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).

• Submission on the Transforming Recycling Consultation
• Submission on the Emissions Reduction Plan Consultation

Barton, B. (2022). Building Resilience from the Ground Up: Local Supply and Demand Management with Renewables, Prosumers, Energy Efficiency, Critical Minerals, and the Circular Economy. In C. Banet, H. Mostert, L. Paddock, M. F. Montoya, and I. del Guayo (Eds.), Resilience in Energy, Infrastructure, and Natural Resources Law: Examining Legal Pathways for Sustainability in Times of Disruption (pp. 327-341). Oxford University Press, doi10.1093/oso/9780192864574.003.0020.

Blumhardt, H. & Prince, L. From lines to circles: Reshaping waste policy. Policy Quarterly, 18(2), 71-80.

Burke, H., Zhang, A., & Wang, J. X. (2021). Integrating product design and supply chain management for a circular economy. Production Planning & Control, 1-17.

Diprose, G., Walton, S., Greenaway, A., and Collins, E. 2022. How is the circular economy emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand? Research Brief.

Diprose, G., Walton, S., Greenaway, A., and Collins, E. 2022. How is the circular economy emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand? Infographic.

Farooque, M., Zhang, A., Liu, Y., & Hartley, J. L. (2022). Circular supply chain management: Performance outcomes and the role of eco-industrial parks in China. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 157, 102596.

Luthra, S., Sharma, M., Kumar, A., Joshi, S., Collins, E., & Mangla, S. (2022). Overcoming barriers to cross-sector collaboration in circular supply chain management: a multi-method approach. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 157, 102582.

Manu, T., Nazmi, A. R., Shahri, B., Emerson, N., & Huber, T. (2022). Biocomposites: A Review of Materials and Perception. Materials Today Communications, 103308.

Matinong, A. M., Chisti, Y., Pickering, K. L., & Haverkamp, R. G. (2022). Collagen extraction from animal skin. Biology, 11(905), 1-15.

Pritchett, S. Blumhardt, H,, Smith, P. & Austin, G. (2022). The Right to Repair. In Digital technology and equity in NZ. Bridget Williams Books.

Wang, J. X., Burke, H., & Zhang, A. (2022). Overcoming barriers to circular product design. International Journal of Production Economics, 243, 108346.

Zaw, W. T (2022). Right to Repair: The Obstacles in the Current Law. The New Zealand Law Journal, 164-168.

Zaw, W. T. (2022) Right to repair: How to design new law reform. The New Zealand Law Journal. Accepted for publication, 23 May 2022.

Zhang, A., Wang, J. X., Farooque, M., Wang, Y., & Choi, T. M. (2021). Multi-dimensional circular supply chain management: A comparative review of the state-of-the-art practices and research. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 155, 102509.

UN Climate Change Conference COP26 Symposium

Barton, B. (2021, November). Commentary on what's important. In T. Gibbons (Chair), Local panel: Law, science & innovation. Symposium conducted at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, Glasgow, Waikato Event.

Oxley, L. (2021, November). Circular Economy. In F. Scrimgeour (Chair), Local panel: Finance and economics. Symposium conducted at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, Glasgow, Waikato Event.

Roa, T. (2021, November). Introductory Comments. In S. Morrison (Chair), Local panel: Setting the scene - what's to come! Symposium conducted at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, Glasgow, Waikato Event.

Opinion pieces

Blumhardt, H. (2021, November 3). NZ’s government plans to switch to a circular economy to cut waste and emissions, but it’s going around in the wrong circles. The Conversation. 

Walton, S. (2021, August 2). What goes around ... moves around. Otago Daily TImes.