Latest news with #SeanWeaver
Scoop
05-08-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Taking New Zealand Biodiversity To The World
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ekos are making history by launching New Zealand biodiversity and conservation into the global marketplace. This is the first time a New Zealand conservation project is trading biodiversity credits on an international trading platform. This provides direct access to global audiences, connecting the world to the incredible biodiversity outcomes for which New Zealand is renowned. Ekos CEO Sean Weaver says this is a milestone moment, not only for Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, but also for the future of conservation funding in New Zealand. "The need for conservation funding in New Zealand far outweighs the current resources available through traditional grants and philanthropic support. Biodiversity credits from the Ekos BioCredita programme offer a new pathway to integrate biodiversity conservation into the heart of the economy here and around the world,' he says. 'These biodiversity credits don't commodify nature. Instead, they represent the human resource and technology cost to look after it. Buyers are purchasing measured, reported and verified biodiversity conservation outputs in a performance-based system." Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari CEO Helen Hughes says being the first in New Zealand to connect international market platforms with the world-class biodiversity outcomes achieved by her team is in keeping with the innovative mindset that the sanctuary was founded on. 'The Sanctuary is the largest of its kind in the world, built just over 20 years ago with ambitious goals and innovative thinking. Today, our 1,000-year plan and our scale provide the opportunity to test new ways of doing things, including finding new revenue streams to enable the sanctuary to continue to deliver exceptional biodiversity outcomes,' she says. Weaver says that linking biodiversity credits to international companies is a positive step for New Zealand. 'Being able to trade on the international trading platform, ClimateTrade, opens the door to foreign exchange to help fund biodiversity conservation in a global biodiversity hotspot. This opportunity is made possible by our rigorous standard, third-party verification protocols, and blockchain registry system for biodiversity credit issuance and tracking.' 'This allows us to tap into a well-established global market where conservation-linked ESG targets and reporting are becoming standard practice. While biodiversity credits are still a relatively new concept here, the BioCredita programme enables New Zealand to align with international frameworks and attract investment from companies already familiar with these mechanisms', he says. Hughes adds that the goal is to connect with domestic and international markets that align with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari's ethos and value environmental sustainability, social responsibility, productive partnerships and meaningful community engagement. Outcomes she says the sanctuary delivers on every day through its operations. 'By connecting to impact investors and values-based buyers—both here and abroad—we're not just funding conservation, we're shaping a future where nature and communities thrive together. This is not just a transaction; it's a shared commitment to delivering biodiversity outcomes at a global scale,' she says.
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Biodiversity Credits Programme To Transform Conservation Funding In New Zealand Launches Today
Today, after four years of intensive design, testing, collaboration and verifying, Ekos, partnering with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, are launching credits under their BioCredita Programme – a biodiversity market programme. Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari CEO Helen Hughes said that biodiversity credits are an innovative way to diversify revenue for the sanctuary, at a time when traditional funding streams become harder to find. 'We have been actively looking for ways to adapt how our funding is secured, in order to guarantee that the sanctuary is here for generations to come' she said. 'Consequently, we reached out to Ekos and they helped us develop biodiversity credits on their new BioCredita programme'. Ekos CEO Sean Weaver said that there is an increasing gap between the funding needed for conservation in New Zealand versus the funding available from philanthropy and/or grants. 'This is why we developed the BioCredita programme. Biocredtia presents a far greater opportunity to connect with more organisations and individuals that value world-class environmental and social outcomes.' Hughes says the credits are unique because they support completed conservation work, ensuring zero risk for buyers. 'Like a wine vintage, we're releasing the 2024 vintage of biodiversity credits — an innovative way to fund exceptional environmental outcomes' she says. Ekos CEO Dr. Sean Weaver explains that Ekos biodiversity credits don't put a price on nature, but instead put a price on the resources and technology required to protect it. The BioCredita programme ensures all credits are real, measured, additional, and independently verified to the internationally peer-reviewed Ekos SD Standard. 'It's a disciplined and transparent form of buying nature outcomes' says Weaver. 'And because the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari credits are issued by a registered charity, they're tax deductible.' Hughes adds that innovation like this has always been central to the sanctuary's mindset. 'This initiative allows the private sector to engage meaningfully in conservation while enhancing their social licence to operate,' says Hughes. Waikato-based Profile Group, a long-time supporter of the sanctuary, have been the first to adopt this ground-breaking programme by purchasing credits over the last three years—directly supporting the 3,363-hectare sanctuary. Mikayla Plaw, Executive Director, Sustainability at Profile Group, highlights the accountability built into the system. 'It's audited, third-party verified, transparent and takes a long-term view to conservation — exactly the kind of change we need to protect the future of our most precious eco-systems and critical natural environments.' Credits are now available through the Ekos website either as biodiversity credits on their own or bundled with carbon credits for voluntary carbon management:
