts to firms in developing countries such as India and China – Dr Umesh Sharma and Dr Mary Low, both senior lecturers in the accounting department at Waikato Management School.

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