A circular economy for the wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand

Āmiomio Aotearoa is led by Kim Pickering. The leadership team also includes Trevor Drage (Waikato), Sandy Morrison (Waikato), Les Oxley (Waikato), Barry Barton (Waikato), Eva Collins (Waikato), Robert Joseph (Waikato) and Tom Roa (Waikato).

The collaboration involves researchers from across disciplines at the University of Waikato, University of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, University of Otago, University of Auckland, SCION, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, BRANZ Ltd, and a number of international partner organisations.

Research Leaders – University of Waikato

Waikato Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing – Director, Prof Kim Pickering
Centre for Environmental, Resources & Energy Law – Director, Prof Barry Barton
New Zealand Institute for Business Research – Director, A/Prof Eva Collins
Te Mata Hautū Taketake – Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre – Director, Dr Robert Joseph
Waikato Experimental Economics Laboratory – Director, A/Prof Steven Tucker

The research programme is built around these three research aims:

1. Establishing the Āmiomio Aotearoa Concept

We will create a blueprint for the Āmiomio Aotearoa concept, informed by Aotearoa NZ’s unique bi-cultural history and its societal, political, geographic, policy and market setting. The concept, co-created in partnership with Māori, will inform and guide future research and innovation activities, and will be created to dynamically and meaningfully represent the bi-cultural core values upon which is it founded (Māori/NZ European), to ensure its long-term relevance to national and international research agendas in the circular economy space.

2. Materials and Design

The circular economy transition requires a paradigm shift in society’s relationship with products, and the materials from which they are made. Through this research we aim to develop new niche products that will contribute to the disruption of the status quo, and to develop design processes that start from a position of non-acceptance of current conceptions of ‘waste’ and ‘end of (product) life’ to support the development of new ways of ‘doing’ design, and designing out waste.

3. People, Business, and Policy

NZ faces particular opportunities and challenges in moving towards a circular economy. Opportunity spaces include consideration of the potential gains to be derived from, for example, the incorporation of Māori concepts such as para kore (zero waste) into the development of new sustainable business models. Challenge spaces often relate to difficulties associated with achieving fundamental and widescale behaviour change, for example, how can NZ’s large SME sector be encouraged (and supported) to achieve significant improvements in their rates of low-grade recycling and more general waste minimisation? To achieve a circular economy, innovation is required across business practice, economic theory, regulatory frameworks, and consumer behaviours, supported by in-depth knowledge of existing assets, materials, energy, and utility requirements, and policy development. We will explore which intrinsic (pro-environmental/social) and extrinsic (financial, regulatory, reputational) motivational factors can be supported by policy to influence sustainable production and consumption, taking account of the numerous challenges created by multiple path dependencies (e.g. long-standing norms, mental models, operating procedures, and cognitive biases).

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