Leading international environmentalist, Sir Jonathon Porritt will discuss the crucial role that the New Zealand finance
sector needs to play in the transition towards a zero carbon, resilient economy.
Sir Jonathon Porritt is a pioneering environmentalist, adviser to government and business, author and activist. He will
be discussing the role of finance with Barry Coates, CEO of Mindful Money.
Barry Coates commented: “We will need concerted efforts from NGOs and civil society, government, corporates and the
financial sector themselves in order to shift banks and investment funds from being part of the problem to part of the
solution.
There are promising initiatives in New Zealand and across the world, as shown in a recent paper authored by Jonathon
Porritt, but rapid scale up is needed.”
Jonathon Porritt is one of the founders of the Aotearoa Circle, a partnership of business, government and civil society
aiming to protect and enhance New Zealand’s natural capital as a foundation for a sustainable economy. His paper on
international experience of green recovery initiatives was presented to the Fenwick Forum last week, honouring the late
Sir Rob Fenwick, a co-founder of Aotearoa Circle.
Barry Coates concluded: “Jonathon Porritt has inspired a generation of environmental champions across society, in New
Zealand and across the world. His message on climate change is uncompromising. We are rapidly running out of time. We
need to do everything required, and we need to do it now.”