2025 in review

2025 has been a huge year for our growing movement!

Together, we are flipping the old script. We can move from broken business-as-usual where people and the planet are in service to the economy, to an economy in service to people and planet. We can have a more prosperous Aotearoa as measured by the wellbeing of our communities, the health of our environment, and the inclusiveness of our societies, not just GDP.

WEAll Aotearoa works to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy around the wellbeing of our people and te taiao and we wanted to update you on progress across 2025.

This year we launched three major reports, ran 36 events, spoke at 22 conferences and events, delivered 11 workshops, wrote and presented seven government submissions and shared our mission on five podcasts.

In the turbulent time of Polycrisis, where do we get hope for the future from?

We have structured our work around what we see as the biggest drivers of systemic change and our highlights this year include:

The Transformative Potential of Māori Economies

When we talk about a fairer, more circular, caring  economy, we acknowledge this isn’t a new concept for Aotearoa. Māori economies offer powerful leadership, values and practices that can seed a more just, regenerative economic future for all - one grounded in care for people, place, and future generations. This year we published Amplifying Māori Approaches: The Transformative Potential of Māori Economies, to amplify the leadership we see in Māori economic approaches.

Local solutions for the public good

We see green shoots of a reshaped economy already in action in our local communities across the motu. We published Policy for the Public Good: A Local Government Resource Guide, to share 100 common-sense, evidence-based policies for local government, along with 80 real-world case studies of these solutions working in practice. We sent this to every single candidate running for local government and we know it has been useful with council teams using it in their planning days and as a tool for workshops.

Future generations' thinking and the inspiring mahi of rangitahi

This year we launched Tomorrow Together: a rangitahi-led campaign grounded in a simple belief that the decisions we make today should ensure a thriving, just future for generations to come. We published a discussion document at Parliament hosted by the youngest MPs of National, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, and the Greens alongside former Prime Ministers Jim Bolger and Sir Geoffrey Palmer to embed intergenerational fairness into Aotearoa’s future.

A new narrative for the economy

The way we have designed the economic system in New Zealand is an important cause of the multiple crises we face and the way we talk about it matters. Through media appearances, op-eds, podcasts and our growing social media channels we pushed back on old, unhelpful narratives and shared a positive, valued-led alternative vision for a reshaped economy. We had 21 stories in the media and our monthly pānui list grew by 254%, our LinkedIn followers by 81% and our Instagram followers by 358%!

What else did we achieve this year?

For those of you keen on the detail, in 2025 we: 

• Supported collaboration and knowledge sharing between local councillors and mayors in our Elected Representatives Network across four network meetings including a breakfast on the side of the LGNZ Superlocal Conference. 

• Held the first meeting of our Officials Network for those working as staff in local government. Already we have seen the use of ‘avoidable cost,’ a powerful concept we are promoting being picked up by two councils.

• Ran eleven workshops including Community Wealth Building for Whangārei, Northland and Ōtorohanga councils and for businesses at Next Fest and the B Lab Assembly. 

• Met with numerous Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum to discuss how to implement a wellbeing economy at the policy level. 

• Spoke at 22 conferences and seminars including: Economic Development New Zealand, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, Partners for a New Economy in France, New Economy Network Australia, the B Lab Assembly and Massey University's Caring Economies Symposium. 

• Researched and presented seven submissions including on the Treaty Principles, Regulatory Standards, Consumer Guarantees, Public Finance, Local Government Bills as well as on procurement rules and the Interim Report of the United Nation’s High Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP.

• Brought Jacob Ellis, the Director for External Relations and Culture at the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales to Aotearoa to talk to elected reps, media and the public about better long-term thinking.

• Harvested global thinking. Gareth undertook a research trip to Europe exploring future generations law, Community Wealth Building, and cooperatives and Sally participated at two conferences in Australia.

• Introduced wellbeing economy concepts at four quarterly Wellbeing Economy 101 webinars, connected those wanting to implement these ideas at five national supporter calls, and discussed big ideas at eight book club meetings.

• Drank way too much coffee in hundreds of meetings in-person and online to discuss wellbeing economy ideas trying to find common ground on some of the complex, long-term issues facing Aotearoa New Zealand, from social cohesion, wealth inequality, intergenerational wellbeing and climate resilience.

How did we do it?

Can you believe we have done all this with less than 3 FTE?

We are a registered charity and can only do this thanks to our generous donors. Imagine what we could achieve with a bigger team to share the mahi with Gareth, Sally, Georgie and Paul?

Our growing impact is thanks to a fantastic board, our Rangitahi Leadership Group, our partners, 24 committed volunteers and four incredible university interns working hard this year.

A huge thank you to our Chairperson Justin Connolly, all of our trustees (Jo, Michael, Brett, Donna) and kia ora to our new trustees Kate Wilson Butler, Kaitlin Dawson and Kaeden Watts.

This year Qiulae Wong and Sophie Handford were a big part of our collective effort and we wish them all the best for their new political endeavours.

We believe to effect real change we need to work simultaneously in our local communities and at the international level. We are proud to be part of the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance networking across the globe.

Support us this Christmas

WEAll Aotearoa is here to enable all of us in Aotearoa New Zealand to drive change, to shift the conversation and to design bold ideas that can shape a better future for all of us.

We are a collaboration of changemakers, a fiercely independent ‘think and do tank’ and registered charity.

Together we have the ideas, the vision and the passion. At this crucial moment, what we need is donations to supercharge this progress and grow the movement to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy around the wellbeing of our people and te taiao. 

This Christmas, give a gift to the future.