April 2025 Pānui
Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to our April pānui.
Our vision is a more prosperous Aotearoa as measured by the wellbeing of our communities, the health of our environment, and the inclusiveness of our societies.
Right now our collective wellbeing is at risk from interconnected crises, not least Trump's reckless and dangerous tariffs that have seen markets in chaos raising the spectre of a major global recession.
Sailing into stormy seas we need to work together and look after each other.
The current economic system is an important cause of the multiple crises we face but it is a product of design and it can be redesigned.
Thank you for being part of WEAll Aotearoa - we are part of a global movement working to imagine and build an economy that puts its human and planetary needs at the centre of its activities.
You can read more about this hopeful mahi below, along with other updates, news, events, actions, and recommendations.
Nga mihi nui,
The WEAll Aotearoa team
Gareth, Georgie, Paul, Sally and Sophie
WEAll updates
Climate Tai Tokerau Conference
Gareth gave the keynote address at the Climate Tai Tokerau conference in Whangārei. The main theme was climate and the economy. As Gareth says, climate change is ‘just one symptom of an economic system that prioritises the wrong things’.
While there, Gareth hosted a Community Wealth Building workshop, where participants mapped out positive projects happening in Northland: old quarries are being turned into biodiversity hotspots and job creators; iwi are investing in solar farms; vacant land is being turned into Innovation & Enterprise Parks; and kai gardens and fruit forests are popping up.
Opportunity for action: If you are keen for a workshop on Community Wealth Building to boost local economies please get in touch.
Future Generations
Our youth-led campaign for a Future Generations Act is steadily gaining momentum. The rangatahi leadership group has been meeting regularly and working to shape the direction of the kaupapa, grounded in intergenerational justice and long-term wellbeing.
We’re in the process of developing a unique identity and brand for the campaign that reflects the vision and values of the movement.
Alongside that, we’ve formed a charter to bring together those who are committed to this shared vision.
If your organisation supports this kaupapa and is keen to be part of the collective, please reach out to us at sophie@weall.co.nz.
Learning Resources
Do you know that we have a resources page on our website? On it we share visual resources, submissions, keynote speeches, and webinars, as well as resources from our conference.
We encourage you to use and share the resources freely. Please let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see from us, or if you would like to collaborate on any resources, and we can try to make it happen.
Submissions
Speaking of submissions, last month we made two submissions: one on the Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill, and one on the Government’s Procurement Rules.
Procurement: The Government tenders contracts collectively worth $50b a year and this is a powerful driver of jobs, enterprise and economic direction. WEAll Aotearoa believes it is great to see the Government wants to make it easier for New Zealand businesses to win government contracts but it’s a step backwards to remove Living Wage and lower-carbon rules for procurement. Read our submission here.
In our Right to Repair submission we highlighted how our current linear economy is a product of design and can be redesigned to be more circular and regenerative. We recommended a few specific changes to the draft bill and for the Select Committee to support this bill. Read our submission here.
Wellbeing economy in the news
Transitions in Action
Did you know that Te Whanganui-ā-Tara is one of the only cities in the OECD where biodiversity is increasing?
The book Transitions in Action: An urban and regional transitions guide was launched last month. It’s a book about an economy centre around the wellbeing of people and the planet, and contains 30+ initiatives from Te Upoko o te Ika of communities getting on with the transition to a wellbeing economy.
We welcome the book and the stories it contains. Watch this space our local government policy guide designed to help scale the impact for te taiao and our communities.
The case for the wellbeing framework
In this public policy opinion piece, Adjunct Professor Girol Karacaoglu argues for the Wellbeing Framework as the reason-based and evidence-informed framework we need in these times of poly-crisis. As he states, ‘It offers a fresh lens and new angles for analysing familiar and persistent environmental, social, and economic problems that underpin human suffering and threaten the wellbeing of future generations. If one looks around the world with an open mind, one can easily find its applications.’ He uses the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework to explain his points.
Events
8 April: WEAll Aotearoa Supporters’ Call (7pm, online). Find out how you can get more involved in our projects; including providing feedback on Future Generations Act ideas and our upcoming National Tour.
23-24 April: Post-Capitalist Aotearoa Conference, Wellington. As economic and environmental crises intensify, the Post Capitalist Aotearoa Conference will explore viable and transformative alternatives to capitalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Discussions will focus on systemic change, policy and community-driven solutions. Speakers include Gareth Hughes, Richard Wagstaffe, Grace Blakely and Richard D. Wolff.
29 April: WEAll Aotearoa Bookclub. Our next session will be discussing The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer. As always, don’t feel you have to read the whole book to come along. You can check out the original essay for Emergence Magazine that inspired the writing of the book, also in audio.
30 April: We All Chat - Te Whanganui-ā-Tara (5.30pm, in-person at Mini Bar). 30 April will be New Zealand planetary overshoot day. What a day to connect with others in Te Whanganui-ā-Tara keen on redesigning the economic system to put people and planet first. Join fellow WEAll Aotearoa supporters' for a drink, and to chat all things wellbeing economy. RSVP here.
1 May: Health Coalition Aotearoa webinar, Lobbying in Aotearoa: It’s time to Level the Playing Field. As part of HCA’s campaign to Level the Lobbying Playing Field, they are calling for a Regulation of Lobbying Act. In this webinar (facilitated by Gareth Hughes), speakers will explore key asks of the campaign.
8 May: We All Chat Tamaki Makaurau (5:30pm, in-person at Galbraith’s Alehouse). The WEAll Aotearoa team will be up in Tamaki Makaurau and we’d love to meet up with our Auckland supporters for a drink and chat about all things wellbeing economy. RSVP here.
13-14 May: Sustainable Brands Aotearoa Conference 2025 (Rotorua). Attendees will hear from world-class speakers from purpose-driven brands, economists, and policy experts on ‘how smart brands are proving the value of purpose’. Gareth will be speaking on a panel with Mike Dupee (Sustainable Brands Global CEO) and Rachel Brown (Founder of Sustainable Business Network).
23 May: Child Poverty Action Group Post Budget Breakfast (Auckland). CPAG’s annual budget analysis event is back with expert analysis from Bernard Hickey, Prof Matt Roskruge and Harry Yu Shi. Attendees will also hear rangatahi and community viewpoints.
Recommendations
Listen: Tipping Point Podcast. Listen to the true-crime story of the 1970s study, book and backlash surrounding The Limits to Growth. This podcast tells the story of a team of brilliant young scientists who built a model of the world and used it to test scenarios about humanity’s future. They found that if we continued on our path of unfettered economic growth, we risked triggering a collapse in our modern civilization by the middle of the 21st century. But they also described a scenario in which collapse could be avoided: if humanity shifted its goal from growth-at-all-costs, to one delivering prosperity for all within the planet’s limits.
View: These wonderful images from Hajar Tazi on LinkedIn. As Hajar writes ‘I have seen many, many “diagnosis” icebergs before, but never one attempting to represent the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible… so I made these. It’s still - and will remain - a work in progress, so your insights are welcome with open arms and heart!’
Learn: Wellbeing Economy Policy Course. This free Wellbeing Economy Policy Design course takes you on a world tour to explore how wellbeing economy principles and practices are being applied by governments internationally.
Listen: Eight podcasts for city innovators. From creative thinking on securing resident buy-in for ambitious undertakings to mayoral insights on managing crises, this latest edition of Bloomberg Cities annual list of podcasts for urban innovators offers something for everyone.
