It’s a strange and urgent time we find ourselves in.

Just this past month, World Overshoot Day and the International Court of Justice ruling (which affirmed that nations have legal obligations to act on climate change) came within a single day of each other.

One marks the scale of the crisis. The other reminds us that we can still change course and build a healthier, more resilient future.

Here at WEAll Aotearoa we know our current extractive economic system is a key driver of environmental and social destruction. That’s why we’re working hard to amplify messages of hope, action, and systemic transformation.

In the past month we hosted a sold-out panel discussion on circular fashion (welcoming more people into the conversation on economic systems change), continued to publicise our Amplifying Māori Approaches Report, continued with our regular programme of events, and collaborated with other values-aligned organisations on upcoming work.

Excitingly, we also built a tool using smart technology to find every candidate standing for local body elections and email them a copy of our Policy for the Public Good Resource Guide- we have had a fantastic response from them.

Read more about what we’ve been up to below.

As always, if you can see an opportunity to collaborate, please get in touch. We love hearing from you.

Ngā manaakitanga, Gareth Hughes on behalf of the WEAll Aotearoa team.

Wellbeing Economy News

Gareth's latest opinion piece

In this opinion piece, Gareth pushes back against the old idea that local government is just about roads, rates, rats, and rubbish. Highlighting instead the huge role it has in growing local economies and supporting the wellbeing and resilience of our communities.
At a time when blame and negativity often dominate the conversation, Gareth’s piece reminds us of the real value of local government and the positive impact it can have on people’s lives..
Interested in learning more? Read our Policy for the Public Good: A Local Government Resource Guide, which shares 100 common-sense, evidence-based policies for local councils, along with 85 real-world case studies of these working.

Sold out circular fashion event

Did you know the average Kiwi sends 34kg of clothing to landfill each year? Last week in Tāmaki Makaurau, we hosted a sold-out panel on circular fashion, spotlighting how we can shift from fast fashion’s wasteful cycle to a more regenerative, connected, and creative system.

Moderated by Lucy Blakiston (Sh*t You Should Care About), the panel featured leading voices in circular fashion: Emily Miller-Sharma (Ruby / Mindful Fashion), Rose Hope (Crushes), and Emma Wallace (Kowtow Clothing).

Missed it? No worries. You can watch the video here. It includes discussion of France’s bold steps to rein in ultra-fast fashion (including new taxes, advertising bans, and mandatory environmental reporting); how Mindful Fashion is calling on the New Zealand government to take a closer look at the true impact of our fashion industry; and Meredith Dawson-Lawry sharing upcoming research from the Textiles Advisory Group that quantifies the economic benefits of adopting circular fashion policies.

Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed, keep your eyes peeled for more research from us soon!

Presentation to WEAll California

Gareth was pleased to present to the WEAll California Hub about the ways we are building a Wellbeing Economy in Aotearoa. Check it out here.

WEAll Aotearoa Events

**19 August, 5:30 - 7:30.** We All Chat Tauranga.
CBK Craft Bar + Kitchen, Tauranga.

The WEAll Aotearoa team will be in Tauranga and we’d love to meet up with Bay of Plenty-based supporters for a yarn about redesigning our economic system.
Join fellow WEAll Aotearoa supporters for a drink and chat all things wellbeing economy.

**20 August, 9am - 4:30pm.** Towards a Purposeful Economy. If you feel like you could be doing something more for economic systems change, but you’re unsure what more looks like, this event is for you. This one-day hui will use the lens provided by the Inner Development Goals; as well as the resources of WEAll Aotearoa and Future Fit Foundation.

**8 September, 12pm.** Webinar: Zero Waste Future: Repair The Economic System, Not Just The Stuff.
Online.

**8-10 September,** in-person at Zero Waste Aoteaora National Hui. University of Auckland.

We will be running a workshop on how economic systems change is the ultimate zero waste solution.

**9 September**, 7pm. WEAll Aotearoa Book Club: The Invisible Doctrine, online, zoom.

**23 September**, 7pm. Wellbeing Economy 101, online, zoom.

Join the WEAll Aotearoa team for a free one-hour webinar that will explore the history, global movement and why it’s needed, key ideas and strategies, the Wellbeing Economy in Aotearoa, and how to get involved and advance an economy in service to life.

Recommendations

Read the groundbreaking new paper by Steven Moe: Nature as a Shareholder, Who Speaks for the Trees? We’re proud to have supported the publication of this thought-provoking work, which invites a radical reimagining of the relationship between business and the natural world. Challenging traditional corporate structures, the paper explores how we might give nature a genuine voice by recognising it as a shareholder in companies. Rooted in Te Ao Māori perspectives and written with care, this paper opens up bold new possibilities for governance, accountability, and the future of business.

Check out the launch of Tuhono Impact, a new open-source project designed to support organisations to grow their capability to understand, track and demonstrate their social impact.
Read the latest Doughnut Business Survey which found that of 409 UK business professionals surveyed, over 90% believe that businesses should follow Doughnut Economics principles. Even more astoundingly, 86% support post-growth business principles, but most massively underestimate how many of their peers think the same.
Attend Āmiomio Aotearoa Online Conference on 21 August. This hui marks the conclusion of the MBIE-funded Āmiomio Aotearoa research programme, launched in 2020 to progress a circular economy for the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.
Read the Avoidable Costs paper, the latest report from our WEAll Australia colleagues. The evidence that 'prevention is better than cure' aligns to our framing of 'Failure Demand', where we are stuck in a cycle of paying to fix what we continue to break. As they say in the report: "The current approach to our economy and systems of governance fails to safeguard much of what we value, including our health, safety, social connections, prosperity, and the resilience and sustainability of our natural environment."
Attend the Economic Development NZ Conference 12, 13 November in Tāmaki Makaurau. Gareth will be speaking about WEAll's mahi on Community Wealth Building and building healthy regional economies.